Fashion trends to look out for in 2015

If you can imagine Mother Nature as a fashion designer, what you have is a sneak peek at 2015's hottest trends

Wedding wear: Bye bye, anarkali

Bridal couture specialists, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are looking forward to a shift away from the anarkali. "Much as we love the eternal elegance of that garment, in 2015, we'll be experimenting with straighter cuts and multi-panels to achieve layering and volume," says Khosla. Jani says it's time for the cancan to stage an exit. "It's been done to death, whether in anarkalis or lehengas," he complains.

And expect a subdued colour palette with neutrals like beige and white ruling their collections."The ace designing team also predicts a return to classic cuts in wedding apparel, i.e., "saris, sherwanis and bandgalas will be favoured for cocktails and upper crust soirees. Saris with couture blouses are our bet for the look of the year."

Prints and colours: - Crazy about prints, again

Designer Monisha Jaising predicts that fashion will draw heavily from nature. "You'll see shades like the treetop, a natural, almost metallic green, gaining favour and the mineral shade of titanium will be popular as will shades like sandstone that have an intrinsic sort of rugged texture to them."

Stylist and designer Surily Goel, adds, "Prints are already going crazy. I recently saw a woman wear a sari with the Facebook logo printed across its length. But, I believe we'll see a lot of Japanese-inspired prints.By that I mean, you may have the cherry blossom print but in a different colour-scheme than the traditional Japanese sense."

But, where Goel sees little or no change is in the continuation of the fringe or tasselled look.

Cuts and silhouettes: - Military and men for influence

Designer to the stars, Nikhil Thampi picks the anti-fit, or "easy, relaxed silhouettes even in evening wear" as 2015's defining trend.Emphasising that he doesn't mean shift dresses, but rather the adoption of a more bohemian look, Thampi adds, "I also see a big military influence seeping into women's fashion in the form of khaki greens, big shoulders and pockets. And, androgynous silhouettes. You'll see a return to man-like clothes for women."

Think shirt dresses, oversized tuxedo jackets like the ones Rihanna has been sport ing. "That's a trend that I think is definitely catching on."

Menswear: Shorts go formal

In menswear, typically, silhouettes don't change very much," says designer Varun Bahl. "Trousers may become narrower or shorter, or prints may vary, but, largely, the male client is a simpler one. In my view, the major trend in this segment will be the substitution of the man bag with the luxury backpack."

Bahl also predicts a shift from black and grey suits to shades of blue such as midnight and navy, "and I think formal shorts -knee length garments stitched out of trouser fabric -will be vastly popular. And, you'll see a lot of berry tones in menswear." Bahl laughs as he adds, "Men don't really like changes as far as their clothes go, so these new trends will last for a while, but I'm glad they are happening at all.