R-Day sale mania is back, but party clothes are off the shopping list!

The rising number of Covid cases have not left many options to dress up and go out! Most e-commerce websites and even brands that have floated their Republic Day offers and sales say that Delhiites are shopping like like crazy, but keeping away from ordering party wear apparels.

“There is no reason to dress up,” says Ghanishta Arora, a Janakpuri-based college student, adding, “All my party dresses have been sitting in my cupboard. I’m a hoarder, and love to buy things on discount. But since the few fancy dresses I bought last year have not been unpacked till now, I’m not going for anything new in party wear this time around!”

Talking about their ongoing Republic Day sale, and the pandemic influenced demand for loungewear, Adwaita Nayar, CEO and founding member of Nykaa Fashion, says, “Evolving hybrid work models played an important role in fuelling the demand for simpler pieces that allow for a seamless transition into multi-tasking avatars, whether working from home, stepping out to meet friends, or simply working out.”

“We have a lot of offers going on for Republic Day and people are ordering more casual wear than party or festive wear. In fact our sales for casual wear is 55% more than party wear,” says Ruchika Kamboj from online apparel brand AshRoop Fashion Store, adding, “Delhi has always been a great market for heavy ethnic wear, but that is also not happening right now. We are being forced to give more discounts on party wear since people don’t want to spend too much on that category right now. So we are coming up with combos where we are including other articles with these party dresses. But casual wear such as track suits and similar articles are flying off the shelf very quickly and require restocking, even if there’s not on too much discount on them.”

In fact, more people seem to be shopping comfort wear this year than last year, says Nishtha from Dressy Delight. “We are witnessing a 25-30% increase in sale as compared to last year, but only in comfort wear,” she says. And Mansi Chawla, from an apparel brand Nikstwine, adds: “We have also planned giveaways for Republic Day. But clients are only looking for comfortable wear that suits work from home, during this time and are booking mostly co-ords and nightsuits.”

We are multitasking, so should our clothes, says Sanchi Maheshwari, a Gurugram-based IT professional. “With the curfews and lockdowns, we are getting smarter. I’m looking for multi-functional clothes. I recently ordered a white shirt that can be used under a sweater for an office meeting, or can be teamed with a good flashy inner when I have to go out. I’m also watching multiple Vlogs on how to style a certain item of clothing differently. For my daughter, I’m doing the same thing,” says Maheshwari. And Sakshi Batra Sehgal, a government employee based in Pashchim Vihar adds: “Yeh Omicron variant hai toh light, but next kya pata kal kya aa jaye. Thodha bahut hi bahar niklana hota hai toh party clothes ki kya zaroorat. Party bhi toh ab small get-together se badhi nahi ho pati, toh normal clothes can be worn for that. I’m focussing on buying comfortable clothes that won’t not go out of fashion. You know not the stuff that’s trendy taki next season bhi pehen sakun.”

Author tweets @anjuri

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