Sexy sari with quirky spin

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Nida Mahmood’s kitschy work

India has always celebrated colour but the dominance of vibrant, pop colours and kitschy motifs on the traditional silhouette — the sari — is relatively new. Once restricted to T-shirts and accessories, the quirk factor is now conquering the domain of saris.

Youngsters now are attracted to the fresh and colourful vibe of the saris, so much so that it’s now “cool” to wear a sari even if you are 18! We caught up with some fashion designers to understand the ‘pop-sari phenomenon’ and it’s growing popularity amongst youngsters.
Quirky and pop elements like streets, people, faces, chai stalls, rickshaws and Bollywood songs and dance have always been designer Nida Mahmood’s muse. Her collections — “Break On Through”, “High on Chai”, “New India Bioscope Co”, “Sadak Chaap”, “Maachis” and most recently, “The Great Indian Tamasha” — have all featured the sari in a colourful, bold avatar. “When I started doing these pop-coloured saris, they were a fresh and innovative way of expressing rebellion and the feeling of being different. Today, they are becoming the norm. Youngsters are becoming experimental and demanding for this ‘quirk factor’ added to their dresses,” she says, adding that her saris make for great individual style statements.
Several other designers and brands are also playing up the pop element in saris to cater to the need of the youngsters.
Conceptual designer Akshay Tyagi’s first retail collection in India happily plumps Mumbai landmarks like the Bandra-Worli sealink, Girgaon Chowpatty, iconic bright red B.E.S.T buses, parrots, auto rickshaws and cotton candy as design inspiration for his collection of kitschy saris.
“This trend of kitschy motifs on saris speaks of our change in mindset towards clothing, culture and modernisation,” says Akshay.
Designer duo Dev R Nil’s saris also boast of bright colours and prints inspired by cars, sunglasses and Che Guevara.
Keeping up with the latest trends Sonam Kapoor recently wore a quirky print sari by the designer Yogesh Chaudhary inspired by the Ms. Pac-Man game.
Designer Yogesh says, “For me it is a strong pop culture reference, and I feel it translates to people all over the world.”
Talking about this pop-sari phenomena, Yogesh says, “This trend is a change from the clichéd and is something to look forward to in the glamour world, as it brings with it a new medium of expression. The trend is definitely catching on.”