What does fashion mean for you?—the one question, which prevails in every era and the most recognized answer of our generation has been “comfort is fashion”. But somehow that “comfort” keeps getting influenced by the showbiz industry.
The clothing market is greatly dominated by the first copy of big-designer clothing line—be it a Sabyasachi Lehenga for wedding or the famous street-markets for the latest and trendy clothes.
From “who wore what” to “who wore it better”—one can certainly say that the fashion trends constantly moving yet stagnant with no newness. The zillennials nowadays are happy by wearing what they have seen on the silver screen or something that has been endorsed or worn by a celebrity.
This is not a new phenomenon for us, for centuries cinema has been one of the tools that inspires and influence our wardrobes, especially in the realm of Hindi entertainment. And, today webseries and television soaps are equally contributing to dominating the fashion market.
But the difference in today’s time is the lack of newness or freshness in the fashion trends. We are going through such a time where the revival of vintage styles from the 80s and 90s has become the one thing common among most of the recent films and webseries.
Discovering the retro style in the entertainment industry stimulates our taste for style. Once a movie is out, you start seeing the same sets of clothes in the market and sometimes it is tough to ignore that and you unknowingly become a part of the one-way dominated market—including both A-listed shops in malls and street-markets.
Retro style is the favourite fashion statement of today’s youth and the showbiz industry has understood that better than anyone. The recent webseries “Guns and Gulabs” on Netflix is an addition to this retro nostalgia as it has an uncanny ability to transport us to a different time and place.
Setting the narratives of cinema and webseries in the past is in trend today and Raj & DK directed this crime-comedy evoke a sense of familiarity, comfort, and escapism all together.
Even, the color tone of the series has been chosen in such a way that you’ll find yourself at one point in the story witnessing the crime that goes on in the bushes and behind the walls. That entire rustic look of ‘Guns and Gulabs’ with a backdrop of opium cultivation has been well defined by its chic-retro costume line, directed by Neha R Bajaj.
The most visible aspect of this nostalgia-driven trend is the revival of fashion from these bygone eras and Bajaj has been successful in recreating the iconic styles that defined these decades.
From oversized shirts to loose high-waisted jeans wore by Rajkumar Rao, who plays the lead in the series, has already inspired boys to get back to basics, even normalizing half check pattern sweaters paired with gladiators.
Another treat is to watch Dulquer Salmaan walking right in your heart with those denim and leather jackets with pointed shoes as he plays cop from 90s.
Meanwhile, the choices of vibrant color palettes to design costumes for female characters are enough to bring back the excitement for puff sleeves, keyhole necklines and embroidered buts that already resembles our mother’s old photographs.
Bajaj has successfully managed to create the costumes which does not make you fall for the clichés but brings back fresh perspective on timeless styles.
So, ‘Guns and Gulabs’ is just not a treat for your cinematic cravings but also serves you the visual treat of watching your characters well defined by their costumes.
Adapting fashion trends from TV series and films is alluring for Gen Z and millennials as they had never experienced it firsthand and thus it become irresistible to follow retro fashion. The revival allows them to experiment with vintage styles that seamlessly blend with contemporary fashion, providing a unique canvas for self-expression.
The bold and individualistic nature of today’s generation allows them to opt for eccentric patterns, daring color combinations to make style statement that stands out in today’s fashion landscape. What is old is new once again, proving that the past continues to inspire the present.
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