Oversized ‘boyfriend’ jackets, chunky watches, laced-up shoes...the ‘masculine’ look of the ‘80s is back in fashion

The look is all over the place. From Vogue to Elle, Paris to Milan...populating the runway, dotting the pages of catalogues, and showing up in articles about current trends, boyfriend chic is a must-sport look of the season. Internationally, Yves Saint Laurent chose one that was sleek and paired it over a mini skirt. Ralph Lauren topped a floaty chiffon evening dress with a tweed jacket. While glossies are going all out with centre spreads on how to get the appearance right, the fashion frat in Bollywood is already stepping out in sync with the theme for the season. And the good part is that you don’t really need a boyfriend to be able to essay the trend! For those still clueless, here’s more. Remember the fashion of the ‘80s when sporting over-sized jackets, skinny jeans and over-the-top hair dos was the done thing? Well, borrowing from that is the masculine look of today. “The boyfriend jacket is top on that list,” agrees fashion merchandiser Kirat Randhawa, who defines that jacket/coat as one a girl wears that belongs to her boyfriend or in other words is a couple of sizes too big on her.

Recently, spotted wearing what looked like two seasons old BF jacket was newcomer actor Jacqueline Fernandez who stars opposite Ritesh Deshmukh in the recently released film ‘Aladin’. Fernandez strutted in at the film’s premiere wearing the jacket paired with skinny jeans and killer high heels! Also making an appearance in what could have been (but we think it’s not) her fiance’s jacket was Shilpa Shetty. But instead of cashing on the masculine silhouette, Shilpa chose to add a natty bow to balance out the look. “The over-sized jacket has appeared on all international runways. It’s a fun look but not easy to carry off,” feels Bollywood stylist and designer Ashley Rebello who recommends sticking to a neutral colour like black and a not-too-stiff fabric. You could, however, raid the closet of a male relative and hunt for a solid coloured jacket that doesn’t have to fit at all! “I remember wearing blazers to school and from the looks of it, the trend has returned,” points out model Anchal Kumar, who has in the past paired skinny denims with over-sized white shirts and sweaters too. Speaking of over-size, it wasn’t odd to catch former Veejay and singer-actor Sophie wearing a really big black coat, like though she had borrowed it, at a recent do. Clearly, Sophie is keeping tabs on global fashion.

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