Haute shoulders

And then its softer,more feminine cousin became a la mode—the asymmetrical,one-shouldered dress. The dynamic dames of fashion seem to be enamoured with the look. Priyanka Chopra is one of its most faithful devotees sporting it on numerous occasions like the gold one-shouldered Swapnil Shinde dress she wore to media event or the pink Shantanu and Nikhil sheath she sported on a TV chat show,Lift Kara De. In signature Piggy Chops style,they were all designed with fitting bodices and teeny-weeny hemlines.

“They’re very sensual,” says designer Narendra

Kumar who’s designed a line of one-shouldered dresses for fashion boutique Creo. “They have an ‘80s feel to them in the sense that they bring glamour back to fashion.”

The look,a season old was triggered by Michelle Obama’s ivory and silk chiffon Jason Wu one-shouldered gown that she sported for the Presidential inaugural ball. In fashion years,it should have reached the twilight of its existence by now. Surprisingly,it’s not only doggedly persevering in the horizon of haute couture,many might say that the trend has peaked recently with the Golden Globes being a good barometer. Everyone from Amy Poehler in a red Jay Godfrey to Drew Barrymore in a beige draped dress to Anna Kendrick in Marchesa ruffles,wore one-shouldered dresses.

At the just-concluded New York Fashion Week,designer Michael Kors offered one-shouldered dresses in flannel and sculptural suits. Fast fashion chain Bebe came out with a line of spandex one-shouldered dresses with side cut-outs. Marc Jacobs toyed with the look with some one-shouldered jumpsuits and layered maxis.

“It’s not only very feminine but it’s also very comfortable,” says Delhi-based designer Mandira Wirk,whose one-shouldered creations have been worn by Malaika Arora Khan and Minissha Lamba. “And the best part is they suit all body types.”

Perhaps that’s why many variations of the one-shouldered dress are proliferating. The most popular strain might,arguably,be the toga style. Arora Khan wore a white toga dress from Mandira Wirk’s Spring/

Summer collection for a photo shoot. Jewellery designer Maheep Kapoor wore a blue silk toga dress for Ceres’ launch of its Valentine collection. “They combine a Grecian as well as an Indian look and encompass an effortless glamour,” feels designer Pria Kataria Puri,who wore a one-shouldered kaftan gown for the launch of her collection at Kimaya.

The look has also slithered into other fashion mainstays like the jumpsuit. We spotted Bipasha Basu wearing a red Gauri and Nainika one-shouldered jumpsuit. Actress Sonia Mehra teamed it with Aladdin pants,Sameera Reddy looked like a whirling dervish in a flared one-shouldered trapeze dress at the Chivas Fashion Tour,and Neha Dhupia introduced the sari gown sporting a floral-printed one at the MTS launch. Wirk has designed a line of saris with one-shouldered blouses.

“It’s a nice balance,” feels actress Mugdha Godse,loyalist of the one-shouldered school of fashion. “Off-shoulders can get uncomfortable sometimes.”

Considering fashion’s treacherous fickleness,the one-shouldered dress might,any moment,die a brutal death (to be replaced by—what’s next—dragon fly necklaces? Dotted net tights?). But for now,it’s all the rage in town.