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In all of our blogs, we often talk about the beauty and significance of ethnic wear for women. But this time, we would like to draw your attention towards indo-western wear, its history and origin, and how it transformed the way we dress. A beautiful medley of Indian and Western styles, indo-western clothing is a favourite among men and women who embrace Western styles of clothing without losing touch with their cultural roots.
Indo-western wear includes a wide array of pieces of clothing, like tops and tunics, dresses, evening gowns, kurtas, sarees, lehengas etc. Not just this, women’s bottoms like palazzo pants are also considered a part of indo-western clothing. At Lakshita, we have got multiple options in women’s Indo-western clothing that you can use to mix and match for a fusion look.
History and Origin of Indo-western Wear
The origin of Indo-western wear can be traced back to the 1960s and its popularity grew further in the 80s and 190s when Western designers began using Indian textiles and styles in their collections and Indian designers began creating pieces with a Western touch. Ritu Beri, an Indian fashion designer, is regarded as one of the pioneers of Indo-Western fashion. In 1995, she debuted a line of fusion clothing at a fashion show in Paris. Traditional Indian materials like silk and cotton were incorporated into her collection along with Western-inspired shapes and motifs. Since then, a number of Indian fashion houses and designers have embraced the Indo-Western style, producing a variety of distinctive and modern ensembles that blend Indian and Western aesthetics.
Goa, an Indian state situated on the west coast is largely responsible for the development of Indo-Western clothing as well. Goa developed its own sense of fashion by drawing inspiration from Portugal, India, and other European nations. Over time, this fashion sense grew to incorporate both traditional Indian attire and Western trends.
Fusion clothing is now worn by men and women from many regions of India for special occasions like weddings, parties, festivals and casual events.
How Indo-western wear transformed the way we dress
Indo-Western fashion has altered how we dress in a number of ways, and its effects are still seen in the current fashion world. Some of them consist of:
Cultural blending:
Indo-Western apparel combines the best aspects of Indian and Western culture to create a distinctive fusion of styles. This has made it possible for people to display their cultural identities in more diverse and modern ways.
Breaking down gender barriers:
With many ensembles being unisex, Indo-Western fashion has blurred the borders between men's and women's apparel. People can now express themselves more freely and experiment with their wardrobe choices as a result.
Sustainability:
A lot of businesses and designers have started adding eco-friendly materials and production methods into their Indo-Western collections. This has caused fashion to become more environmentally conscious.
Fabric experimentation:
The blending of Indian and Western fashions has led to the use of a broad variety of materials, from contemporary fabrics like denim and polyester to traditional Indian textiles like silk and cotton. As a result, designers have been able to experiment with new materials and textures to create cutting-edge and distinctive designs.
Combining traditional and contemporary designs:
Traditional Indian designs and motifs can now be combined with contemporary cuts and styles thanks to Indo-Western clothes. This has led to a variety of modern designs that are loved by many people.
To sum up, it can be said that Indo-Western fashion has revolutionised how we dress by enabling us to express ourselves in a more flexible, versatile, and environmentally conscious manner.
What are some examples of Indo-Western wear for women?
Kurti with jeans or pants:
An Indo-Western fusion look can be achieved by pairing a kurti or a kurta with jeans or wide-leg pants. Depending on the occasion, you can choose between a plain kurti or kurta and one with embroidery.
Palazzo pants with tops and t-shirts:
These wide-legged, comfy pants look wonderful when worn with a top for a chic look or a t-shirt for a casual look.
Lehenga skirt with shirts:
An Indo-Western appearance can also be achieved by wearing a lehenga skirt, a classic Indian skirt, with a women’s shirt.
Saree with a blazer:
A traditional Indian dress, saree can be worn with a blazer for an Indo-Western look.
Anarkali as summer maxi dresses:
You can wear your embroidered or printed anarkali as a dress by pairing it with boots or sneakers for a fusion look. In fact, all your knee-length embroidered kurtas with circular hems can be worn as a dress.
These are only a few examples of women's Indo-Western clothing. You can play around with a variety of other styles such as tunics for women and long shirts for women to develop your own kind of look.
Indo-Western clothing has developed and become more and more trendy both in India and around the world. Be it top-wear or bottom-wear for women, Indo-Western styles can now be found everywhere and celebrities, fashion designers, and influencers have all embraced the fusion fashion trend. Social media also has a lot to do with its popularity, with platforms like Instagram expanding the reach of designers and brands and allowing them to show off their creations to a worldwide audience. Influencers on social media have further helped to spread the trend by including Indo-Western attire in their postings. We often see them wearing embroidered kurtas as embroidered dresses and styling salwars with tops. Overall, Indo-Western clothing has come to represent traditional elegance and contemporary styles, and it is expected to stay relevant in the future as well.
