The nude dress has taken the fashion world by storm. PRAKRITI ROY explores the trend to find out where it stands in India
A dress worn by a celebrity on an international red carpet almost always becomes a fashion trend. And, almost as often, it finds its way to the Indian circuit.
The naked, or nude dress, is the latest such trend. Fashion experts have defined it in various ways, all of which basically mean a dress made of sheer fabric has embroidery or embellishments strategically placed so as to provide a semblance of modesty.
The naked dress is beyond the ‘barely there’ dress which has now become passé. It’s been termed naked because either the colour of the fabric merges with the skin or most of the skin is left bare.
Jennifer Lopez has been a pioneer of the naked dress, ever since she first wore one very revealing Versace gown to the Grammys in 2000. When Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Gigi Hadid and Rihanna started wearing these dresses recently, it turned a whole lot of heads and many fashion critics are still not over it. While some appreciated them, others tore them to pieces or didn’t know what to make of them.
The dresses started being worn two years back, that is, if you do not count Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 appearance at President John F Kennedy’s birthday bash or Cher at the Met Gala in 1974. However, it is recent appearances which have brought back the trend that leaves little for imagination.
Not that the Indian stars are shying away. Deepika Padukone and Sophie Choudhry wore the nudes to award shows. Sonam Kapoor and Bollywood bahu Mira Rajput wore them, albeit in slightly more conservative avatars. And finally, Priyanka Chopra, who wore it not just in the music video of her songExotic but also to the Oscars. Designer houses like Gucci, Versace and Donna Karen are on to naked gowns. Closer home, designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock created a naked dress that was rocked by Gwen Stefani.
However, Indian designers are divided on the trend. On one hand, there are designers like Anuradha Ramam who think that this is just a passing fad. “The wearability of the naked dress is limited. For international red carpets, it is a great trend. But in India, it would be too restrictive, limited to only special occasions,” says Ramam. She adds that it will probably be worn in India with modifications like a nude sheath element under a lace dress.
Then there are newage designers like Rajdeep Ranawat and Sunietha Narayana who think the trend is great. But even then, the naked dress is something of an iffy concept for India.
Jiggya Sodhi of Aks feels that naked dresses are a cool concept, if adorned tastefully, “for instance, the Gaurav Gupta dress Lady Hervey wore and then Deepika repeated it in gold though more covered than Hervey’s. When the naked dress is just too look-at-me-I’m-naked type, then it’s merely to grab attention. As far as India goes, we’re not quite ready for the naked dress, but will soon get there with the help of Mallika Sherawat and Sunny Leone. One person who pulls off such dressing is Priyanka Chopra,” she adds.
Ranawat thinks that since the trend is about the illusion of nudity, it won’t work on the Indian woman for various reasons. “One, the skin tone won’t allow the nude effect. Second, a perfect figure is needed to wear the naked dress which is not something most Indian women possess and it would look vulgar if there are bulges peeking out from under the tight-fitted lycra,” explains Ranawat.
But Narayana likes the concept as “it gives a lot of scope in terms of doing one’s hair and make-up”. While the naked dress is still fledgling in India, Narayana has experimented with what she calls the ‘nakedchappals’. These chappals make your feet appear bare while looking accessorised with an anklet and toe ring.
Narayana feels Deepika could pull off specimens donned by Beyonce or JLo.
Although people in India have started talking about the naked dress only recently, it made appearances at the Cannes red carpet this year, sported by Kristen Stewart, Bella Hadid (who was described as almost naked) and Kendall Jenner. In fact, designers in the West have already started experimenting with the naked white wedding gown to be worn by the bride while walking down the aisle.
The article also got published in The Pioneer Newspaper – http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/sunday-pioneer/backpack/laid-bare.html
