Heads & Tales
6 Jul 2007, 0000 hrs IST,PALLAVI KHARADE,TIMES NEWS
When it comes to matters of the head, it seems that both Bollywood actors and the masses love to make cool fashion statements. PT reports
Himesh Reshammiya wears it all the time. In fact, many Bollywood actors can't do without it. Whether he is singing or romancing with the heroine, Reshammiya can't let go off his much talked-about trademark baseball cap. Other stars like Salman Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Aamir Khan, Govinda, Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt wear baseball caps on and off. Jackie Shroff loves to wear his bandana, and he carries it off really well too. With the masses emulating their screen idols as well, what explains the popularity of headgear?
Explains Raj Kapadia, fashion designer, "Wearing headgear is a style statement. The kind of headgear depends on the type of attitude one has. For Reshammiya, his trademark caps are more of a good luck charm than a style statement . We have got so used to seeing him wear a cap all the time that we won't be able to recognise him if he takes it off. As for people, it's just a fad and has limited lifespan. If any star is wearing it, they will copy it for some time and then they will forget about it." Kapadia says that headgear is certainly not a new trend. "Earlier, Bollywood villains like K N Singh, Amrish Puri and Madan Puri used to wear caps not only in reel life, but in real life as well."
Deepti Soni, stylist and fashion designer, says, "Not only Bollywood actors, but even Hollywood celebrities like Nicole Richie have been sporting scarves. These scarves are made from very fine luxurious fabric like quality satin or silk, and are very much in demand. Many Indian models too have been wearing long skinny scarves both on and off the ramp. As far as Bollywood heroes are concerned, stars like Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, John Abraham and Akshaye Khanna have been always wearing the basic baseball cap."
Besides the baseball cap, trucker's cap, which is slightly softer and squarish than the baseball cap, has also been in vogue. "Wearing headgear is a mix of attitude, style and comfort . If you are having bad hair days, you can just put on a cap or a scarf and, viola, you look fantastic," says Soni.
While cricketer-turned-actor Salil Ankola feels that most of the stars wear headgear to hide their receding hairlines, model-turned-actor Gautam Kapoor, who always sports his favourite cap, feels it is more about comfort than a style statement. "Headgear is a very personalised accessory. It depends on one's personal taste and style, and also how one looks at it. As far as I am concerned, I have a small air force cap with small stripes. It is not only my favourite cap, but I take pride in my possession . It's comfortable, cool and looks good," says Gautam.
However, television actor Manoj Bohra, who was once very fond of headgears, now believes in flaunting his hair rather than headgear. "Sometime back, I used to wear caps, hats, bandanas - anything that looked good on my head. But now, I consider my hair as the best headgear and try to keep it as stylish as possible . But I might go back to headgear," says he.
So, whether it is to hide the receding hairlines , or for comfort, or for making a style statement, the headgear has been a great fashion accessory. And, it still is. So, do you wear it too?
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