THE SUMMER OF 2020: A COLOUR-BLOCKED CANVAS
Colour blocking made its presence felt in fashion for the first time in Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian collection, inspired from the work of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. Cut to the ’70s, the style became a rage, with people raring to shatter norms and experiment with convention. Later, notable designers Stella McCartney, Lanvin, Jil Sander gave the trend a makeover at the start of this decade. And while Marc Jacobs did colour blocked bags, Dior played with makeup — blue eye-shadow, red lips and tangerine nails.
Fast forward to today, colour blocking has been fashionistas’ go-to styling fave. Recently, we saw Bollywood celebs such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and others opting for it. Even on the runway, designers have given a thumbs up to it. Shruti Sancheti, Ikai by Ragini Ahuja, and Sameer Madan among many other designers bought the trend to life at this season’s Lotus Make-up India Fashion Week.
Wondering why this nostalgic trend is making a buzz this spring-summer? Stylists believe that colour blocking is the best way of doing more by doing less. “You get more vibrancy and since it’s blocking only, it’s kind of like minimally statement-making. It can be incorporated in both traditional Indian and western wear. You can play with accessories since you’ve got minimal clothes on,” says stylist Isha Bhansali.
However, to get the abstract colour combination right, make sure you use the right colours. “One can create these blocked visuals or blocks of colours by coordinating not only clothing, but shoes and accessories, too. Bright, bold colours look super cool but you can use softer colours like pastels or neutral hues such as black or white for one piece of your outfit, and then combine it with a bold colour for the other piece and your handbag,” suggests stylist Maneka Harisinghani.