(From top) Model Jesse Randhawa flaunts an outfit by Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla; interiors done up with subdued hues of the same colour family; Bipasha Basu sports her trademark tone-on-tone make-up

It may seem effective at first, but try repeating your black and red polka sari for any social do and the curious glances will be more than telling. Same for those loud purple streaks on your almost-blonde tresses. Great to admire and greater for shock value, but when it comes to the element of enduring beauty, tone-on-tone is where the search saga must end.

Be it Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla style white-on-white chikankari or sexy tan make-up on sultry skin, there’s something about this subdued look that easily makes any fashionista succumb with grace.

And there’s something about this elegant look that never fades out of fashion.

GoodLife explores the eternal appeal of tone-on-tone.

Clothes call

A pop-art design with a loud colour palette. Or a melange of rainbow hues worked around something equally riotous. But wait a minute, attention, fun and glamour all take a backseat when the seductive sheer of white chiffon flirts with lustre of pearls and white silk thread. Such is the forever appeal of tone-on-tone.

Replace the white with a magical mauve and the result will be quite similar. Bollywood design badshah Manish Malhotra’s Lakme Fashion Week collection spells out just that.

“All we saw last year was a flood of colours and embellishments. This year, my look is all about tone-on-tone. Lots of whites and off-whites that are offset with pretty lace and crochet. No more vibrant embellishments, coins or shells for me,” declares Manish.

Face colour

Remember the blaring Baazigar days of Shilpa Shetty with that not-so-pretty lighter make-up base and the completely out of sync scarlet lips? But only till she discovered the true beauty of tone-on-tone.

Ambika Pillai, make-up expert, is all for this look. “This natural look surely is a hands-down winner,” she says.

Here’s how Ambika can achieve the look perfectly:

Pick up a foundation closest to your skin tone ? not a shade lighter or darker.

Contour your facial features using a slightly darker shade.

Use three or four shades of brown on your eyes. Sweep a single, slightly darker shade on your lids and highlight using a skin tone.

Use a brown lipstick with a lighter tinge only on the pout area.

“This look is extremely popular in Hollywood, too, where people believe in basic make-up, unlike India, where overdoing it is the usual folly,” adds Ambika.

Home hues

Tone-on-tone looks great in the interiors, too, lending a relaxed and soothing feel. Interior designer Ajay Arya picks this look mostly for “living spaces” like dens or drawing rooms.

While achieving this look seems relatively simple, a keen sense of aesthetics is a must. Ajay feels that the tone-on-tone look comes across better while playing with certain palettes, rather than experimenting with any sundry shade.

“The colour story must strictly either revolve around subdued hues like whites, creams and other pastel shades, or the other extreme of the palette that consists of very dark shades,” he says.

so necessary is a break in the monotony with style and ease. “An all-white room with white furniture will look great, but it’s not too long before boredom sets in. Add breathers in the form of natural elements ? green plants or wooden flooring.

Keep the hues in sync, but don’t hesitate to add variety in the form of texture.

“Texture introduced delicately will help break the starkness effectively,” adds Ajay.

Tress trends

Hairstylist Amin from Headturners feels that this season’s hair look is all about playing with tone-on-tone hues. This subdued look goes a long way in protecting your hair from unwanted damage and helps maintain a healthy gloss and shine. Technically too, this look is about colouring your entire hair with a hue close to your own.

“This lasts for about 10 shampoos and is perfect when you want to add depth and shine to your mane,” explains Priscilla Corner from June Tomkyns.

Unlike the harsher colouring agents that first strip off the colour and then replenish it, tone-on-tone restricts its actions to just replenishing the hair colour. From the fashion point of view, too, Priscilla gives a thumbs up to this look.

“Streaking looks best when you stick to the same family of colours. In most cases, you should check the base hair colour and then choose two shades ? one lighter and the other deeper ? and play around with your tresses,” she adds.

This style, without a doubt, makes for a safe look and not an over-the-top dramatic one. And when it comes to adding a dimension, nothing quite works so well.