Shimmer steals the spotlight this winter

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen once said: “People don’t want to see clothes, they want to see something that fuels the imagination.” And shimmer dresses — a hot fashion favourite — are becoming more imaginative, more quirky.

Runways in the global fashion capitals of Milan and Paris made room for this trend, as reflected in designs by Oscar De La Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Erdem, Maison Margiela and more. Closer home, we spotted Bollywood stars such as Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Shraddha Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Kareena Kapoor Khan flaunt shimmer dresses.

Holding a nostalgic value from the Gatsby era, the liberal sprinkling of sequins is making a comeback with new technology. “The trend is a re-run of the ’90s glamour. However, with the best of technology, there’s a lot that has been done to innovate with these fabrics. We now see reflective materials and what not. Earlier, they used to be heavy due to beads, now with multi-head machines, [the garments] are lighter and better in quality,” explains designer Rina Dhaka.

How to keep the trend season perfect? Designer Nikhita Tandon advises picking shimmer metallics without too much bling. “December is all about festivities and celebrations, people want to stand out when they dress, but not look too loud and hence tones of metallic with no bling are in. Shimmer in winter hues (darker shades) with matte sequins or a sheen of metallic is what one should opt for,” she says. It also helps to remember that shimmer can be a tricky style. “To not go wrong with shimmer dresses, make sure to keep everything else subtle and let the dress speak for itself,” says stylist Sahil Gulati. “You can also layer the dress with a denim or leather jacket to tone down the look,” he adds.

PHOTO: PTI PHOTOS: YOGEN SHAH; INSTAGRAM/ THEREAL KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN Actors Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma Actors Kareena Kapoor Khan (above), Kriti Sanon (right), and Shraddha Kapoor (top right)