Hindustan Times (Patna) - Hindustan Times (Patna) - Live
Celebrities ditch sixinchers and vote for comfort
When Kristen Stewart ditched her heels and walked barefoot at the Cannes red carpet, wearing a silver Chanel dress, the actor made quite a statement. Two years ago, actor Julia Roberts also walked the Cannes red carpet without heels. Both the fashion-forward ladies did so because they wanted to defy Cannes’ no flats rule. A large number of fashionforward women across the globe have been voting for comfort over fashion, increasingly swapping their six-inchers with flats. Closer home, we see a growing number of celebs opting for flats for their public appearances. Actors such as Athiya Shetty and Kriti Sanon recently wore flats while making public appearances. Recently, producer and stylist Rhea Kapoor, too, paired her lehenga with sneakers for her sister Sonam Kapoor Ahuja’s wedding. Experts say that fashion has never been more easy, effortless and comfy, and flats have undoubtedly been crowned the new heels. Additionally, designers such as Anavila Misra, Anupama Dayal and Rina Dhaka paired their collections with fun and funky flats during a recently concluded fashion week. Designer Gaurav Khanijo says, “Flats have officially replaced heels now. Most of the designers have their models walk the runway in comfy flats as they are very versatile. They are not boring anymore, and are high on comfort. Fashion needs to go hand in hand with comfort. No wonder, we are teaming everything from saris and dresses to pantsuits, with flats. I think it’s a positive trend that celebs are encouraging women to wear flats.”
Designer Nachiket Barve says “Fashion is not about following set conventions. Heels can’t be a diktat on the red carpet, but a woman doesn’t really need heels to make a great impact. After all, sexy is in the brain and has got nothing to do with the feet.”
Stylist Sanjay Kumar Dauhaliya says, “We noticed Serena Williams ditching her heels for the royal wedding. She teamed her Valentino gown with black and white sneakers . She proved a point that flats can also do full justice to the garment you are wearing. I think it’s great that fashion lovers across the globe are realising that fashion is more about being who you are rather than blindly aping trends.”
Fashion needs to go hand in hand with comfort. No wonder, we are teaming everything from saris and dresses to pantsuits, with flats. GAURAV KHANIJO, DESIGNER