Fashion goes demure

Stars say no to skin show this year, dress up more conservatively.

If you were expecting to see a lot of leg on the red carpet at the recent Golden Globes, you’d have been sorely disappointed. The stars from Anne Hathaway to Angelina Jolie and even Scarlett Johannson, all considered to be among the boldly dressed, chose more demure looks with full sleeves, floor-length hemlines and high necks. Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester was seen wrapped up in a turtle-neck chiffon gown, with the only emphasis being her tiny waist.

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Closer home, stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vidya Balan have taken to netted sleeves and sweeping Anarkali kurtas, a modest turn from the usual cleavage-and-couture looks favoured by their colleagues.

Stylist Ekta Rajani explains the phenomenon, saying “When economies do badly, people begin to dress conservatively. In the US, given the job scenario, it would seem inappropriate to wear flashy clothes. And that trickle-down effect reflects in global fashion.”

While Rajani notches the trend up to respecting the global mood, designer Masaba Gupta offers a sunnier reason. “Flashing cleavage is too obvious, people are moving towards a more understated look by wearing low backs,” a look worn well by Hathaway, whose Armani Prive gown looked almost conservative till she spun around to reveal the plunging back. Jolie too revealed a back worth turning around for. “But this look isn’t for everyone,” warns Gupta. “You need to have a toned back with some bone structure showing to pull this look off.”