The trend of wearing slouchy, oversized tops, minus pants, is gradually picking up in B-Town, thanks to several celebrities and models who have donned this casual yet comfortable look many times.
This cool new street style trend of wearing oversized shirts and t-shirt paired with over-the-knee boots with a broad hemline that hits above or right at the top of the knee, is called ‘lampshading’.
“The lampshade look is usually an anti-fit t-shirt top or dress paired with knee high boots to complete the look. You can pair it with a loose oversized shirt and a big belt to cinch your mid-waist. One can even pair a shift dress with knee-high tie up gladiators for a slightly more casual look,” says Shreeja Rajgopal, who has styled celebs like Sayani Gupta and Radhika Apte.
The history of lampshading is, surprisingly, more complex than one might gather from the pretty straight-forward name. The name initially referred to a style popularly donned by women on college campuses today — and was a whole lot less chic than what the stars have turned it into.
Talking about how to wear this look, stylist Rick Roy says, “This trend has picked up because it’s not only causal, but very comfortable. It’s not a layer — it’s just an oversized t-shirt that you need to put on. But, what is important for this look is the body. If one has slender, long legs they will be able to carry off the look well, otherwise it might look bizarre. This looks good on the celebs, but if you are wearing this to college or while you go out with friends, you might want to add a legging or stocking to the look. It might get a little weird otherwise.”
But what can one pair it with? “I think boots of any length — ankle or knee — will go very well with the look. Heels will make it look odd. Boots have to be a part to complete the look,” he adds.
No shirt look is in vogue too
Another look which a lot of celebs are currently donning is to wear a suit jacket as a top, without a shirt underneath. The office attire has gone through a risqué transformation, thanks to many Hollywood and Bollywood divas favouring the coat sans top.
Well-known stylist Nandita Mahatani says, “It doesn’t look vulgar. It’s just like wearing a deep neck t-shirt. You can choose the suit as per your body type. Someone who is slightly larger can always go for a double-breasted suit.
You can pick a suit with a higher neck line,” she says adding, “You can accessories it with a nice neck piece or a bunch of chains. As, trousers-suits are traditionally a men’s wear, heels would make it look glamorous and sexy. So, you can pair the look with stilettos.”
