This story is from September 23, 2007

Fashion does a flashback

PIALI DASGPTA / TNN / Sep 23, 2007, 00:00 IST

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Actress Keira Knightley’s ’40s look in Atonement has sparked off new interest in period style. Bollywood films like Om Shanti Om and Khoya Khoya Chaand are also showcasing the retro look. BT explores the second coming of retro fashion

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RETRO SPLASH: Model Jackie Shetty shows what it takes to make a classic statement.Actress Keira Knightley’s ’40s look in Atonement has sparked off new interest in period style. Bollywood films like Om Shanti Om and Khoya Khoya Chaand are also showcasing the retro look. BT explores the second coming of retro fashion
NOW you can safely trade your skinny jeans for bellbots and your kurtas for puff-sleeved blouses without irking the fashion police.Style is going back in time; be it the ramp or on screen, retro seems to be everywhere.
In the west, the soft curls, wasp waists and the skirt suits of the 1940s are making a comeback in Atonement, the movie based on Ian McEwan’s novel and starring Keira Knightley. But it’s not just the ’40s designers are revisiting. The poodle skirt of the ’50s, the drainpipes and the chiffons of the ’60s and the elephant pants of the ’70s are all taking the fashion world by storm.
Designer Ritu Kumar explains our fascination with old world charm, even in clothes. “People are tired of aping the west, and retro is a welcome change for many,” she says. “The tight churidars, the dramatic puff-sleeved blouses with soft chiffons are all in vogue now and not just in films. Fashion is cyclic, and past trends reflect our history. From among the originals, I think Sharmila Tagore’s look was stunning.”

Actress Lilette Dubey, who played a ’60s actress in Zubeida, says her daughter Neha is totally enamoured of the retro look. Says Lilette, “Neha looks at my college snaps and wants the tight shirts and the bellbots I wore then. My look in Zubeida had a lot of Hollywood influences of the ’50s. I wore my hair short and my lips were painted red. That look is very appealing and films set in that period bring back the wildness of that generation.”

It wasn’t just the clothes; there was constant innovation and experimentation even with hair and make-up in the ’60s and ’70s. The Sadhana cut of the ’60s was quite a rage, as was the beehive and the bouffant popularised by Sharmila Tagore, Babita and Asha Parekh in the ’70s. Interestingly, it was Sadhana’s husband who asked her to sport a fringe like that of Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn’s. Millions of young men started sporting sideburns, long hair and the Elvis cut after Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor made them fashionable.
Some contemporary actresses like Raima Sen, however, admit they’re not comfortable with big hair and ‘wing’ eye make-up when they aren’t shooting. Raima, who sported the ’70s look in Parineeta, says, “I’m okay with churidars, but I’d look like a clown if I put my hair up in those huge buns in real life. And the ‘wing’ eye make-up looks good on screen. I won’t try that otherwise, since I have huge eyes.”
But for many who’ve admired Dimple Kapadia in her knotty blouses and Neetu Singh in her bell bottoms, retro is the way to go. Actress Diya Mirza says the pink evening gown she wore in Parineeta is from her personal wardrobe. “Not just that, you’ll find lots more retro clothes in my closet. I even sport ‘wing’ eye make-up at parties; I think it’s beautiful. Be it empire line dresses or slacks, people are back to wearing everything from the ’70s. I personally didn’t like the huge shades I had on in Parineeta, and wore it only to camouflage an infection. But everything else about that era is fascinating,” she says.

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