Column

Is fashion a feeling? I’d say a vociferous yes! Some happiest moments in life are when we are all spiffy in a new outfit, or a favourite out-of-the-closet after a long time. I am sure many would vouch for some soft, faded but super-comfortable wear perfect to potter around in. Parent-worn housecoats, grandma’s saris, a sibling or cousin-snagged tee, old baggy pullovers, dupatta, dress or pyjamas — unbeknownst and deep in some sub-conscious layer they are the warmth of a hug, tug of a memory...

Cloud Dancer — such a love-washed, yearn-laden phrase to define the colour of the year, and definitely set to be energising when the sunstung tango will be at its white-hot worst. Think cotton, organdy, mul, khadi, linen, seersucker, natural crepe, georgette, chiffon, chanderi, kota doria, voile, viscose, natural light silks such as the banarsi, eri, and paat in simple embroidery, chikanwork with mukaish, badla, any woven weave, colour blocked, white on white or all shades of alabaster. The...

As winter abates, it will soon be time to take on the humungous exercise of stashing away the silks, woollies, boots and other accessories. Although why do we have a summer bias against silk is beyond my ken. Silk is a natural, breathable fabric and works equally well even when the heat soars. The trick is not to use silk blouses as the lining within makes them ill-suited for the blistering summer. Getting back to storage, the first rule is to sort out what needs to be mended, kept and given...

It’s the new year and let’s begin to fix a little bit of some things. Fact is, we already have the wherewithal, we just need to resuscitate them all. Many places elsewhere, the world is creating systems where, simply put, the ongoing ‘use and throw’ culture is being condoned, so much so that the Right to Repair Act which was introduced in the US in 2012 for the automobiles sector, is garnering a lot more respect now. The focus has since seeped into e-waste and the business of fashion too is...

As the first five years of this decade slip into the horizon, what resolutions for the next? Does fashion even merit such an undertaking? How many of us have ever done so? Not me for sure, but as air-water pollution soars, maybe it calls for a rethink. Not necessarily a resolution, but a sense of mindfulness when you go splurging, more so since any purchase is just a tap away. A simple reminder: Each dress you wear has a huge carbon footprint, which is a measurement of all GHG or green house...

October is when I do all my khaddar shopping. Khaddar as in the English adaptation – khadi — and a fabric that became synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi’s clarion call for independence. I was in a different town, it was pouring and I was done with my purchase and on no whim asked a young lady at a plush khadi store on the origins of this rich heritage fabric and how it is made. She looked nonplussed and dashed to the senior lady at another counter who came rushing to explain its benefits — it will...

If ever there was proof that power packing is a survival skill, it’s this footloose work trip. As I hop from one city to the next town with just a tote and two-wheeler capacious backpack (not available anymore and the brand knows not that if it is upgraded with just another set of 360-degree wheels, it could beat just about all in the market!), I also realise that retail indulgence should be steered clear of! But we women cannot be shopping-proofed, so all ye happy trippers, before you kit out...

Are you cheugy or do you ooze drip? All that Gen Z argot has its own set of challenges, and add to it the overwhelming need to attain the right fit check. And no, we are not talking sizing issues here! A vibe check, truth be told, is not just by the zoomers. Whether you are a baby boomer, a millennial, a senior screenager, or a soigne from the silent generation, the need to look good, wear the best, is usually a given. For some, however, this could translate into peer pressure and a lot more...

The skies aren’t done pouring yet and the festal feel’s all around us. Sawan or the season of Shravan has commenced a week or two earlier, people are at their fasting best, the markets abuzz with glittering rakhis and stores raining discounts, although it is as of now the annual monsoon meltdown. Do you fall prey to marketing tactics that promise freebies with every purchase or two? What about the online seducers that pop up on every page you browse, any game you play or simply reels that...

Pelting rain some days, canicular heat the other, the weather is all hues! And the in-between oppressive clagginess makes many feel unfit. Clothes feel sticky, the make-up runs, beards feel itchy, hands and feet clammy. It can’t be all that bad! Work needs to be done, and in spite of all the trappings to beat the heat and rain, the step out of the home or office is often inescapable. And when the air is all steamy and stifling, wearing the right fabrics can make all the difference. Man, woman or...