Girl of Summer: Ekta Rajani
The Indian summer is a sensory overload—bazaars bursting with fruits in all colours, flowers in full bloom, longer lengthier days stretch into shorter barely-there nights. It’s a time when even sitting inside your home requires strength against the beating hot sun. Sleepy days, the air heavy with humidity, a certain unproductivity clings to the atmosphere. Among the sweat, humidity and constant irritability is also an underlying relief. It’s the time when your light-as-air muls and cottons come out to counter the rising mercury. Sheer, gossamer goodness made in the hands of local designers, who create with hotter climes in mind. The months of April to August are a blur of gamcha tunics, block-printed kurtas and cotton-chanderi saris.
Our girl of summer for June - the hottest month of the year in most parts of the country - is someone whose wardrobe is a summer mood board. Her proclivity for made-in-India designers is in-sync with the higher climes that govern this time in our lives. Ekta Rajani (@eksters), former fashion director, Grazia India, stylist, creative consultant and sustainability advocate shows us how to embody hot summer days in natural fabrics and voluptuous dresses.
The Indian summer is made for…
Mangoes, naps, pools, and off-whites.
In the summer, you teleport to…
A holiday. Hills, beaches, caves, retreats, anywhere really.
Keeping cool for the summer by…
Being near water. I scout the perfect shady spots and activities. Eating and dressing lighter help.
The perfect summer uniform is…
Tropical, light, with natural fibre fabrics, smart cuts and shapes. I love summer layers as well. Add to that a pair of sunglasses. Now more than before, I’ve been looking for dyes and materials which are both natural and biodegradable.
Favoured hot-weather fabrics…
Regional cottons, chemical-free linens, and voiles. I’ve started to explore hemp in clothing as well…
Rethinking vintage for summer…
It's easy to return to things you like. For example, a piece of jewellery and a dab of lipstick turns a beach sarong into a dress for a night out.
Best tropical designers…
Honestly, I love some of them all year round. I miss Nimish Shah's Shift, 11.11, Flames the store in Goa, erstwhile Bungalow 8, Urvashi Kaur, Savio Jon, Sui
Emerging labels challenging their title…
Kokun, Leh Studios, Asa Clothing, Staple summer silhouette… All kinds of voluminous dresses. Cuts and details matter. It can't always be a tent. And oversized shirts for summer, winter, monsoon, day, night.
Accessories for languishing through long summer days…
I reach out for jute slippers, handy sunglasses, and gold earrings.
Second-hand summer buys…
Given most of my wardrobe is a summer one in Mumbai, I suppose it’s an oversized 80's printed bomber. I wear it with tunics or shorts. That lovely layer frees up movement from air-conditioning to heat and back. I got it a few years ago from a resale store in Marais, Paris.
Summer crafts to covet…
Crochet for its lightness. Even creases, I love linen just for that.
Your summer wish…
Good health and peace of mind.
Supporting the local fashion industry by…
Buying local labels, wearing them, sharing about them, and understanding some good practices in many of them. They need the business to pick up again.
