When everything seems gloomy, add some colour into your life and wardrobe
Tie-dye styles have been quite the rage for a few seasons now. Tie-dye—the method of twisting and dyeing fabric is actually much older. The earliest reference is said to date back as far as 500 AD Peru, but similar garments have appeared everywhere from Asia (including India) to Africa. The trend especially went off the charts during the global lockdown in 2020—when celebrities and the movers and shakers of the big, bad world wide web, started making their own tie-dye tees at home—to beat pandemic blues. This rainbow-hued trend, mirroring the psychedelia subculture of the ’60s, has always been hippie-centric. Well, not anymore!
Mumbai-based celebrity stylist, Isha Bhansali says, “Many brands have utilised tie-dye’s colourful, trippy aesthetic over the years. Top-end brands like Versace to high-street brands like Zara have everything from T-shirts to pants and more. Pick a single element of your outfit so that you don’t have a blinding effect on people.”
Here are five ways to infuse this trend into your wardrobe.
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A pair of dip-dyed socks is ideal for guys who don’t want to miss out on this trend, but also not go all out! Socks are the most non-offensive way to wear tie-dye at work. So, get yourself a few for whenever you can step into an actual office that is!
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A bucket hat was originally designed to shield Irish fishermen from rain! Today, it’s seen atop the heads of musicians, skaters and actors who love its urban-cool vibes. Try a tie-dye bucket hat with a monochrome outfit—all black or white. A fair warning though: This hat looks like an inverted bucket, and is not for the faint of heart.
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The rule of thumb when wearing tie-dye shirts or tees? Make the bottom half look as plain as possible. Go for a boxy, oversized T-shirt for some ’90s nostalgia and wear with simple, staple pieces like—slim-fit denim and white, canvas sneakers. Actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been spotted in this trend a few times, but one of the boldest looks was when he showed up in tie-dye coordinated denim pieces. The colours were muted and the actor’s stylist Bhansali, offset the pieces with a plain white tee and sneakers. Singer, producer and entrepreneur, Pharrell Williams can often be seen wearing tie-dye tees.
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In the world of streetwear, tie-dye is nothing new. The rest of us are playing catch up. The hoodie is one of the scene’s key pieces and tie-dye versions of it have been designed by everyone from streetwear brands to cult Japanese labels. Actor Ranveer Singh has been spotted in one. Actor Michael B Jordan of Black Panther and Creed fame is also a fan! Replace your standard hoodie in neutral shades with a tie-dye one—and pair it with cropped white denims or pants and chunky sneakers.
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When it comes to this trend, sneakers are not something that you’d think of first. However, adding some colourful kicks to your sneaker collection is the easiest way to introduce some bright cheery hues into your life and keep your style game on point! Vans and Converse have some really cool multi-hued options. Tie-dye Holi Hu NMD sneakers from Adidas x Pharrell Williams is a solid sneaker that warrants attention. Again, the goal here is to let the shoes be the statement piece. Meaning, the rest of it has to be as basic as it can get.
Trust us, tie-dye is not outrageous and is easier to pull off than you might think. What seals the deal is that pieces with pops of colour, put everyone in a better mood, including you. If nothing else, we can all agree to that!
[Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock]
Eva Pavithran
Vertical Head - Lifestyle