The Gift Of The Garb
Clothes are silent spokesmen. They speak volumes for an individuals personality. Clothing spells identity, chisels outlook and crystalises way of life. In short clothes make the man or woman no the care may be.
In the last 50 years, the Indian fashion industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Apart from international lifestyles and trends that influenced Indian fashion, our very own leaders have left indelible imprints on the nations fashion map. For example, Nehru's style of dressing - a tight pyjama worn with a long sherwani or a short Nehru jacket is still a must for many a designer's seasonal collections.
A brief look at what was happening in the world in the 50's and 60's will give us a broad insight as to how things shaped up on the home front.
In the late 40's and 50's, women longed for glamorous ultra feminine clothes after years of war and austerity. Christian Dior's "New Look" was making waves. Body fitting, waist pulled in, hips padded out was the idiom of the day.
The 60's was an era of free thinking and radical change. Pop singers were the trend setters. Elvis greased hair, tight jeans, cowboy boots and denim shirts made an impact. Many young men opted to grow their hair. In India, the 60's saw a similar trend. Heroines on silver screen set the trend of tight fitting clothes and churidhars. The accent was on figure hugging and glamorous faces.
The 70's gave way to the hippie-cult. Drug addiction was on the rise. Long hair, braided headbands and cheese cloth shirts were in. It was during this period that fashion rose to the forefront. With films like "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" the impact of western culture was felt. Bell bottoms, lungis and kurtas were in as was thick eye make-up. Hema Malini, Rekha and Zeenat were the idols.
The 80's was known as the 'designer decade' with designer clothes, homes, food and even designer drugs. Fashion abroad allowed variety in lengths and styles. In India, the 80's saw the growth of the jeans culture. Along with this came midis and strong bright colours .NIFT churned out their first batch of graduates (Rohit Bal, J J Vallaya, Suneet Verma) thereby ushering in the first generation of designers. The end of the 80's saw a strong turn towards extreme ethnicity.
The 90's was the decade of the liberated woman, where styles were daring and revealing. Lingerie was turned into outer wear. In the early 90's in India, the emphasis was on cottons and natural eco-friendly fabrics. MTV and Channel V strongly influenced youngsters who have become very westernised in their attire. Now the late 90's ushers in blends, synthetics and crease free fabrics.
