FASHION AND CULTURE: THE EVOLUTION OF EASTERN AND WESTERN STYLES
The fashion and culture always go hand in hand. The phrase “fashion” refers to something that stands out from the crowd. Making a statement with your clothing and accessories to separate yourself from the crowd. Fashion and culture are linked because culture is a vital aspect of fashion. Fashion defines our personality, how we dress, what we dress, who we are. It tells everything even from where we come from. But now the question is what is that one thing which influence lifestyle? Culture! Yes culture influence our lifestyle in a very Broadway, in a way of modernization and in a way of art.
Our clothes are woven into our history and heritage. Sarees which is the best example because sarees are there from a very long time. This made me realize that sarees are so versatile; it can be worn in weddings to festivals to workwear to daily wear. I have seen a lot of young girls flaunting saree on workplace and moms too. Saree has no age bar. Remember the time when we used to drape mom’s dupatta as a saree?
Traditionally, sarees were worn without a blouse or petticoat underneath. These clothing gained popular under the British Raj, when they were considered impolite by the Victorians. In this way, India’s history is woven into the fabric of the saree. But now there are so many ways to wear a sari. Now just look at this fashion illustration given below:
The inspiration here you can clearly see the pants here are taken from the Indian dhoti which is the most common dress in India and the saree drape has come from the Maharashtrian saree. The combination of waist belt on a saree in this Illustration is an amalgamation of ethnic and western fashion ethos. Not only does it look edgy, but also contours the body to accentuate a slimmer waist. In this dhoti pant saree, I have done Dabu print which is an ancient mud resist hand block printing technique from Rajasthan. families in the village of Akola (Chippa community) have been practicing this technique for generations.
Here are some styling tips on Eastern and Western Fusion you can try:
- Dhoti pants with crop tops -> this is the best example when east meets West. Pair up an ethnic dhoti with funkiest crop top.
- Look out for asymmetric Kurtis and pair it up with cigarette pants and palazzos.
- Dhoti pant saree talk of the fashion world, opt for this concept by pairing up saree with dhoti cut pants.
- club up the ethnic lehenga with quirky denim jacket and glam up the look with cool sunglasses.
Recently I watched a Ted Talk video of Anamika Khanna on YouTube and I recommend you all to watch this video once, you will seriously realise that how beautifully she presented culture with fashion.
Her words “I started taking Indian craft and shapes and modernising them. I often mixed them with western shapes. I didn’t want to look people Indian dress as costume. I wanted to World to look at Indian dress as design as fashion.”
Here I am adding the link of that video: https://youtu.be/ReD9RSQ1vlo
Article References: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/how-fashion-meets-culture/gwLyN_zp-PN1Lg
https://www.iknockfashion.com/culture-and-fashion-the-evolution-of-eastern-and-western-style
http://www.alsharkiahmag.com/when-fashion-meets-culture/
