Simply SHANEEL

Mona

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If there is one fabric that has wooed the Indian and western designers alike and been rendered in umpteenth avatars right from smart waistcoats, embellished sleeveless jackets, classy dresses, long skirts and funky stoles, it's got to be velvet. 

From a heavily embroidered rich choli with a net duppatta to the little black dress to an all-heavy jewel tone lehenga to a red carpet dress with a velvety trail, this luxe fabric can make anyone look magnificent. 

Velvet isn't new, be it for traditional wear or western, but this bulky shaneel has seen a transformation and how!

(L-R) Kangana Ranaut in a Suneet Verma creation, a model wears a velvet skirt, Priyanka Chopra  in a manish malhotra lehenga

On Red Carpet 

One of the most copiously copied dress remains to be Manish Malhotra's  blue velvet lehenga that Priyanka Chopra wore a while back at an awards function. Lately, from the India Couture Week 2014 to the prestigious Cannes, velvet made it as the fabric of the events. 

Bipasha Basu dazzled in designer Rohit Bal's heavily embroidered bridal rusty red velvet lehenga recently and Kangana Ranaut in Suneet Verma's rich red sari at India Bridal Fashion Week, making everyone take notice of this fabric. Take it all or in patches, velvet sure uplifts any ensemble. 

Breathe easy 

"Thanks to the latest advancements, velvet is no more difficult to handle. It's softer, more pliable and can be used in umpteen ways. Come winter and designers are ready to explore this fabric in varied forms," says Ritu Kochhar, corporate director, INIFD. 

What goes in this fabric's favour is that apart from the rich looks, it also has very a good fall. If you have a wedding to attend, Ritu recommends a choli in velvet teamed up with a lehanga with a velvet border or a sari in silk, net or lace and velvet in a fifty-fifty ratio." 

The popularity of the fabric demands that it should suit any pocket. While a original designer dress in velvet could cost anywhere around Rs 2,00,000, you can fetch a knock-off for much less.

Elegant choice 

If dresses are what you prefer, an Alexander McQueen black velvet dress, which Jessica Chastain carried with aplomb at the premiere of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, could serve as the inspiration. The little dress with leaf motifs in monotone, it was her multi-coloured pumps that lifted up the look for the day. Designers Vandana and Prerna Talwar from Prevasu feel that when it comes to velvet western wear, monochrome and smart cut without embellishments works fine. 

"Velvet works well in Europe for the winter is rather long. A black velvet pencil-fit dress with a nice set of pearls and a silver Alexander McQueen silver clutch would just be perfect or alternatively with gold cuff paired with a gold Alexander McQueen clutch would be charming."

True colour

If you want to own a piece of velvet, trend books recommend a jewel tone - ruby, emerald, sapphire, tourmaline or turquoise. A velvet lehenga with embellished trimmings for those who like to keep it safe or embroidered velvet patches on a lace or silk lehenga might just do the trick. Those on the heavier side needn't stop themselves in the track, "With finer velvet available now, it's no longer a requisite to be lithesome to don this trend," says Ritu Kochar. What's stopping you?

mona@tribunemail.com