Style speak

As the who's-who of Hollywood dazzled on the red carpet at the big ticket show of the year, the Oscars, it was as much about who wore what as the films they were in. And instead of simply choosing a stunning outfit like many of her peers, actress Natalie Portman decided to make a statement in a different way - she wore a cape embroidered with names of women filmmakers as a way to call out the Academy for nominating only men in the best director category yet another year. This included Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Lulu Wang (The Farewell) and Greta Gerwig (Little Women), among others. A subtle, slick and tasteful way to go about it, opines stylist Isha Sahni. "A long shrug in a deep shade looks royal. Subtlety is key when it comes to wearing text in a formal setting," she explains.

Closer home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flaunted the style back in 2015 - with a blazer that had his own name written all over it. A strict no-no, says Sahni. "It's na­rcissistic and the font is too small."

Jazz it up

Who said formals and T-shirts can't work well together? Make the best of both worlds by following Amy Willerton's fashion footsteps. For an evening out, pair a patterned, monochrome, bright co-ord set, with a tee in a lighter shade with text on it. If you don't want to make a po­l­itical statement, wear your favo­u­r­i­te quote, like Willerton has with Am­anda Seyfried's iconic M­ean Girls dialogue. You can opt for bling, too.

Captain Marvel cool

We are loving Brie Larson's resistance-supporting simple T-shirt. It is a tasteful way of wearing this style. "Make sure you don't mix too many colours - a dark shade and a light one work. The font should be easy to read and in upper case. Politically-inclined messages shouldn't be in cursive font - that takes away from the point," says Sahni. A pair of dark shades completes the look. Give it a formal touch by adding a matching blazer (same shade as your pants).

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