In the pink of things

Manpriya Singh

The colour pink stands for the celluloid ‘princessy feel’, for all things cute and for the much debated feminism. All covered by the fifty shades of the colour. Candy pink, baby pink, nude pink, dusty pink, sorbet pink and oh yes, hot pink! “All shades of pink are in trend this season, primarily shocking pink, but also candy pink, baby pink, and raspberry pink. With the feminism wave, pink only got more adulation,” opines designer Anjali Jani. Many a girls have professed their love for pink long before it was made official by Elle Wood’s character in Legally Blonde.

Fast forward and Celine, Balenciaga to Valentino, the big ticket fashion houses painted the runways with rose tinted outfits, while forecasting trends for the summer and spring season of the current year. Valentino’s spring summer 2017 collection as showcased at the Paris Fashion Week, put the contrasting reds and pinks together in at least half a dozen dresses. Closer home, Padma Lakshmi, the show stopper for Tarun Tahiliani’s spring summer 2017 collection returns to the runway, dressed in a salmon pink lehenga from his collection titled Chashme Shahi, as showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week summer resort 2017. “After red, pink is the next most popular colour for bridal wear. Even more so for pret and spring summer collections. Little wonder, there is always an endeavour on every designer’s part to explore the shade in every possible way,” explains Rina Bhinder, from the label R.

Some dos and a few don’ts

It is so easy to go all girlie with the colour, easier enough to look cute. However, there is no right or wrong way of wearing pink. Only better ways.

• Your pinks don’t have to match. Well, they don’t have to clash either. They are just supposed to go along with each other. Whether you are colour blocking pink or going print on print.
• “Pink is a colour that flatters, but it all depends on the hue,” shares designer Anjali Jani. “Very pale pinks will look washed out whereas very bright ones may look striking, depending on the skin tone. Softer pinks with prints, even stripes look great. Avoid ruffles and bows, keep the silhouettes simple and minimal with clean lines. A bright pink bag is great with more earthy or neutral outfits. With an all pink outfit, wear darker shoes, be it navy, brown or black to provide the contrast. Do not go in for white shoes.”
• “Vintage pink colours like rose and peaches complement most skin tones and add a breezy charm to most summer outfits when worn in flowy silhouettes or prints,” shares designer Amy Billimoria. “Subtle pink shades of nude can be teamed with printed accessories like shoes and belts to create a statement summer look.” She adds, “Keeping the makeup simple allow the shade to rule your look.”