Recently, I had the opportunity to interview a successful Indian fashion designer, the very eloquent Sabyasachi Mukherjee, in front of a live audience at a charity gala.
I learnt that apart from his design sense, he also has the innate ability to speak in a manner that makes the listener really ponder over his words. The timely applause from our fashionable audience was testament to this.
“The fashion industry makes its millions by feeding on women’s insecurities” he said, almost unabashed.
Blasphemy, you may say, as these words come from none other than India’s leading fashion designer.
But truth be told — and deep in your heart, you would agree — the industry is about dressing better than your peers and better than what you last wore. And this got me thinking — are we indeed hypnotised by fads?
Is our fashion sensibility running on autopilot, oscillating with every passing season?
Who are we dressing to impress — our men? Ourselves? Or as Sabya said, are we dressing for other women?
This is exactly what was discussed by the audience over high tea, after the interview.
Here in Dubai, away from our home country, we all do tend to follow international trends.
Ashumi Siroya feels that at some level, we have lost a bit of our uniqueness by giving into the latest global trends. Today’s woman is definitely more conscious of what’s in vogue internationally.
If you flip through any glossy women’s magazine, you’ll find a lot of pages dedicated to what famous women are wearing. More than men, it’s the women who are making mental notes.
And the biggest fashion faux pas (heaven forbid!) is two leading ladies turning up in the same outfit! Those images soon become “breaking news” — as you may have noted in the case of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s eye-popping appearance at the Cannes Film Festival 2014. The focus on her impressive weight loss was soon diverted to the fact that her dress was previously worn by a Hollywood diva at the Oscars. Funny, isn’t it? And who cares about this news? Most of the time, it’s us women.
Back at the event, Shamira Mitha, a PR executive based in Dubai, told me her fashion icon will always be Maharani Gayatri Devi for her iconic personal style and inner confidence. She adds that while anyone can overdress, it takes a real woman to carry off simplicity.
I believe this is true. If you don’t feel beautiful from within, no amount of designer wear will do the job for you. It’s something you must do for yourself. And my personal belief is that when you are confident, when you smile and feel happy, you will look and feel like the best-dressed woman in the room, no matter what clothes you have on!
