Be it a skirt, tunic, jacket or a blouse, asymmetry in the hemlines have shown up on the Fall runways like never before. Adapting into Fall collections, the summer-suitable uneven hems have managed to impress the designers as well as garment manufacturers and exporters, with its mass acceptability and immense wearable quotient. With designers showcasing numerous versions of this style, exporters have picked up this flirty and laid-back silhouette and have explored the asymmetrical hems in every possible way. Translating from the runways to retail, this glamorous fashion detail can now be seen in a variety of fabrics and construction patterns…
Asymmetrical hems by nature are sexy, as they are associated with the uneven cut that flows along when walking, highlighting the legs and the movement more. Though stereotypically pushed into the category of summer, asymmetrical hems have become a dynamic fashion staple which flows with ease across, summer and fall seasons. Foreseen by many designers and exporters, this fashion has been predicted to be in full bloom in the next few seasons. “This is one trend we never skip; we always do some dresses with asymmetrical hems in our collections. This Fall, hemlines have definitely gotten a little blurred, and no longer we are wearing just straight hems,” shares Pramod Rathore, Proprietor, Indus Valley Exports.
Asymmetrical skirt hems are back on the runway and they look more glamorous than ever in the Fall 2015 fashion season. Now, we’re looking at the skirt with longer sides and more legs shown, albeit in a classier manner for the most part. Some pieces seem to hit the top of the thighs being a bit on the racier side, whereas some have been created with pattern construction mastery to give a draped look. The international as well as domestic runways saw varied assortments of uneven hems, proving it to be a major trend.
Rodarte’s slew of asymmetrical hemline dresses with strategically placed feathers and unique fabrics, or a more casual look, Fall 2015 has displayed it all. The asymmetrical hems made the dresses flow beautifully down the runways, Victoria Beckham, debuted asymmetrical hemlines in her collection, one of the most coveted of New York Fashion Week. Her signature longer hemlines paired with the asymmetrical trend allowed the Victoria Beckham’s aesthetic to shine through while still evolving as a line. Clean colours like white and black with interesting silhouettes and textures were on focus in this show. Anthony Vaccarello created a classy hybrid by combining peplum skirt and a half asymmetric silhouette. Inducing a flow in the hems of their denim jackets and dresses Lea Peckre, presented ruffled versions with minimal gathering and maximum slant cut.
The Ruffled Version…
Talking about ruffles, the addition of peplums was one of the major attention seekers on the runways. Attached across a shoulder, on trouser waists or on the skirts, uneven ruffles added a collage-like effect of falling off fabric randomly taped together to series of garments. The green gate or Haro Barno collection by designer Sahil Kochhar at AIFW 2015 got models wearing asymmetrical hemlines cut out attires, roomy jackets which were a keeper for the season. Nikhita Tandon’s skirts and jackets, took gathering at the hems to the next level with unique overlapping and origami folding techniques.
After the success of embellished styles in their S/S ’15 collections, JJ Expo Impo has taken up ruffles as a major value addition technique in A/W ’15-16 collection for hemming purposes. Goonjan Kumar, designer of the company explains, “Asymmetrical hemlines have a big demand in the market right now and we are working on the same lines to make a good business opportunity out of this. Ruffled hems in slant cuts in skirts, gathered ends in blouses and uneven sleeve hems are a few ways how we are incorporating asymmetry in our collection.”
It’s a Wrap…
Taking forward the trend of wrap, this season also, asymmetry was translated into styles using the technique of wrapping. Becoming a widely popular style, wrap skirts with high slits and its less familiar cousin, the wrap skirt (shorts within a skirt) is the perfect piece to welcome fall with an elegant touch. Asymmetrical hems at Maki Oh and Lacoste, showcased, the idea of adopted identities telling a story with layering asymmetrical hemlines with pleats and depth.
Indian exporters have used different techniques and value additions to give individual flavour to this broad trend. Alka Bhatnagar, CEO, DPI Fashions, talking about the use of jacquard on the waistline and the hem of her cotton voile skirts shared, “We are working on three variations of a wrap skirt, one being a round one with soft gathers; the second a stylish version comprising of a long side slit; and the third being a reversible wrap around skirt. We are working on these reversible versions in lightweight cotton which consists of two different fabrics and two different prints on both the sides of the skirt, so it can be worn both ways and on more occasions.”
Sports Edition…
Typically ending with pointy, downward-facing hems, these wrap skirts are the perfect amalgamation of sporty and chic. Showing up in a gamut of great iterations, wrap skirts are appearing in sports-luxe fabrics, concentrating more on the comfort segment of the silhouette. Sunil Jain, DGM (Fabrics), Maya Exports Corporation, describing the short ones in his collection as being with and without the slit in rayon and other lightweight fine knits said, “We are using, floral, star, polka dot, pin dot, paisley and stripes print to accentuate the unevenness the diagonal hem is picking up right now.”
The Drape Delight…
Taking up asymmetry as the main theme, Stella McCartney, presented lengthy, tunic-period jackets with a flirty aptitude, pure, sloping shoulders and numerous draped, asymmetrical results in skirts, coats and trousers have been very pretty and smart, and on the other hand, closer home, the saree served as an inspiration in Gaurav Gupta’s collection, producing one shoulder shimmering long gown with plunging necklines, graceful drapes and asymmetric endings. Inducing soft draperies in jackets and gowns, Gaurav combined his skill and vision together to formulate uneven hems with ease of movement.
Bordering on the periphery of the trend and placing it in originally on wrap tops, Aditya Singhania, Owner, Intercity Traders mentioned, “We have used the overlapping feature of the wrap and incorporated it in our silhouettes, so it’s not exactly a wrap per se, since it is already stitched within the garment giving a draped look.”
