Assam Tribune, The

Imagine a town called Muga, a cluster of villages named Paat, a district renamed Eri or Endi, the Mibu Galuk zilla, the Gamusa municipality, the Kessa Xoon gaon, and so on and so forth. Fashion is not just the clothes you wear, the jewellery, footwear, bag, belt or any other accessory that you style yourself with to get that complete look. Fashion is “instant language’ as Miuccia Prada once said, and going beyond, it also is a strong voice that harks back to our past, running strong through our...

Just the other day a friend flaunted a spacious and stylish satchel. It was trendy in an understated blackish-grey hue, and she declared it to be “vegan leather”. She felt good that her product had not been at the cost of any animal. But what really is vegan leather, I asked and she started the spiel that the brand had doled out to her, and to cut it short — it was environment friendly! Not really. Vegan leather is mostly as fake as it can get! There are shops aplenty that try to cash in on the...

It’s raining cats and dogs and you gotta spend the day out and wrap it up with another do before you head home to put up your dirt-sloshed feet! Dirty? Not really! There are ways to enjoy the monsoon magic and, in style! Tight fits are a no-no, ditto for dull colours. A canary yellow tee with shin-high tapered (not fitted) trousers or a straight skirt, A-line works too, a colourful scarf and go get those nude-coloured water-friendly footwear! Fluorescent shades would be good fun if it is a day...

As the sun beats down and humidity levels cause us to sweat more sans steam, stepping out is not easy and staying cooped indoors with the air-conditioner at full blast more harmful than good. Loose silhouettes in airy fabrics and soft pastels or simply whites make the weather more tolerable but what also needs to be right is the footwear. Be it heels or flats, bellies, platforms or stilettos, the strappy Grecian sandal or slippers… there’s a lot to pick and choose from. But, it is important to...

Just the other day my pragmatic sister scoffed at me when I declared, in the midst of some discussion on closets, that each of my clothes tell a story. “How can clothes tell a story?” she derided, muttering “you and your unending stories”. (Wish I could put a smile emoji here) Yeah, I am a story-teller and have often been labelled “dramatic” by the siblings and legions of nephews and nieces. But, think. Do you think your clothes tell a story? I would go to the extent to say that each grain of...

Ah to go bare-sleeved in an open neck in fabrics that breathe, sway as they body-sculpt in comfort fit. Trend forecasters, the people all over the globe who scout for fashion trends have proclaimed that fringes, metallics, florals, skirts, wide-legged trousers, peplums, all things baggy, and the like will rule. We have also had Pantone, an authority on colour, announce ‘peach fuzz’ as the colour for 2024. Peach fuzz as in a "velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body and...

Have you noticed how the rental clothing trend is catching up? From the UK to France, Africa and even in our own big and small towns and cities, shop fascias are shouting out “rentals”. Taboo mindset begone, a friend’s daughter the other day was enquiring from where to shop the best rentals for her cousin’s wedding programmes. To paraphrase her, she was just not “keen to waste thousands” to ensure that the dresses she buys get locked in her closet till the next wedding and “I anyways will not be...

The party, read wedding, season is not over yet. There was a lull in December and now right up to April there should be someone or the other in the circle of friends and family getting married and so opportunity for you to reprise all those silks, velvets, banarsis, jacquards, organzas, tissue in all its hues, nets, sheers, shimmering metallics and the multitude of other fabrics that your closet teems with. When was the last time you wore your ‘heavy’ lehenga, mekhela, sari, gown or any other...

The bells, they are a’ ringing… Chiming in 2024 even though the last 365 days feel like yesterday. As the world continues to spin, what could be spinning out of control is the people’s race to protect the planet. 2030, 2050 are the years earmarked for industries to go ‘net zero’, and this includes the textiles-fashion-footwear-accessories sector. While the overall fashion industry globally is taking steps to achieve net zero in its practices, it is falling woefully short. There was a huge...

So, I have some lazy bums around me who want to look chic sans any effort, or rock a look with whatever’s there in the almirah (and that’s precious little, really cool I mean). If you are one of them and you have it all but just can’t put it all together, then here are some tips: First, ensure you have some basics — a couple of short and long cool tops/kurtis, stoles in various crafts like ajrakh, phulkari, ikat and a couple of prints, the evergreen white, black, fuchsia shirt, tee and dress, a...