1. jacketteamedwithasheathdressinhis
Woolmark womenswear collection, be-
lieves that the best thing about anti-fit
clothingisthatitsuitsallbodytypes.
Now, you might think that the anti-
fit fad has been around for decades
going by the oversized sweatshirts and
baggy boyfriend jeans of the ’80s. But
designers say that what then was
merely termed as loose clothing strict-
ly meant for comfort has come back in
achicandmodernavatar.
“Today’s anti-fit silhouettes effort-
lesslycombinestylewithcomfortwhich
was not the case earlier,” says Aneeth
Arora whose fashion brand Péro is ac-
claimedforitsversatileanti-fitclothing.
When Arora first started making
anti-fit designs it was with the inten-
tion of creating comfortable day cloth-
ing that could also transition into
evening wear. “Although it was tough
to sell initially, we stuck to it and today
there’sadefiniteshiftinthewaypeople
wear clothes as they want to feel com-
fortable rather than just squeeze into
smallersizes,”shenotes.
Fromboxycroptopspairedwithfit-
ted trousers to wide-legged jumpsuits
and free-flowing dresses — anti-fit is
being pegged as an ageless and classic
style that’s also symbolic of one’s confi-
denceandnaturalbodylanguage.
“Getting into an anti-fit outfit that’s
cut to one’s size feels good and can
be quite liberating,” says Ruchika
Sachdeva whose label Bodice aims to
reinvent the classics with the use of
indigenoustextiles.
According to Sachdeva, anti-fit
designs are all about striking the right
balance between fitted and loose. “If
you know the right places to incorpo-
ratethenipsandtucks,thenagarment
can be fitted where you want it to be
and away from the body in other
parts,” she says. For instance, the
designer likes keeping the shoulders
fitted and the rest of the outfit flowy,
while also playing generously with
volume and pattern-making to give
theanti-fitsilhouettetherightfall.
Asymmetricalcutsanddrapesarea
common feature in designer Swati
Vijaivargie’s anti-fit silhouettes that
give her designs an unstructured look.
“With anti-fit I like incorporating a lot
of design variations while also keeping
amplebreathingroom,”shesays.
Designers believe that anti-fit is not
justforcurvierwomenbutworksequal-
lywellonsuper-tonedbodiesandpetite
forms. Maithili Ahluwalia, designer and
ownerofcelebrity-favouritefashionand
lifestyle concept store Bungalow 8 in
Mumbai, points out that anti-fit gar-
G
one are the days when ‘figure
flattering’ was synonymous with
body-hugging, tummy-tucking,
take a deep-breath-before-putting-
on clothing. And the Lakmé Fashion Week
runways or even your most trusted style blogs
have clearly declared that size zero is dead.
Comfort reigns supreme with anti-fit silhou-
ettesreplacingform-fittedones.
Fashion designer Nachiket Barve, who
recently bagged the prestigious International
Woolmark Prize India, Pakistan and Middle
East Regional Final award in the womenswear
category,believesthatanti-fitisastylethat’snot
bound by body structure but aims to redefine
shape.“Thebiggestmisconceptionsurrounding
anti-fit clothing is that it’s just an oversized
garment that fits like a sack. On the contrary,
anti-fit is relaxed and easy clothing that has a
specificformandstructure,”henotes.
Barve, who showcased a slouchy, anti-fit
g r a p h i t i 1918 g r a p h i t i
STYLE
CALCUTTA ● SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 2016
(From left) A cropped, anti-fit jumpsuit by Maithili Ahluwalia is played up with a two-toned reversible jacket; Nachiket Barve’s award-
winning reversible Merino wool jacket in a slouchy fit is paired with a sheath dress; Kangana Ranaut sets the anti-fit trend in a
handwoven cotton-silk and zari dress from Péro’s latest line
Young gun
Dhruv Kapoor
has created
cutting-edge,
anti-fit designs
like this
cotton-silk
convertible
double skirt
called Doppio
Comfort
FaSHioN
Anti-fitisallabout
easybreezyoutfits
thathavebeengiven
achicspin,says
RadhikaSen
zone
Payal Khandwala teams a one-
shoulder, anti-fit poncho with silver
brocade palazzo pants for a chic look

2. ments give wearers the luxury of high-
lighting parts they want to while also
camouflagingcertainproblemareas.
“Fitted garments can be quite con-
straining, whereas with anti-fit you
can mix-and-match to accentuate a
narrow waistline with a high-waist
belt, or go with baggier sleeves to take
the attention away from flabby arms,”
suggestsAhluwalia.
Sheattributesthegrowingpopular-
ityofanti-fitstylestowell-tonedactors
Sonam Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and
Anushka Sharma who have been
flaunting this relaxed look. “Anti-fit
is changing the whole size dialogue
and is all about owning fashion
in an effortless manner,”
saysAhluwalia.
Fashion’s daring new
designerDhruvKapooris
makingwavesforhiscut-
ting-edge anti-fit designs
showcased under his
label DRVV. “The whole
idea behind anti-fit is to
make ensembles that can
be fitted on a box and then be
putonpeople.So,whenImakeanti-
fitclothes,Itailorthemkeepinginmind
variousboxproportionsratherthanthe
humanbody,”hesays.
From triangular dresses to cubic
tops and trapeze maxis, the young de-
signerisaimingtoelevatestreet-smart
clothingtogiveitastatementlook.
While most designers prefer using
lightweight natural fabrics like cotton,
silk and soft handlooms that fall easy,
otherslikePranavMishraofHeumnare
experimenting with synthetic fabrics
like neoprene.“Neoprene gives anti-fit
silhouettes a balloonish shape and
moves the garment away from the
body,” says Mishra who makes anti-fit
shiftdresses,jacketsandshirts.
Minimal is the buzzword for anti-fit
silhouettes. Mumbai-based designer
Payal Khandwala thinks that heavy
embellishments on anti-fit clothes can
make the garment quite heavy and
sometimes lopsided. “The lighter the
outfittheeasieritistowear,asthewhole
point of anti-fit clothing is to not make
palette neutral prevents the look
frombeingtoojarring.
When it comes to accessoris-
ing, it’s all about expressing
your personal style and to take
the outfit from casual to formal,
Barve suggests statement jewel-
lery,whileMaithiliAhluwaliarec-
ommendsawaistbeltoradressy
jackettocompletetheoutfit.
There’s no denying it. With
anti-fit clothing complement-
ing the body it’s the perfect
reason to send our bodycons
and skinny jeans into hiberna-
tion for a while. As Ahluwalia
sums it up: “Anti-fit is a
coming of age movement
and a paradigm shift
in dressing with
c o n f i d e n c e . ”
R e a d y t o
l o o k c h i c
while breath-
ingeasy? u
youbody-conscious,”saysKhandwala.
Ifyou’restilldebatingonwhetherto
try the trend, designer Dhruv Kapoor
suggeststhatyoufirstraidyourfather/
husband/ boyfriend’s closet, try on
their oversized shirts with chunky
beltsandseehowtheymakeyoufeel.
Others suggest that the secret to
working this trend is playing the bal-
ancing act with proportions. So wear
slouchy sweaters with skinny jeans or
a crop top with wide-legged culottes
andV-neckrectangulardresses.
For adventurous dressers, a loose
shirt dress, or a free-flowing blouse
over an A-line skirt is one way of em-
bracing the trend from head-to-
toe. Designers say that
keeping the colour
Today’santi-fit
silhouettes
effortlesslycombine
stylewithcomfort
(Above right)
Designer
Ruchika
Sachdeva
creates a
trendy anti-fit
look with this
cotton boxy
top layered
over a cotton-
silk-panelled
shirt dress;
(Right) Swati
Vijaivargie
teams a flowy
maxi dress
with a floral
anti-fit
embroidered
jacket in
her latest
collection
STYLE
20 g r a p h i t i
CALCUTTA ● SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 2016