It’s my style

“For me,it does not really have much meaning if this colour is in or that one is out. I go with what looks good on me and what I think I can carry off with aplomb. That is the only criterion,” says Aarti Lalwani,who conducts fine dining etiquette workshops. “There is a certain way you dress up,when you are out for work and quite another when you are socialising. In both,I prefer to follow my heart and select whatever I’m comfortable in,” she adds.

For Pradnya Kulkarni,a software engineer,it’s practicality and comfort that scores above all others. “Fashion for me means simplicity. Keeping it simple is really the essence of my fashion funda,” she asserts. “Instead of going by what some magazines tell you to wear,I follow my own heart and most of the time,it works,” adds she.

So,whether it is Katrina Kaif’s latest look,where she sports bright red streaks or Kareena Kapoor’s obsession with fitting clothes in kitschy colours,fashion trends dictated by a chosen few in the glamour world do not appeal to many women,who have their own,individualistic take on dressing up,or dressing down.

“It’s tough to maintain a figure like Bollywood leading ladies. I really want to do my own thing and get into clothes which I feel comfortable in,” avers Samita Ghorpade. “When you ‘copy’ a fashion trend,you are in a way trying to be someone you are not. So,that’s something which I can never bring myself to do,” says Lalwani. “I might really dig that latest off shoulder outfit or the ‘bandage’ dress which is all the rage currently,but when I know I cannot carry it off,it does not make sense in blindly following trends,” adds Ghorpade.

The fashion obsession is not limited to just clothes and hair,but extends into sporting a particular kind of make-up or wearing the latest heels available. While some fashion pundits suggest it’s hip to be seen in stilettos,others say platforms are back in vogue.

Also,where make-up is concerned,while some advocate smoky eyes,others prefer the ‘nude’ look.

“Whenever I go out with friends,I just do up my lips in either red or pink,and use the eyeliner to define my almond-shaped eyes. The rest of the fuss about ‘smoky eyes’ and blue or red eye-shadow is just not for me,” asserts Rishika Thakur,an engineering graduate.

“Most of the time,I just don a t-shirt and jeans because it suits me. I would be lying if I say I don’t follow fashion trends,but having said that,what’s also true is that I only wear what looks good on me and what I can carry off well,” says Amrita Advani,a student at the Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (MSIHMCT). Clearly,when I comes to ‘fashioning’ their own course,common sense and an honest acknowledgement of what works for you,is what appeals to these confident ladies. As for the fashion glossies,well,ahem,they are best confined to the bottom of the rack,they aver!