INSTEP Magzine


Flash FASHION UPDATE Getting wet and wild with your wardrobe



Summer is passing us by and the scorching sun has finally mellowed. Its harsh intensity has been washed down by the downpours that have brought temperatures plummeting, making way for erratic and at times erotic thunderstorms. Hai barsaat! The season has to be the most romantic of all…which is why poets have admired it in poetry and writers in prose. Monsoon rains have been the topic of admiration for centuries, even being muse for many painters. There is something nostalgically romantic about the rain coming down heavy in the heat…and that image has been brought out best in Indian movies where the heroine just has to do her dance (wearing a chiffon sari) in the rain. Think Zeenat Aman on a rooftop in the rain and you'll get the picture. Back in real life, not many of us would want to get caught, on the streets of Karachi or Lahore, wearing a flimsy chiffon sari! There is, however, no reason to fear the rain when it comes to styling your wardrobe around it. After all, what harm can a little rain do? Hold your head high above the water When it comes to your face and hair, the less done the better. Women who have let their hair down in the rain have had their hair compared to rat's tails and no one wants that. Imagine ending up at you beloved's doorstep with your hair hanging limply around your face? Unfortunately life does not borrow ideas from Kal Ho Naa Ho and Shahrukh Khan will probably not greet you with a towel in one hand and a hot cup of tea in the other. There was a reason why the Princess (in the fairly tale Princess and the Pea) was wearing a hood when she was caught in the storm. But to cut a long story short, the best thing is to tie your hair up and away from your face. And let your eyes be windows to your soul but when its raining, avoid kohl or heavy eye liner because once it starts running all over your face, no one will want to look into your soul. Make-up 101 for rainy days is, keep it minimal and natural. Let your skin bath in nature's purest form of H2O, allow it to soak it up. Dress up, not down! Keep your clothes simple but be sure to carry enough covering because the day you decide to wear your sheer, white muslin kurta will be the day you'll get drenched. And if you don't have a dupatta or chaddar then you shall become eye candy for all the shopkeepers and wanderers. This is exactly when you'll regret shopping at Victoria's Secret!

But you shouldn't have to regret the lawn hoarding that you've been up to all summer. Prints do well in the rain and color will bring out the best in a grey sky. Do florals to bond with nature. Tunics will work very well with jeans; in fact denim is ideal for rainy days as it doesn't cling. Go for capris or ankle high pants and save your hems from a drench too. Not too many women have gotten comfortable with the idea of wearing a raincoat in Pakistan but in the rainy season, an umbrella at least is a must have. Even if it doesn't save you from the wrath of Zeus, god of the sky and rain, at least it will lend you some style…especially if you know how to twirl it at the right time!

Rainy chic starts at the feet One of the simplest, most innocent pleasures of life is stepping in a puddle and getting your feet wet. It was that way decades ago but now, with the puddles transforming into flooded roads and the quaintly clean puddles changing into mini-quick sand pits, it is undoubtedly a risk. However if it is raining then you will get your feet wet and stepping out in expensive high heels won't be the brightest of ideas. Go for rubber flip flops - they are available in all colors and patterns or if you're really style motivated, then wear your rubber jelly pumps. Ammar Belal has introduced a delicious variety in the womenswear sections of his stores and though they come a little steep, they are a mini-investment. Crocs are fashion's 'in' things these days (and mighty convenient for wet weather) but all fashion motivated women will kindly stay away from them. Accessorize bold and brightly Lock your silver and metallic accessories away for the season because you do not want them to rust away. Monsoon is the season to bring out your baubles, the bigger and brighter the better. Wrap plastic beads around your neck or wooden ones around your wrists. Anything that will bear the rain will do. And when it comes to bags, the large and transparent variety work very well on rainy days. You certainly don't want your expensive leather handbag ruined! It helps to carry a bag that zippers up. You definitely don't want water getting into your ipod, phone or make up kit. Romancing the rain All said and done, the best thing to do in the rainy season is fall in love. There's something about the rumbling thunder or flashing lightening that brings out the best in people and that's exactly when they should fall in love. There's a reason why imaginative minds have created historical cinema moments around that one moment when the heroine is caught in the rain, her umbrella blows away with the unexpected gust of wind and she finds herself eye to eye with the man she is destined to marry. It is a little idealistic, but then that's what the monsoon is all about. At the end of the day, all you need to survive a rainy day is a little soul, the rest is bound to come your way naturally. Be madly in love with the rain and madly in love in the rain!