When I wrote a book of fashion, an erstwhile favourite aunt from Kolkata said, "Today our ancestors want to rise and spank you!"
Even today, I know scores of people, women (sigh), who think I'm gay because I report on (what's 'cover'? why do we journalists always say 'cover'? what, who are we covering? with what?) fashion. In fact, nowadays when people ask me - so, you cover fashion? I make it a point to say - I ALSO 'cover' fashion. I have to. It's not always a very well covered area, if you know what I mean. It could do with more cover-age.
Fashion. As one more fashion week dawns, why can neither live with, nor live without, fashion? Secretly, in that deep little corner of your tiny little heart, you want to look cool, don't you? Those magazines, the ones with the glossy covers and "20 Ways To Dress For Your First Date" stories, you don't like them, do you? Naah, you are too good for all that nonsense. You are smart and clever and looks are nothing.
Mind over matter.
But, if only, for a moment you looked like that! Just once! You don't want to look like that always. Yewww! Who wants to be dolled up always? You are a real woman, or man. You are real.
It's a dilemma I see over and over again. Firm men and women, who scorn the world of fashion, secretly in love with the images scattered around by the Guccis and Pradas of the world. People who snigger at Rohit Bal's public persona would happily buy his saris or lehenga cholis - if they could afford them.
What is it that makes fashion so universally loved and loathed? To begin with, everyone in fashion takes it way too seriously. You know, loving fashion is like loving wine - you need to know your stuff but you can't get snooty about it. At the end of the day, it's just clothes. It's like if you like sweet wine, you can learn to the love the dry ones but in the end, if you like sweet than so be it.
And who knows more than taking things too seriously than journalists? After all, all of us do think deep in our hearts that we are changing the world, don't we?
So when the fashion week begins Wednesday, the cursing will begin. Everyone I know will be like - why does the media go ga-ga over this nonsense? Good question. I think we are just doing a job. Fashion is fantasy and we are catering to everyone who wants to dream.
Yes, Indian fashion has many flaws. If our designers had any vision, they would have created far greater awareness about their work (and some of them are truly talented). But many of them are perfect imbeciles, and there's no escaping that. Last season, a woman called Bennu Sehgal showed off some utterly ghastly stuff on the runway - badly made, badly finished nonsense - and almost killed the career of one, poor Carol Gracias, a good model by any standards.
And why blame her? Look at Ritu Beri who has been living off her Paris glory long after the halo has faded. After she was unceremoniously shown the door at Scherrer, she should have returned home and got busy with making clothes for a growing economy, for the millions for whom she was still a grand, aspirational brand. And so she seemed to be doing when she announced that there will be 100 Ritu Beri stores in two years. That was four years ago. The myth of Ritu Beri is dead. I saw her grand finale show last season at the Lakme Fashion Week and was appalled. It was dated, over the top rubbish that no one with any sense of fashion would ever wear it, and if people are wearing it, then they know nothing of fashion.
Here's what I think - I think it's time to be tough about the fashion industry. Time to ask some hard questions. Time to ask why they deserve my time and my resources as a journalist and as a customer. What do they have to offer? Why haven't any of them really been able to builds brands that can cater to a upmarket ready-to-wear audience? Where are the tie-ups between manufacturers and designers?
This fashion week, I will look at who are the best names in Indian fashion not just in terms of pure creativity but also the ability to bring that to the largest possible audience. The business acumen, not just in catering to the bridal market but the ability to build brand value. In the end, I will try to put together a list of India's top designers depending to feedback from business and brand perception. Who will make the cut? Watch this space.first published:August 26, 2006, 10:07 ISTlast updated:August 26, 2006, 10:07 IST
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When I started writing on fashion, my mother was convinced I was gay. It has taken - let's say many an alliance - to convince her otherwise.
When I wrote a book of fashion, an erstwhile favourite aunt from Kolkata said, "Today our ancestors want to rise and spank you!"
Even today, I know scores of people, women (sigh), who think I'm gay because I report on (what's 'cover'? why do we journalists always say 'cover'? what, who are we covering? with what?) fashion. In fact, nowadays when people ask me - so, you cover fashion? I make it a point to say - I ALSO 'cover' fashion. I have to. It's not always a very well covered area, if you know what I mean. It could do with more cover-age.
Fashion. As one more fashion week dawns, why can neither live with, nor live without, fashion? Secretly, in that deep little corner of your tiny little heart, you want to look cool, don't you? Those magazines, the ones with the glossy covers and "20 Ways To Dress For Your First Date" stories, you don't like them, do you? Naah, you are too good for all that nonsense. You are smart and clever and looks are nothing.
Mind over matter.
But, if only, for a moment you looked like that! Just once! You don't want to look like that always. Yewww! Who wants to be dolled up always? You are a real woman, or man. You are real.
It's a dilemma I see over and over again. Firm men and women, who scorn the world of fashion, secretly in love with the images scattered around by the Guccis and Pradas of the world. People who snigger at Rohit Bal's public persona would happily buy his saris or lehenga cholis - if they could afford them.
What is it that makes fashion so universally loved and loathed? To begin with, everyone in fashion takes it way too seriously. You know, loving fashion is like loving wine - you need to know your stuff but you can't get snooty about it. At the end of the day, it's just clothes. It's like if you like sweet wine, you can learn to the love the dry ones but in the end, if you like sweet than so be it.
And who knows more than taking things too seriously than journalists? After all, all of us do think deep in our hearts that we are changing the world, don't we?
So when the fashion week begins Wednesday, the cursing will begin. Everyone I know will be like - why does the media go ga-ga over this nonsense? Good question. I think we are just doing a job. Fashion is fantasy and we are catering to everyone who wants to dream.
Yes, Indian fashion has many flaws. If our designers had any vision, they would have created far greater awareness about their work (and some of them are truly talented). But many of them are perfect imbeciles, and there's no escaping that. Last season, a woman called Bennu Sehgal showed off some utterly ghastly stuff on the runway - badly made, badly finished nonsense - and almost killed the career of one, poor Carol Gracias, a good model by any standards.
And why blame her? Look at Ritu Beri who has been living off her Paris glory long after the halo has faded. After she was unceremoniously shown the door at Scherrer, she should have returned home and got busy with making clothes for a growing economy, for the millions for whom she was still a grand, aspirational brand. And so she seemed to be doing when she announced that there will be 100 Ritu Beri stores in two years. That was four years ago. The myth of Ritu Beri is dead. I saw her grand finale show last season at the Lakme Fashion Week and was appalled. It was dated, over the top rubbish that no one with any sense of fashion would ever wear it, and if people are wearing it, then they know nothing of fashion.
Here's what I think - I think it's time to be tough about the fashion industry. Time to ask some hard questions. Time to ask why they deserve my time and my resources as a journalist and as a customer. What do they have to offer? Why haven't any of them really been able to builds brands that can cater to a upmarket ready-to-wear audience? Where are the tie-ups between manufacturers and designers?
This fashion week, I will look at who are the best names in Indian fashion not just in terms of pure creativity but also the ability to bring that to the largest possible audience. The business acumen, not just in catering to the bridal market but the ability to build brand value. In the end, I will try to put together a list of India's top designers depending to feedback from business and brand perception. Who will make the cut? Watch this space.
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