Street Style : Ramila Hettiarachchi 

Ramila, 27, attributes his style persona to purely what he has seen within Colombo.  Inspired by what is out there in the world, Ramila likes to draw out whatever he feels suits him best. 

Of course, when put in the spot and asked what he pictures as his signature style, he tells us that it’s always cotton pants, brown pumps and a t-shirt or a shirt depending on the occasion. 

Despite following a very simple style persona, Ramila tells us a little surprising fact.  “I have a huge thing for funky coloured socks!” he says, “I think I wear it as somewhat of a confidence builder. It’s something quirky and it’s in alignment to your personality that you hide inside your shoe. I feel that it brings out the quirkiness and edginess in me.” 

So this week, we follow Ramila (and his funky coloured socks), to see what he has in store for Street Style. 

LOOK 1 : T-Shirt, Cotton Pants and Puma Slippers 

“This is one of my favourite t-shirts of the Harry Potter franchise from the Warner Bros Harry Potter Tour. It’s of Sirius Black holding his Azkaban prison card. It sums up my childhood and shows a part of who I am now, which is a geek which I’m quite proud of. 

I’m wearing it with cotton pants with a shaded maroon effect which goes really well with all sorts of black and grey t-shirts. I like to mix and match contrasting colours which usually, and sometimes unusually, go well together. 

I’m wearing Puma slippers. I usually tend to wear red ones and I don’t know why! I just find that it catches my eye all the time.” 

LOOK 2 : T-Shirt and Pants 

“This too is from one of my favourite franchises; Star Wars. It’s an original t-shirt and one of my all-time favourites. I’m wearing it with off white light green cotton pants which are a safe option as they go with any kind of black or grey t-shirt. And for accessories, I’m wearing a black watch.” 

LOOK 3 : Sarong and Shirt 

“I’m wearing a sarong and a shirt. It’s one of my most preferred outfits. One reason is because it suits the Sri Lankan weather and another is that it’s also very fashionable now. 

This is something I would wear for an evening function. The shirt is from O:Live Couture and I tend to wear shirts with the Chinese collar because it suits me, as I have a long neck. These kinds of black shirts go very well with a nice multi-coloured sarong.” 

LOOK 4 : Printed Shirt, Shorts and Nikes 

“Another favourite from O:Live Couture. This is a light bluish greyish shirt with a print of an anchor (I have a thing for anchors!) with a little bit of detailing in white. The shirt goes with pants, shorts, jeans or cotton trousers. I’m wearing it with a light grey-green pair of shorts and my grey Nikes. This outfit is very fashionable and at the same time very comfortable in the Sri Lankan weather.” 

LOOK 5 : Printed Shirt, Pants and Shoes 

“This blue shirt from O:Live Couture has a floral print detailing that goes in the cuffs, the button stand and the inside of the collar. I’m pairing it with brown cotton pants and shoes. 

This is a very semi casual attire with casual tones and a smart look. Sometimes I dress it up for an evening cocktail or function as well.” 

LOOK 6 : Suit and Bow Tie 

“This is a navy blue suit by O:Live Couture. Usually with a suit, I always wear a white shirt which is what I like and then maybe pair it with a striped tie or a bow tie. Today, it’s a bow tie with a floral design. With that I am wearing brown shoes and a brown belt. I’m also wearing a multi-coloured pair of socks, a bit of a green one to contrast with the colour of my suit.” 

Style Role Model? 

I don’t have one. I look at what people wear and I look at what’s out there on the internet like pictures of celebrities. And from that I would just pick whatever suits my skin tone, the weather and the culture. Nothing too daring. 

Favourite Colours to Pair? 

Usually I only wear grey, black, white and shades of blue, with it comes to shirts, and nothing else. I’m just not comfortable wearing multi-coloured shirts with very elaborate designs. I stick to these main colours and I think it suits me well in terms of my skin colour and where I go. 

Go To Outfit? 

Jeans or cotton pants with a cotton shirt most of the time, and shoes that match. 

Style Must Haves? 

- Jeans! A pair of good fitting jeans which works anywhere, anytime. 
- White short sleeved linen shirt 
- A blue long sleeved shirt 
- Black and brown shoes 
- Black and brown belts 

Style Nos? 

- Wearing colours that don’t complement you, your skin colour and your skin tone 
- Things that glitter and dazzle 
- Things with elaborate designs 

Keep it simple. Keep it smart. 

Style Hack? 

My style hack is that blue works a lot with so many people! It’s a very safe option and you can just couple it with lots of colours. Anything to do with blue is pretty much safe. 

Watch the video below: 

By Panchali Illankoon 
Video and photographs by Kanishke Ganewatte