Party dressing gets street smart

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Designer Jenjum Gadi with Gaurav Jagtiani

The lanes of Sarojini Nagar may be dusty and crowded, but the fashion-conscious of the city know where to dig “gold”. The stuff is uber-trendy. The prices an absolute steal. And the shoppers include not just cash-strapped collegegoers but also the stylistas, party A-listers and the fash frat.
As the party season is set to roll and wardrobes are being spruced up for it, stylistas offer a cheat sheet — on how to team these street finds right and make a `100 piece look like a million bucks.
Designer Gaurav Jagtiani, who is a regular at Sarojini Nagar surplus market, says, “The idea is to find that one incredible piece and for that you need to have a good eye and patience. It’s like a journey to a fabulous piece. It’s different and special to me because unlike malls where everything is on display and styling is already done, you get a chance to use your skill and to create your own combinations. You get to express your individuality, aesthetics and styling.”
But Gaurav doesn’t suggest a head-to-toe Sarojini look and says it’s essential to blend branded with non-branded to make it work.
“I bought this really nice pair of pants for `250 and teamed it with a tailored white shirt and regular formal shoes and I got some amazing compliments,” he adds.
Designer Jenjum Gadi agrees and says, “A Janpath piece only looks sexy if you team it up with something which is slightly expensive so it balances the look and looks classy. I recently picked up a pair of tights, which has leather quilting in front and jersey detailing at back. I am going to pair it with my Zara overcoat and Prada shoes for New Year parties.”
Prasansha Saha, design director at Aharin India, says that even if all the brands open up in India, the pure joy of finding the best in fashion at the cheapest of rates is always fascinating. Zara came there first before Select CityWalk and things that you can’t find even at Zara can be found there at times.
She says, “I remember I wanted a pomegranate print dress which I kept seeing in fashion shoots but couldn’t find anywhere in stores. And guess what, I found it in Sarojini. I even bought matching coral shoes with it. I once got this very creatively patterned black dress, which has now seen everything from fashion shows and trips to fancy parties.”
Another plus is that one can always be creative and and tailor a 100 bucks garment according to their taste. “I found a Topshop dress in ink blue, made from crushed satin with a knee high slit in a floor-length dress. I altered it and made it off-shoulder. It looks gorgeous now. I also have a mullet dress, whose structure I love. Since I’m in a red lips phase right now, I plan to wear the dress with a white embroidered jacket for my friend’s Xmas bash,” reveals stylist Nandita Gour.