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Fashion:
Once again a personal style statement
Ranjita
Mukherji - Mumbai
Fashion
— should it be a personal statement or just designer wear?
In simple words fashion is nothing but what is preferred or is in
vogue. Mr Richard Martin, curator of the costume institute at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art aptly notes in his introduction to contemporary
fashion: “We could not avoid fashion today if we tried; fashion
constitutes the pervasive and persuasive culture of our time.”
Clothing
today, reflects a lot on our economic status, personal taste and
preferences and is a mirror image of a personality. Literary evidence,
archaeological and visual material of any historical Indian costume
can be easily available. However the difficulty arises when one
tries to collate the information that can be culled from these sources.
The
Indian fashion scenario in the 50s to 70s was vibrant, stylish and
very elegant. Designer divas or couture labels were totally unheard
of. The value of a garment was judged by its style and fabric.
One
of the most “revisited” and “retro” periods
in the fashion the 70s is often called the “me” decade.
Fashion was predominantly a form of self-expression with the slogan
“anything goes.”
Ravissant
was the first fashion store in Mumbai in the early 80s. The haute
couture culture was first introduced at Ensemble - the designer
store wherein the elite clientele were introduced to a hefty price
tag associating it to the very word “haute couture.” Power
dressing and corporate look were the dominant dress code with names
like Calvin Klein becoming a household name.
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