THE MONOCHROME PALLATE : Indian edition

 Hey there, welcome back! Today’s post is about one of the biggest trends in the past two years, the monochrome outfit. While researching this, I realized that this trend is easily and beautifully incorporated into ethnic wear, both for occasional and daily outfits. Get ready to accept that monochrome is far from boring!

Monochrome essentially means one colour but in the world of art it includes different tints of the same colour. A monochrome outfit is a recent trend that has quickly become associated with having refined taste.

Indian outfits in general can be segregated into being fully monochrome or showcasing heavily contrasted colours. I’m going show you three ways you can EASILY pull off a monochrome outfit with ethnic pieces to look polished and fashionable.

First up is the one thing in your wardrobe that will never fail you – the kurti. If you search for kurtis online right now, you’ll find that most sets available are monochromatic. A few ways to make a nice outfit out of literally two pieces of clothing in the same colour (or pattern) include using accessorizes to add more to the outfit (adding jewellery in different colours than the overall outfit makes the main colour stand out more!), or finding a small detail in the kurti itself in a different colour. So for example, the embroidery detail in a different colour or adding tassels in a different colour is a great way to put together a monochrome outfit. Another constant rule is to experiment with different shades of the same colour within the outfit! Personally this is how I style my kurtis, going for a monotone overall rather than a contrast.

Second is the most popular occasional ethnic wear – the lehenga. Lehengas are absolutely gorgeous as it is and SO MANY of them come in a monochrome style- either having the same coloured top and skirt or the same pattern. I would opt for a bold colour choice and commit to it completely however, soft pastels are more popular as they are easier to pull off from head to toe. Use your jewellery to your advantage (always) . Make sure to have one piece of jewellery that stands out – it could a head piece or your earrings, anything goes, and you’re ready to dance the night away at your cousin’s wedding!

Lastly, we have the Indian classic, the saree. My mother wears one to work and I’ve spent all my life helping her pick out saree blouses every morning. Sometimes a dark contrast to the colour of the saree works well in a blouse, and what most women do is match their blouses to the saree border. But pairing your saree with a contrasting blouse, that is just a different shade of the saree’s prominent colour provides the cleanest look. So that would mean going for a dark green blouse if your saree is a lighter shade of green. Following a  monochrome palate for a fancier saree look guarantees a stylish outfit.  I'd encourage mixing patterns as it breaks up the outfit into into distinguishable pieces and is easy to achieve with the abundance of pretty patterns available in Indian fabrics. 

Monochrome is often pegged as boring or too ‘match-y’ but, it most definitely is not. I hope you feel inspired to try out some monochrome looks!

Till next time, have fun dressing up!💜

-Parinita Rajasekhar