Get draped in elegant, flowing linen this summer

Indian fashion designers are experimenting with traditional linen this summer and say its neutral palette will not only beat the heat but also make heads turn with its subdued yet elegant look.

Loud colours will be elbowed out of fashion again this season by soft, pastel shades and linen, mixed with silk, will reinvent itself to make a gorgeous fashion statement.

"People are now buying clothes which can provide them with comfort in this tremendous heat," ace designer Ritu Kumar said. "Across countries, the trend is the same. Global warming is making people fall back on light, flowing clothes."

Designers also feel that linen has an advantage over other fabrics in terms of printing, dyeing and handiwork.

"Linen is a fabric which can be experimented with. We now have linen mixed with silk which makes linen not crush," said designer Ranna Gill. "People at one point did not favour linen because it got crushed and took away the look from dresses, but now people are liking the experimentation."

Linen, one of the oldest textiles in the world, refers to the yarn or fabric made out of flax fibre. Its usage can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where mummies were wrapped with it.

Nowadays linen is used to produce affordable as well as high-end garments. Linen shirts, trousers, frocks, skirts and dresses are rolled out in large numbers, which are lapped up by buyers.

Linen's comeback has made several Indian designers showcase clothes using the fabric in their 2007 summer/monsoon line.

"I wanted to have my collection with linen after seeing the interest of buyers in the fabric," top Indian designer Raghuvendra Rathore said.

But the material still has a long way to go when it comes to party wear.

Linen's neutral palette does not make dresses look as gorgeous as those made of heavily embellished silk, which are a favourite among the masses for evening wear.

"Linen is very good for morning or afternoon but not many people would like to go to a party wearing linen," Rathore said. "Evening dresses have to be colourful and gaudy and dresses made out of linen cannot be like that."