It’s the colour of quiet resistance and part of every minimalist’s uniform. The designers who work with it and the women who take refuge in it illustrate why beige is ingrained in the Indian way of life.
As a designer’s unbleached kora or a painter’s blank canvas, beige posits itself as a starting point, a figurative ground zero.
For the colour to make a heavy-handed comeback in the realm of fashion speaks volumes. It’s a whole nude world and the immediate questions that come to mind are: is this an antithesis to neon-trimmed athleisure? Are Philophiles world over craving the iconic Old-Céline look of head-to-toe neutrals? Could this be the return of normcore 2.0? Or does beige, in the age of oversharing and fake news, stand for #nofilter and a return to simplicity?
Colour can concisely translate the mood of a season (or even a generation!). The year 2017 reflected a twentysomething’s rose-tinted world view, thanks to millennial pink, 2018 belonged to Gen Z yellow and 2019 is quickly turning out to be the year of 50 shades of beige. Layered looks of fawn, sand, tan, egg-shell, ivory, camel, caramel, coffee… you get the drift.
“This pared-back put-together aesthetic points to a shift in priorities. We are spending more on experiences, travel, beauty, lifestyle. People would rather buy less but buy higher-quality timeless pieces,” explains Sara Maggioni, head of womenswear at trend forecaster WGSN. Or perhaps, as a way to combat click-bait fashion (Instagram-worthy neon Crocs and skin-tight cycling shorts), beige serves as “a palate cleanser when fashion is drowning in neon and streetwear,” says Marina Larroude, fashion director of luxury department store Barneys New York. “It’s only natural that we evolve and give customers another reason to shop and invest in something new. Only this time, make it head-to-toe so after the trend passes she can still break it down and mix it into her regular wardrobe.”
Denne historien er fra May 2019-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Denne historien er fra May 2019-utgaven av VOGUE India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.