5. WHAT’S IN A NAME?

 

When I was growing up, Raymond's, Mafatlal and Gwalior were the only brands I heard of and saw more of in the then Feminas, which Mom got. Not that I cared much about brands but I really appreciated the flow of the outfits the models wore, whether it was a halter-neck princess-cut maxi the girl was wearing or the three-piece suit the man flaunted!

Out of college and while working, I never used to stick to one particular dressing style. I loved putting together Indian, western, sometimes Indo-western pieces of clothing together and creating a different style altogether. It was fun putting some completely different combinations together and seeing the effect it created when I walked out on the streets. Some smiled, while some looked at me with disdain. But all the time, I was happy ‘cause they were my creations!

After I had got married, I came across this amazing tailor who could stitch almost any design under the sun that I gave him. I had a fetish for satin at that point of time and had got some excellent colours from Mumbai; maroon, bottle-green, soft shimmery gold and shiny silver. I also got some excellent net dupattas to go with them!

He stitched me a plain round-neck churidaar-kurta for the maroon satin, which had a long net ang-rakha. Later, I threaded beads of the same colour on the neck, which gave it an amazing effect. With the bottle-green satin, I gave him a design, which served a dual purpose for me. During a formal Indian occasion, I wore the kurta and the pant pyjamas; I stitched beads in star design all over the kurta. Then when it came to a meeting where I could wear a more Western ensemble, I teamed the plain satin pants with an off-white satin shirt or a maroon chiffon shirt tucked into the belt! It must have looked good as I got appreciative looks! My best design was with the gold satin. It had a blouse with short sleeves, which had long laces and which went round and could be tied at the back, a flared pair of satin pants and an ang-rakha. So, the blouse, which had bead trimmimgs could be worn with any other plain chiffon saree, the satin pants could be teamed with an off-white shirt and the ang-rakha could be worn with any other dress!

Very soon, people were noticing my designs and was I proud to show them off. I secretly started nurturing the idea of starting my own label. But deep down in my heart knew this would have to be done at a later date! But I am always this big dreamer and know exactly when and how to give wings to my dreams!

A couple of years ago, I discovered a brand, W. The kurtas fitted me like a T and the prices were just right for my pocket! And the franchisee, who happened to be a newlywed girl of around 26, was a hard-core seller. She and her husband had put up shop and she went about with each of her clients with a passion and flair, which was otherwise not commonly seen in sales-men of other shops. I loved the attention and the chit-chat that followed. I shopped at her place on the slightest pretext and over a span of just two years; she might have billed me well over Rs. 3 lakhs of merchandise. Some of my friends chided me for such immature behaviour but I was not one to listen to anyone. It was like this overpowering sense of being liberated as I walked home with packets of clothes. Well, I became her biggest buyer and she loved me for it. But soon enough, the honey-moon between her and me ended with the realisation that I had far too many clothes to last me for a life-time and this made me back up. I even gave away a lot of clothes to friends and cousins, who were absolutely delighted with my generosity!  

I promised not to buy clothes in a long time to come till another store hit the city. It was the Sohum Emporio and it introduced me to my favourite brand-Forever New. Chiffon dresses, tops, sweat shirts, shoes, bags, accessories, jewellery and they are adding more every day. More than anything else, the fashion-consultant looking after this brand, Gautam, is super cool as he knows exactly what to team with what! And now, knowing how lazy I can be to drive to the store, he mails me pictures of clothes and other accessories so that I can chose from them and keep them aside for me to pick up later. Thank you Gautam!

Why I like Forever New is because I can just wear one of the dresses and dream of being Cinderella, while I danced late into the night with my handsome Prince. Or maybe sit in front while my beau cycled into the country-side with the basket in front blooming with yellow flowers. Or maybe just do a slow dance to the tune of “Wonderful Tonight”. Vero Moda and Esprit are the other brands I simply love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wardrobe now has a variety of more western numbers. I love putting together a pair of fading denims, a black pair of brogues, a tee-shirt and a jacket thrown in for comfort. Or maybe the black chequered fitted dress I picked up from Van Heusen, worn with my M&S stockings and my Sole Station fawn coloured suede boots, laced up at the back. My purple UCB tie-up boots go with almost every western outfit and  are one of my favourites apart from the black Samsonite pair I picked up from Kolkata. Accessories are a bare minimum and teaming my Swarovski and my DKNY watches with almost anything is a must for me! Less is always so much more!