Must-haves winter '08

Not really. Nothing’s must-haves. It’s all an individual perception. These are stuff you may stock up to look fashionable and smart, but it really isn’t a necessity. What is a must-have - any season - is attitude.

However, let’s focus on the more ‘required’ stuff:

Boots: Experiment with colours this season — go wild with scarlet, mustard yellow, electric blue, aubergine, mint.

Ponchos: Team your skinny jeans and boots with a poncho. They look real cool while keeping you warm – but keep in mind that not everybody can carry off them well, and may end up looking slouchy. Always wear what you feel comfortable in.

Tunics in solids: Like last year. :P Opt for solid colours this season as opposed to the usual prints. And team with knitted scarfs, shawls and skinny jeans. Tights if you can bear the cold ;)

And of course, the usual accessories in bright, funky blocks of colors. Do I sound bored? I am! I don’t see much new stuff coming up. It’s all recycled, restyled and presented to us. New bottle, old wine. Maybe that’s what fashion is really about! And it still looks beautiful (sigh!).

News doing the rounds in fashion circles is that the late night schedules of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) and the Delhi Fashion Week (DFW) have been cut short due to 'Karva Chauth' falling right in the middle of the two big shows. 'Karva Chauth' falls on Oct 17. Now, on Oct 17, WIFW will hold its last show at 6 p.m. and at DFW, the last show is scheduled for 5 p.m.

While on DFW, it’s on from today, promising luxury and creativity in full throttle at the Emporio bringing together an eclectic mix of designers ranging from industry top-notches to emerging youngsters. Organized by the newly created Fashion Foundation of India (FFI), the five-day DFW will run parallel to the premier Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) to be staged at the Pragati Maidan exhibition complex Oct 15-19.

I do hope the new kids on the block like Abhijeet Khanna, Alpana and Neeraj of label Azara, Jason Anshu, Atsu Sekhose, Gaurav Gupta etc. show some promising stuff.

Even Sabyasachi agrees with me!