Ombre it up!

From ensembles to house furnishing, ombre can make the most sombre of items stand out.

‘Ombre’ has been making quite a buzz lately. Those who follow the fashion world closely and are fluent in the language of trend must know exactly what I am talking about. Others who might not be as up-to-date with the latest fashion rage should be warned — the ombre fever is taking over!

Ombre has been derived from the French word ‘ombrer’ which means ‘to shade’. Thus, in the fashion world, the term has been used to describe something that constitutes graduation of colour. This can be anything — an article of clothing, hair or an eatable such as cake.

On fabric, ombre can be used to create both subtle and stark effects — either way, it is sure to add zest to your outfit. You can spiff up a gently faded outfit or look glamorous in a vividly graduated one. Various hues of the colour, blue, for example, can be used to ombre up a dress in a subdued or pronounced way. To achieve the latter, a dress that is light blue on the top can graduate into navy blue as it goes down to the hem. Such a dress would be regarded as monochromatic but with shaded hues of blue. Ombre styling need not be confined to colours of the same family, it can also be incorporated into colour-block outfits. In addition to western wear, the ombre technique can be used to stylise eastern outfits.

Hair that transitions from dark roots to light ends is a prominent and fabulous use of ombre. Celebrity Khloé Kadashian sports ombre like no other! Even though there are some who have tried the ombre look in Pakistan, it remains a secondary hair colouring choice. Other than clothes and hair, ombre has begun penetrating into just about everything including home designs, floral arrangements and wedding cakes, to name a few.

Being a huge fan of Pinterest, I love to go through people’s pins and boards. While Pinterest-ing, I found numerous boards dedicated to the ubiquitous ombre. There were ombre-inspired handbags, jewellery, shower curtains, watch dials and chests of drawers. I even spotted an ombre-styled staircase. While some people flaunted ombre nail colour, others looked chic in an ombre jumpsuit.

Be it autumn or winter in the fashion industry, it seems like ombre is here to stay. With a pinch of boldness and lots of creativity, one can use ombre to jazz up almost everything. So, spruce up your life and get on board with this latest trend bandwagon!

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, November 24^th, 2013.