Neon Goes Native

Elsewhere,Payal Singhal introduced a shot of chartreuse in her Lakme Fashion Week Summer-Resort 2013 line. Masaba Gupta,who has made bright colours a part of her trademark style,brought the same vibrancy to her debut Satya Paul Autumn-Winter 2013 line at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week with “Every Neon Counts”.

Long considered apt for a preppy summer’s day palette,exuberant neons have invaded autumnal colour charts too. Designer Gaurav Gupta calls it a “much-awaited” reprieve. “I think our mass subconscious got bored with classic colours and we needed a colour burst,something younger and fresher,” says the couturier,who dipped into the unconventional spectrum not only for his Couture 2012 collection but also for his Spring-Summer and Autumn-Winter 2013 lines. He stands by the unusual choice of colours for his sari and lehenga gowns. “Neons have entered the realm of classics. And since my clothes are more about silhouette and drape,one can easily work with an impactful colour. It adds to the drama and highlights the construction of the drape,” says Gupta.

Another drape that is seeing a youthful revival at the hands of designer Neeta Lulla is the Kanjeevaram sari. This season,she has manipulated it into a more lightweight and softer silhouette,with the added dazzle of electric colours. Fluorescent oranges,pinks and yellows combine to give her Kanjeevaram hybrid a contemporary look. “Today,given the economic scenario,where embroidery has become expensive,textures and colours are playing a big part in fashion,” says Lulla,who is working on a collection of kalamkari styles in neon colours for the coming festive season.

Contrary to popular belief,these electric shades aren’t restricted to a certain age group,say bridalwear specialists Monica Shah and Karishma Swali of Jade.

While they may not be conventional bridalwear colours,Lulla says she’s already received a lot of inquiries for the neon bridal outfits retailing at her Mumbai boutique. Newbie designer Arpita Mehta says the colours are perfect for pre-wedding functions such as mehendi,sangeet and cocktails. If an acid yellow ensemble is too adventurous for you,let just a hint of neon work its magic. “Use it in the piping,embroidery threads or simply in the finishing. Let the neon colour play hide-and-seek instead of being too in-your-face,” says Mehta. “Pick a fabric that’s not very opaque. A thicker fabric has more overpowering effect. Using see-through fabrics such as nets and light chiffons,gives the colours a more watered-down effect and makes them imminently more wearable,” she adds.

While Gupta says there are no rules to wearing electric hues as it largely depends on one’s personal ability to carry off a look,Swali of Jade thinks that the impact of neons is enhanced when paired with neutrals or soft pastels of the same colour family.