Check out the cool summer collection by three of the top designers from Kerala
Summer is here with its bright hues, cool cottons and floral frenzies. Each season brings with it, its own inspirations, textures and designs. Kerala celebrates Vishu and Easter in April this year and the native summer styles mirror glimpses of these festivals! RITZ checks out the cool summer collection crafted by three of the top designers from Kerala, who have used handwoven fabrics and ethnic styles in their designs! Read on to hear them describe the collection in their own words.
Text: Riya Sonny Datson
Seamstress by Rasmi Poduval & Vimala Viswambharan
“Don’t let the fashion industry dictate your choice of colours or fabric but let the spirit of the season do that! Seamstress has chintzy florals and checks in flowy A-lines for the summer. Cotton crepe is a comfortable fabric to wear for it breathes well, has a lovely fall and drape and most importantly, it lends a cool, breezy look! For formals, we recommend, Chintzy Kalamkaris in minimal cuts and of course, cool linens in structured cuts.
We don’t follow the western system of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Instead, we follow a Vishu, Mazha, Onam and a Christmas/Festive collection. This Vishu (New Year in Kerala), we’ve worked with a traditional mundum veshti, paired with retro styled blouses like the shirt blouse, rouka, high collared and embroidered blouses. We’ve also used soft pastel Kalamkaris and Kerala kaithari fabric. There is a certain rustic, ‘lived in’ charm to the traditional mundum veshti, the idea was to retain that look but with a slight contemporary spin, using off-beat blouses. Style Statement? Give a spin to the traditional look with your own style quotient – it could be a short peplum shirt instead of your traditional blouse, or experiment with the drape or even an unusual accessory – maybe kuppivala (glass bangles) & sneakers!”
Mantra By Shalini James
“Long rustling dresses that twirl sensuously around the ankles; delicate, frothy anarkalis that swirl around you with a mind of their own; hemlines that play hide and seek, eyelets that play peekaboo; willowy silhouettes, flirty fabrics, prints and paisleys that will leave you sighing for more. That’s our offering for the summer – ‘A Spring Affair’: A delightful collection of floral prints on soft, gossamer voiles.
The summer palette has garden pastels with prints of foliage, florals and paisleys. The layering with crochet lace in our collection gives a peasant-girl styling to the whole look. When it comes to accessories, the Athleisure trend continues. Sneakers are worn with dresses, albeit with feminine add-ons like lace and pompoms. Headbands and scarves add dashes of contrasting colour to the look.”
Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan
“Rouka believes in the beauty of everyday living. Sometimes it’s just best when life is simple and we celebrate the little things we come across everyday. Rouka meaning bodice in Malayalam celebrates that effortlessness.
This summer soak in the effortlessness of a spring holiday. We’re looking at straight cuts, summer dresses, and more importantly the fun aspect of wearing comfort with style. Summers are a lot about travel and we’re working on making it easy. This implies a lot of neutrals and simple patterns. Textures are the key to this easy summer wardrobe. Monotone textures make the cut this summer, with tone on tone details adding class. We always stick to natural fabrics because functionality is key. It’s always a good idea to keep jewellery to a minimum during summers. Statement earrings are always a great idea with simple summer dresses.”
