Sex, Lies and Fashion Week Videotapes! (Fable - Pt 16)
It’s that time of the year again. Yayyyy! The time, most personal floating in great fragments of enigma, when That Woman took stock of the year gone by, met old friends, acquaintances, competitors and rivals…and made new friends, acquaintances etc. But this year proved to be a little different. And this year, like the Lakme India Fashion Week she felt split in two as well.
She had been present at the fashion week since it began, in 2000. As an Asst. Producer with an American TV crew, which was a great thing then ‘cos she was still in college and foreign TV crews paid weekly and in dollars! And when you’re 20, and living on pocket money, $1200 for a week is not a bad deal at all. So That Woman and Best-est Friend moonlighted at the LIFW for an entire week and got badly hooked to the lovely creative energy there. In 2001, they were in film school and LIFW was reason to bunk boring classes for a week. In 2002, the Commies of the class sneered at them for being associated with a frivolous, mindless fashion event for people who didn’t have any real work and real concerns. People like That Woman, who refused to go to a Narmada Bachao dharna for the fashion week and waxed eloquent in its defence here.
2003 was a tough call. They had passed out of film school, and That Woman, as commitment phobic as ever, refused to follow the herd and join one of the various TV channels. She took the plunge, and along with Best-est Friend, formed a tiny company that managed to get a lot of work outsourced to them by various production houses abroad. Being an entrepreneur was fun, and the first assignment they got was to cover the fashion week completely on their own for the same American TV channel! It proved to be a tough task but they pulled it off, with the help of a few friends doubling up as assistants, wanting to be a part of fashion week. The event that year, was at the NCPA in Bombay. 2003 and 2004 were the same, but fashion week happened in Delhi, at the lovely venue The Grand.
Lakme Fashion Week 2006, back at the NCPA and That Woman knew she had come full circle. In more ways than one. She was no longer an assistant with no decision making capacity whatsoever. She was not making shows for an American company either. Instead, she and Best-est Friend were called to join the Big Guys themselves as producers. And from that vantage point, everything looked different.
There’s a most awesome buzz at the Fashion Week. A buzz that’s indescribable. But almost similar to the buzz on a film set, only ten times magnified. The Buzz that happens only when loads of young talented designers, photographers, media people, choreographers, set designers, make-up artists, DJs, buyers and various other “creative types” congregate in the same space-time continuum for a week. And of course the tones of uber-fabulous clothes and accessories! The Buzz can never be captured on the TV cameras, and sadly, those who’ve never been to a fashion week, will always think of it as a frivolous fashion event and keep ignoring the fact that its poised to become a Rs 2000Cr industry!
And for a designer, his show becomes his sacred personal space which allows him to express himself in more ways than one. Manish Arora’s LIFW show in 2003 had stunning clothes and great music. And the last section of the show had a very well done remix of Saare Jahaan Se Achcha by The Midival Punditz. The section was called India Rocks and the motif was a digitally printed black and white image of two young men holding each other and India Rocks written diagonally in corners in bright fluorescent fuchsia. Something happened in the audience as the first 4 models walked on the ramp real fast. The image of the two men and India Rocks was on skirts, tops, bags, corsets… She looked at Pi, who was wiping away tears from his eyes. Suddenly all the gay men in the audience stood up and applauded really loudly for the longest time ever. And That Woman was in awe of that entire moment.
“For the first time, someone’s made a public statement about gay men in India and that they are as much a part of the country as straight men are. Even though they are treated rather harshly, often with no tolerance and moral policing, they are Indians who are proud to be Indians and think India Rocks. No matter what. And they could be accepted here!” Pi told her later, still looking stunned.
Day 1 this year, she noticed The Buzz was completely, mindblowingly different. There were lots of new faces… a whole new crop of assistants. Where were the old ones? All the people she had known for all these years? The Fashion Week buddies she had hung out with at mealtimes, exchanging gossip? …They’d all moved up too! They were now fashion editors at big time magazines like Cosmopolitan, Elle and the soon-to-be-launched Marie Claire. Design assistants were making their fashion week debuts as designers showcasing their collections on the ramp.
Like her, they had all come full circle too. Like her, they too were now grooming a new crop of young assistants how to watch a fashion show. Teaching them what cut, construction and silhouette meant. Teaching them the importance of buyers at the event. Talking of buyers, where were the familiar faces? They didn’t come ‘cos the event and the Indian fashion industry was no longer a distant rumble for them. It had turned into a mega event meant to be noticed. Which explained why stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, Browns, Harrods had sent in their Vice Presidents and C.E.O.’s to check out the event instead of younger executives.
Fashion Week teaches you to be an individual and to assert that individuality. It’s about pursuing your dreams, not being afraid of setbacks and failures, gritting your teeth and standing tall only to return again next year in a new improved avatar! And there’s no glamour. A designer slogs hard with several darzis 6-10 months prior to the event, deals with bank loans and various other mundane issues to come up with a collection, which is worn by top models and is given its 15 minutes of fame and glamour. After which, is the litmus test. Right there and then! If your audience is staring at the models, either all of them are at a fashion show for the first time, or they hate your clothes. But if they’re staring at your clothes, you know you’ve done it! Your success is toasted right away.
And where That Woman was concerned, the highlight of this year’s event were the three new designers, called Gen Next, from the graduating batch of NID who’d been given the chance to participate after a rigorous selection process. She made it a point to attend their show and requested others to do so too. Nothing hurts a first time designer more than seeing a number of empty seats staring back defiantly when he comes on the ramp to take a bow. It’s unfair, to say the least when there were the same old complacent designers trying to hide their mediocrity behind a Bollywood bandwagon, either on the runway or on the front row.
So in her first decision-making moment, she changed the run order of the episodes. Cutting down air time from a few such complacent designers and allocating it to the Gen Next designers, thus giving them an entire section of their own. These were people who’d be waiting to watch the show on air. Waiting to show their friends, family and acquaintances what there moments on the runway were like.
So while an actor or actress on the ramp definitely added the glamour quotient, she added in her Post Show Review section Albert Morris of Browns, London hailing the young Rahul Mishra as “the next Sabyasachi” and how we, as Indians are responsible for ensuring that our talent stays here and doesn’t wither away in the prestigious anonymity that being John Galliano’s assistant would offer. Rahul is off to Milan soon for an internship, Shahzad Kalim is back from one with Versace and good old Sabyasachi was a permanent fixture in the front row of all these shows. Happy to lend his support, advice and infectious laugh. Knowing well, that he had been there and was still doing that. Weaving his magic, in more ways than one. He was an inspiration for young designers like Rahul and Samar to take up the cause for the dying art of weaving in Kerala and Bhagalpur.
And like Albert said, it’s up to us, as Indians, to nurture our talent. And feel extremely proud when these very people represent the country at highly competitive platforms like the London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. And watch life come full circle for them as well!
***
That Woman was approached by a magazine editor who wanted her to write a “relationship advice” column in her magazine. “You know, like you use real life examples from your relationship and the lessons you learn from it and how it’s helped you and your boyfriend. Do you get what I’m trying to say?” she asked with the optimism of someone who had too many bright ideas but too few people to comprehend them.
That Woman paused to let the question die a dignified death before telling her, “No, I don’t get that because I have no current real life examples to talk about. Do you get what I’m trying to say?”
“Oh no problem! You can pretend to be in a relationship and go along with the advice bit. How would anybody know?” she persisted.
“Can’t I do it without the ‘being in a relationship’ element?” That Woman asked.
“No, darling! You’d simply sound more credible if the readers thought you were speaking from current experience. They’d relate to you more and identify with your situation to improve theirs! Don’t you get it?”
That Woman really didn’t. She was worried that “the readers” from all around the country were going to figure out and expose her as a fraud. Who was she to be giving relationship advice? If she was so smart, why was she home alone on Saturday night trying to come up with all that bullshit? Would she be a relationship imposter because she was not currently in a relationship, has not been able to maintain a relationship, and does not have any prospects for a new relationship? Nor does she have a funny term for this predicament.
While women are certainly extremely adept at faking it – from faking our hair color, breasts, bodies, we've even faked fur and leather. She couldn’t help but wonder, has fear of being alone suddenly raised the bar on faking? Are we faking more then orgasms? Are we faking entire relationships? Is it better to fake it than be alone? That Woman still believed in love despite all evidence to the contrary, and she believed in soulmates, although lately she’d been wondering if hers just took a wrong turn, got lost and was too stubborn to ask for directions. She was out there, baby. She was looking. But she also had other things to do along with that. Career and such like.
She felt like the tree in the forest. If no one saw it fall, did it really ever fall? In this situation it meant that if a tree falls in the forest and no one makes a movie about it or writes about it, who cares? So she thought of accepting the assignment as a fun thing and maybe her first work of fiction! But that was all it was. A thought.
Awesome to imagine herself in this ideal situation where she had a fling with all the beautiful men she met. Had no career issues, weight issues, wardrobe issues, money issues, maid issues, family issues…Phew! Where she’d get asked out by every man within a 3 feet radius and men would run over each other to buy her a drink at the club. And when she’d dance wearing those killer stilettos, her feet won’t hurt and people around her would stare in awe and might even applaud. Then she’d pick up one of the men and bring him home and have fantastic sex. Always have fantastic sex, because, in a fantasy everything was perfect. And then she’d realize that this random guy from the club turned out to be her soulmate. She’d be madly in love with him and he’d be even more madly in love with her and…
Hello? Where are the relationship issues? Well, there bursts the bubble. If she had to fake a relationship, she’d rather fake one which is perfect. I mean, if she didn’t have dispatch deadlines from channels to deal with in this fantasy, why should she have any other sort of issues at all?
Was she okay with letting “the readers” get a voyeuristic peep into a non-existent life? She knew people out there who were doing it… in magazine columns, in popular blogs. And she’d never figured out how they found validation in the whole world of pretty sounding lies they’d created for themselves. How would it help if she let a bunch of random strangers believe she was this person living this great life where she got over every little relationship hiccup with a smile and a twitch of her nose? Why could she not be the regular, single working girl who concentrated on her career while hoping other pieces of her life would magically fall in place? And doing all this while trying not to hit rock bottom or lowering her standards almost to the point of no return? If it were a blog, she could be anonymous and lie away to glory. But in a popular magazine, which even she was a fan of? And was read by friends, acquiantances etc...? Wouldn't they know, and find her to be slightly weird?
The thought continues to bother her even after a week. She still hasn’t found the answers. And now, she puts it out here for the world to ponder over too as she goes back to the maddest ever dispatch deadline of one episode per day.
The fruits of this labor of love are up on air on Zee Café at 9:30 PM every evening starting April 10th through April 15th.
And ending in a two hour finale on Zee TV at 6:30 PM on April 16th.
She had been present at the fashion week since it began, in 2000. As an Asst. Producer with an American TV crew, which was a great thing then ‘cos she was still in college and foreign TV crews paid weekly and in dollars! And when you’re 20, and living on pocket money, $1200 for a week is not a bad deal at all. So That Woman and Best-est Friend moonlighted at the LIFW for an entire week and got badly hooked to the lovely creative energy there. In 2001, they were in film school and LIFW was reason to bunk boring classes for a week. In 2002, the Commies of the class sneered at them for being associated with a frivolous, mindless fashion event for people who didn’t have any real work and real concerns. People like That Woman, who refused to go to a Narmada Bachao dharna for the fashion week and waxed eloquent in its defence here.
2003 was a tough call. They had passed out of film school, and That Woman, as commitment phobic as ever, refused to follow the herd and join one of the various TV channels. She took the plunge, and along with Best-est Friend, formed a tiny company that managed to get a lot of work outsourced to them by various production houses abroad. Being an entrepreneur was fun, and the first assignment they got was to cover the fashion week completely on their own for the same American TV channel! It proved to be a tough task but they pulled it off, with the help of a few friends doubling up as assistants, wanting to be a part of fashion week. The event that year, was at the NCPA in Bombay. 2003 and 2004 were the same, but fashion week happened in Delhi, at the lovely venue The Grand.
Lakme Fashion Week 2006, back at the NCPA and That Woman knew she had come full circle. In more ways than one. She was no longer an assistant with no decision making capacity whatsoever. She was not making shows for an American company either. Instead, she and Best-est Friend were called to join the Big Guys themselves as producers. And from that vantage point, everything looked different.
There’s a most awesome buzz at the Fashion Week. A buzz that’s indescribable. But almost similar to the buzz on a film set, only ten times magnified. The Buzz that happens only when loads of young talented designers, photographers, media people, choreographers, set designers, make-up artists, DJs, buyers and various other “creative types” congregate in the same space-time continuum for a week. And of course the tones of uber-fabulous clothes and accessories! The Buzz can never be captured on the TV cameras, and sadly, those who’ve never been to a fashion week, will always think of it as a frivolous fashion event and keep ignoring the fact that its poised to become a Rs 2000Cr industry!
And for a designer, his show becomes his sacred personal space which allows him to express himself in more ways than one. Manish Arora’s LIFW show in 2003 had stunning clothes and great music. And the last section of the show had a very well done remix of Saare Jahaan Se Achcha by The Midival Punditz. The section was called India Rocks and the motif was a digitally printed black and white image of two young men holding each other and India Rocks written diagonally in corners in bright fluorescent fuchsia. Something happened in the audience as the first 4 models walked on the ramp real fast. The image of the two men and India Rocks was on skirts, tops, bags, corsets… She looked at Pi, who was wiping away tears from his eyes. Suddenly all the gay men in the audience stood up and applauded really loudly for the longest time ever. And That Woman was in awe of that entire moment.
“For the first time, someone’s made a public statement about gay men in India and that they are as much a part of the country as straight men are. Even though they are treated rather harshly, often with no tolerance and moral policing, they are Indians who are proud to be Indians and think India Rocks. No matter what. And they could be accepted here!” Pi told her later, still looking stunned.
Day 1 this year, she noticed The Buzz was completely, mindblowingly different. There were lots of new faces… a whole new crop of assistants. Where were the old ones? All the people she had known for all these years? The Fashion Week buddies she had hung out with at mealtimes, exchanging gossip? …They’d all moved up too! They were now fashion editors at big time magazines like Cosmopolitan, Elle and the soon-to-be-launched Marie Claire. Design assistants were making their fashion week debuts as designers showcasing their collections on the ramp.
Like her, they had all come full circle too. Like her, they too were now grooming a new crop of young assistants how to watch a fashion show. Teaching them what cut, construction and silhouette meant. Teaching them the importance of buyers at the event. Talking of buyers, where were the familiar faces? They didn’t come ‘cos the event and the Indian fashion industry was no longer a distant rumble for them. It had turned into a mega event meant to be noticed. Which explained why stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Selfridges, Browns, Harrods had sent in their Vice Presidents and C.E.O.’s to check out the event instead of younger executives.
Fashion Week teaches you to be an individual and to assert that individuality. It’s about pursuing your dreams, not being afraid of setbacks and failures, gritting your teeth and standing tall only to return again next year in a new improved avatar! And there’s no glamour. A designer slogs hard with several darzis 6-10 months prior to the event, deals with bank loans and various other mundane issues to come up with a collection, which is worn by top models and is given its 15 minutes of fame and glamour. After which, is the litmus test. Right there and then! If your audience is staring at the models, either all of them are at a fashion show for the first time, or they hate your clothes. But if they’re staring at your clothes, you know you’ve done it! Your success is toasted right away.
And where That Woman was concerned, the highlight of this year’s event were the three new designers, called Gen Next, from the graduating batch of NID who’d been given the chance to participate after a rigorous selection process. She made it a point to attend their show and requested others to do so too. Nothing hurts a first time designer more than seeing a number of empty seats staring back defiantly when he comes on the ramp to take a bow. It’s unfair, to say the least when there were the same old complacent designers trying to hide their mediocrity behind a Bollywood bandwagon, either on the runway or on the front row.
So in her first decision-making moment, she changed the run order of the episodes. Cutting down air time from a few such complacent designers and allocating it to the Gen Next designers, thus giving them an entire section of their own. These were people who’d be waiting to watch the show on air. Waiting to show their friends, family and acquaintances what there moments on the runway were like.
So while an actor or actress on the ramp definitely added the glamour quotient, she added in her Post Show Review section Albert Morris of Browns, London hailing the young Rahul Mishra as “the next Sabyasachi” and how we, as Indians are responsible for ensuring that our talent stays here and doesn’t wither away in the prestigious anonymity that being John Galliano’s assistant would offer. Rahul is off to Milan soon for an internship, Shahzad Kalim is back from one with Versace and good old Sabyasachi was a permanent fixture in the front row of all these shows. Happy to lend his support, advice and infectious laugh. Knowing well, that he had been there and was still doing that. Weaving his magic, in more ways than one. He was an inspiration for young designers like Rahul and Samar to take up the cause for the dying art of weaving in Kerala and Bhagalpur.
And like Albert said, it’s up to us, as Indians, to nurture our talent. And feel extremely proud when these very people represent the country at highly competitive platforms like the London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. And watch life come full circle for them as well!
***
That Woman was approached by a magazine editor who wanted her to write a “relationship advice” column in her magazine. “You know, like you use real life examples from your relationship and the lessons you learn from it and how it’s helped you and your boyfriend. Do you get what I’m trying to say?” she asked with the optimism of someone who had too many bright ideas but too few people to comprehend them.
That Woman paused to let the question die a dignified death before telling her, “No, I don’t get that because I have no current real life examples to talk about. Do you get what I’m trying to say?”
“Oh no problem! You can pretend to be in a relationship and go along with the advice bit. How would anybody know?” she persisted.
“Can’t I do it without the ‘being in a relationship’ element?” That Woman asked.
“No, darling! You’d simply sound more credible if the readers thought you were speaking from current experience. They’d relate to you more and identify with your situation to improve theirs! Don’t you get it?”
That Woman really didn’t. She was worried that “the readers” from all around the country were going to figure out and expose her as a fraud. Who was she to be giving relationship advice? If she was so smart, why was she home alone on Saturday night trying to come up with all that bullshit? Would she be a relationship imposter because she was not currently in a relationship, has not been able to maintain a relationship, and does not have any prospects for a new relationship? Nor does she have a funny term for this predicament.
While women are certainly extremely adept at faking it – from faking our hair color, breasts, bodies, we've even faked fur and leather. She couldn’t help but wonder, has fear of being alone suddenly raised the bar on faking? Are we faking more then orgasms? Are we faking entire relationships? Is it better to fake it than be alone? That Woman still believed in love despite all evidence to the contrary, and she believed in soulmates, although lately she’d been wondering if hers just took a wrong turn, got lost and was too stubborn to ask for directions. She was out there, baby. She was looking. But she also had other things to do along with that. Career and such like.
She felt like the tree in the forest. If no one saw it fall, did it really ever fall? In this situation it meant that if a tree falls in the forest and no one makes a movie about it or writes about it, who cares? So she thought of accepting the assignment as a fun thing and maybe her first work of fiction! But that was all it was. A thought.
Awesome to imagine herself in this ideal situation where she had a fling with all the beautiful men she met. Had no career issues, weight issues, wardrobe issues, money issues, maid issues, family issues…Phew! Where she’d get asked out by every man within a 3 feet radius and men would run over each other to buy her a drink at the club. And when she’d dance wearing those killer stilettos, her feet won’t hurt and people around her would stare in awe and might even applaud. Then she’d pick up one of the men and bring him home and have fantastic sex. Always have fantastic sex, because, in a fantasy everything was perfect. And then she’d realize that this random guy from the club turned out to be her soulmate. She’d be madly in love with him and he’d be even more madly in love with her and…
Hello? Where are the relationship issues? Well, there bursts the bubble. If she had to fake a relationship, she’d rather fake one which is perfect. I mean, if she didn’t have dispatch deadlines from channels to deal with in this fantasy, why should she have any other sort of issues at all?
Was she okay with letting “the readers” get a voyeuristic peep into a non-existent life? She knew people out there who were doing it… in magazine columns, in popular blogs. And she’d never figured out how they found validation in the whole world of pretty sounding lies they’d created for themselves. How would it help if she let a bunch of random strangers believe she was this person living this great life where she got over every little relationship hiccup with a smile and a twitch of her nose? Why could she not be the regular, single working girl who concentrated on her career while hoping other pieces of her life would magically fall in place? And doing all this while trying not to hit rock bottom or lowering her standards almost to the point of no return? If it were a blog, she could be anonymous and lie away to glory. But in a popular magazine, which even she was a fan of? And was read by friends, acquiantances etc...? Wouldn't they know, and find her to be slightly weird?
The thought continues to bother her even after a week. She still hasn’t found the answers. And now, she puts it out here for the world to ponder over too as she goes back to the maddest ever dispatch deadline of one episode per day.
The fruits of this labor of love are up on air on Zee Café at 9:30 PM every evening starting April 10th through April 15th.
And ending in a two hour finale on Zee TV at 6:30 PM on April 16th.
posted by Vijayeta | 11:24 PM
29 Comments:
That Woman still believed in love despite all evidence to the contrary, and she believed in soulmates, although lately she’d been wondering if hers just took a wrong turn, got lost and was too stubborn to ask for directions. She was out there, baby. She was looking. But she also had other things to do along with that. Career and such like.
Rocking post, as always! :) And I love these lines! :) I think they speak for a lot of us 20 something women out there! :)
and if ditty had not copied the bit on the soulmate having lost direction me would have.
on the faking the relationship, i dont think you will enjoy it. however convince them on the real you writing the column- that would be awesome fun
btw update me on delhi plans?
I really loved Rahul Mishra's clothes from the Gen Next set, but wasn't too optimistic about the other two girls. As always Sabyasachi was fantastic (and I'm not saying this because I'm Bong). He has such a Dries Van Noten-like fluid, bohemian charm, and yet he's so distinct and unique.
Ashish Soni was a very, very pleasant surprise. He's really growing as a designer. It's funny the clothes of designer duo "Dev R Nil" look great on their website, but their ramp show was just bleh.
The others, well less said the better. Who let Bennu Sehgall call herself a designer? And Surily Goel must be the worst alumnus FIDM Los Angeles has ever produced. But even these two couldn't top the atrocities of Mandira Wirk.
Vij, all in all though, this is the first India Fashion Week that makes me feel optimistic about Indian fashion. There were actually clothes I'd consider buying.
Ditty: Thanks :D But yes...i mean, we aren't supposed to keep everything else on hold 'cos we're waiting to find someone. Actually, i've a problem with the word 'waiting' as well... I don't think we 'wait' or 'look for'? Do we?
Lemontree: Sigh! Apparently the 'Real Me' idea is not as exciting and happening for them! But let's see... I am in Delhi currently. Editing till 15th and then on a break, hopefully, if nothing goes wrong in Bombay... :)
Thalassa_mikra: Hey! Long time! I love, love, love Sabya! And he slashed down his prices too last year... After Manish Arora he's one of the most articulate, intelligent and funny designers i've known. And yes, Bennu Sehgall's clothes sucked, and her inspiration was "herself". I'm not kidding, i've included those gems in my episodes for the world to see ;) So, please do if u can! Surily G - bad designer, unnecessary attitude! That's why i said hiding their mediocrity behind the Bollywood bandwagon ;)
Vij, you're right! :) We are not "waiting".. We're doing our thing and living our lives and if said Soulmate comes along, then brilliant.. Else, also brilliant! :) Though, having said that, the romantic in me thinks that maybe it'd be a tad nicer if he did come along! :)
I'll watch all your LIFW episodes on Zee Café... already bragging about you to everyone I know! ;)
I dont think fashion is so important in ones life. I cant see myself in any situation where, the cut of my shirt is going to mean life or death.
Looking good is another situation. It needs back up from just the initial posturing. Frankly, if I am dressed to kill (which does happen once in a blue moon where I get the shirt trouser combination correct), I am too scared to back up the killer looks with killer wits.
Isnt that unnecessary preasure ? Lets take a situation of a highly sexy woman who I meet. Generally friend of a friend.. If I am terrifically dressed, I have a tough time matching it... ITs too much of a dance for a week minded guy to handle.
I would rathar not look myself in the mirror and just be happy being neat. That way I do lower the expectations and create a possibility of vowin someone with humour, wits. Afterall that is my forte.
So I dont agree that fashion is something which is a must for a any one's survival and success..
The odd tie/blazer notwithstanding, Fashion is truly frivilous. Frivilous not because I am in some way jelous.. But hey, the weather report is more interesting. Clothes designing is a little overhyped. I think more garmets get exported out of India through wall mart and other big ticket buyers than the finicky fashion crowd.
Too much is made out of the business side of fashion. when we were young, we used to love kamal movies. As we got older, we realised that all his movies are a bit too self promoting and narcissistic. I have a similar view on the fashion designer scene.. Afterall the designer is the brand and most of the 2000 cr. goes to the brand. So whats so altruistic about 2000 cr... ? The darzi makes his money in volume and thats mega big business...
About FTV... IT does have its uses... ;)
We all know why FTV is red hot popular in India right ?? or are we kidding ourselves to think people are really learning their cuts and sillhuettes ?
vasu
Ditty: God Bless You :D
Vasu the terrible: In response to your opinion on fashion, i've a lot to say...but i've already said it all Here. Do read that as my defense!
But i guess, where fashion is concerned, the rules are different for men and women. A woman can never have enough shoes, the quest for that perfect pair of jeans is eternal and is a lot like looking for love really! And fashion doesn't mean spending a fortune on designer clothes... You could wear a Fabindia kurta and layer it with a contrasting camisole/vest worn on top of it and team it up with a pair of slim jeans and high heels. That would look very unique and hip and won't cost an arm and a leg... Or even a great sari with a well tailored blouse!
And yes, inner beauty etc matters, and what we really dig is humor and wit, but if one's nicely dressed while doing so, it's just great fringe benefits! And FTV? I never mentioned FTV... I've my own issues with that. All i talked about was Lakme Fashion Week and the young talent that one discovered there... And what's altruistic about 2000 Cr? I've seen the darzis that work for most designers... they dont think they're getting a raw deal! Cos in metros, not many are able to ply their trade on their own... I mean, i go to the local tailor only for alterations! How much money would he make on that! Clothes are much cheaper and a huge variety available these days...and there's also the good old Janpath and Sarojini or Linking Road... Street Fashion which still truly rocks!
And come on...dont tell me one doesn't feel fabulous when one steps out into the world looking great and happy with oneself!
Ask your women friends! :)
hey hey hey! so are u now in dilli, covering the other fashion wk, too? great post on de fashion thingy. ;-)
mmm... personal relationship column? its a great opportunity for u, i guess, but yea, there does remain de funy feeling taht u'd be giving false advice on a made-up life, and some ppl wud actually follow dat advice. and dats a bit scary.
Don't do the column if you've make stuff up! Not because I have a problem with make-believe but because people who do know you will be reading it.
Incidentally, you'd be surprised how many gullible people believe every word they read in the agony aunt places, so perhaps a little integrity there is not a bad thing to stick out for.
I agree with Ditty agreeing with every word of yours :D
Awesome post and loved every image it created.
Btw, pliss to do sth for overseas fans who can't view Zee Cafe :(
Please, pretty please.
[And this request better hold good as I came out of vacation to say so :p]
Would there be an ideal relationship in life if it weren't for the thousands of fake ones being doled out on TV, cinema, and personal columns in magazines. Our real life criterias for an ideal relationship inadvertenetly stem from what we see and read in popular media. So go ahead and do the column, only make sure that the advice you give and the examples you cite (even if they are fake) foster some long standing relationships in the real world.
However, I can't help but remember Plato's cautioning society about life starting to imitate art.
Vij, alas I have no access to Zee Cafe here. Once the programme is aired, can it be uploaded to a website like Youtube for us to watch :)?
Surily is a joke. I was appalled to see an Outlook panel voting her most promising designer! But I guess the Miss Chamkos of Bollywood like her :).
Oh forgot to add, I liked Priyadarshini Rao too. Very understated, and yet very Indian.
Vij, you can surely tell I love fashion as much as you do!
Just come up with a pseudonym and start writing! Fiction or non, it doesn't matter. You write well so people are gonna love reading you. And really, who actually has a life like Carrie Bradshaw's? Swanky apartment, killer body, Manolo Blahniks and one new hunk a week?
Honestly, if you did have that life I'd be super bloody jealous!
So i say take up the offer and go for it!
p.s. have jotted down timings. will be watching out!
Closetalk: Heyyy! Yup, me in Delhi but not on the other fashion week...finishing post-production on LFW episodes. A still weirded out by the personal relationship column...not had time to mull over it that much since, and thats why imentioned it on the blog. It is scary...and unfair too!
Sue: Exactly! I'd die of embarrassment concocting lies about my life...or the lack thereof! ...And then there's my mum and close friends who snub me saying if i'm so good at giving advice, why's my own life a mess... And they do have a point, i'm afraid!
kumari: I'm most touched you came out of a vacation to leave a comment here... I so understand. I was dragged out of ne on the second day itself for work :( I'll check for web uploads and let you know... :D
id it is: Well, given how much i suffer for my art, i woldnt want to suffer anymore... Have stalled that idea as of now... I mean, what do i fake? How ca i conjure up tis whole new life while still trying to come to terms with the real one... Too much work! Nah!
thalassa_mikra: Oh yesss...I love fashion so much. And fashion week is awesome not only for the clothes one gets to see, but like i said, that whole creative buzz. Priyadarshini Rao rocks... When you're in India, do check out this store called Be: They keep awesome cothes from her, Anshu, Rajesh Pratap and Manish Arora... Completely worth splurging on! And not all that expensive too...
That Girl In Pink: I feel cheated. If people must read what i wite, then they should read the real stuff... Why lies? One gets that all the time anyway... And then again, Carrie Bradshaw is a fictional character at the end of the day. I'm yet to see an average newspaper columnist buying Manolo Blahniks by the dozen... Hell, i know magazine editors who don't/cant't do that.
Watch out for the Zee Cafe episode on April 13th and 14th, that's my baby completely. And this is a shameless plug :p
You know the American tendancy to call anyone from the firefighter to the small town boy who saved some pegions a hero ???
Thats the commodotisation of what was essentially a hollywood concept.
I see a similarity in what you call being fashionable as asserting individuality... Somehow those clamouring for a slice of the media pie, end up immersed in fashion thinking that if they can become fshionable, they will assert their individuality...
That to me is difficult to digest.. :)
When did I talk about inner beauty ?? I just wanted to say, you dont need snazzy clothes to charm someone and sometimes snazzy clothes can come in the way.
A guy like me likes a tension free environment where the gaurds are lowered to fecilitate better interraction.
Snazzy clothes are not conducive. Snazzy clothes, mean certain snazzy ettiquitte and snazzy sense of humour. Otherwise it wont carry off well... I cant talk about the funny aspects of my boring life in a Sachi wardrobe.. thats out of place...
As I said, there is one thing about being neatly dressed and a completely other thing being fashionable. Fashionable is about sporting the right kind of label.. Wecall the "sachi and the gucci effect"... its slightly become indian by the "khosla and the sabya effect..."
I dont think the middle class/upper middle class crowd goes to darzis... The lower income class still patronises darzis and he has enough to make anyway.. I think its the reverse, the fashion gurus want a touch of ethnicity, a talking point in pointless cocktail parties. They need the darzi to make their client's lives more interesting.
It might sound sarcastic, but I am just neutrally observing. No sarcasm meant atall.
I like women without makeup/fairness creams/lipstick... I like them in plain old t-shirt and jeans.. I dont know much about inner beauty but a simple girl next door is really sexy... Dont need the eyeliners, makeups and all other assorted contraption. I am not talking intellectual. I still am in the zone of plain, raw, physical, external beauty...
You can get around the rigmarole of posturing and dancing around words and get to the point quick and fast..
Fashion ofcourse has some of these advantages.
1) It serves as a talking point
2) I can see some hot models in skimpy clothes..
3) The occasional wardrobe malfunction does spice up a little of my dreary life...
4) Wat else ?? mu brain draws a blank....
vasu
Hey, if you got real anecdotes to offer, more power to you girl!
Just write and let the world read you! :)
Now if you don't mind I just wanna indulge in a little cross talk with vasu.
Hey Vasu, you're comfortable in your own skin and don't care for the superficial and that's great. But sometimes it's nice to just have things of beauty around you. You love photography and i'm sure part of the appeal of a picture (besides the story it tells) is just the sheer joy one gets at looking at something beautiful.
A perfectly formed flower, the template of a blog, a pretty and flattering dress...these are just little things that are beautiful (and often times telling of one's personality) and don't need a purpose beyond that. What's the harm in that?
I'm not getting into the business, pop culture etc angle of the whole debate. Taken enough of your space Vij! Toodles.
People do fake all the time, don't they?! :) The future of fiction is very good I am thinking.
Sadly I am in CAS city, which means only free to air channels here. So the web uploads will be useful for me too! Please to be checking.
And commies in College, urrggh! Okay before the elitist watcher's get all excited, lemme scoot!
@the pink girl - absolutely... A think of beauty is indeed a joy for ever.
What is that beauty... ?? I think a charming face a beautiful expression thats worth its weight in gold.. You cant fake all this.. Clothes do play a part. A small part.. Beyond that, its the natural features of the bod. If there is unnatural, the human vision/touch can uncover it...
I think the girl next door (proverbial) is capable of that without running behind cosmetics/clothes... A sabya doesent maketh that..
In many african tribes, the well endowed dark features of a woman is considered beautiful.. The big momma.. I think its true to all us south indian, stout dark and short men. I love a little imperfection here and there, that makes the girl beautiful and human. Thus relatable.
The ones that walk on the ramp ? and the the ones that appear on the ads, look alien to me.. Where are such people ? Maybe they are just too busy not eating, exercising and getting onto their bones. Do they sweat ? Do they have bruises/scars from normal day-to-day activities ? Do they have the rightly placed moles ? Does one of what they have differ from the other ? (I meant the eye..). These natural things appeal to me much more.. they just turn a naturalist like me full on.
What the fashion industry throws up on stage (clothes/models/cosmetics) are clones with no identity..
Its fundamentally what one finds beautiful... Its quiet not possible fashion can transform a person.
Can it ?
Let fashion exist. But exist in its space. I dont see a rationale for news channels to cover 8 hours of fashion in a week. I think its more about personality selling than about clothes...
I would love to see the same models just washed clean, no makeup, and no frills...
Would the clothes sell ? I think it will, I think the fashion gurus/divas/experts are too soaked into one way of thinking (like medu vada in fine sambar) to experiment that.
Get any person who wants to walk (not necessarily, skinny bony women.. some voluptuousness maybe).. with their clothes... Why not ? Fall, cuts and what do you call that silhuettes ? is it ? should look beautiful on a natural unmadeup woman... that to me is highly sexy than an anorexic anaemic creature with no freaking features...
I love all the girls next door.. esp. when they come out and buy veggies and do day to day chores without a care in the world... No facepacks, no makeups, no eyeliners, no snazzy clothes and absolutely no wierdo haridos..
I love to just watch them and feel happy.. :D
Maybe they are beautiful inside or maybe they are not. I wouldnt know that if I dont talk to them. All I know is they look common place and I have range enough to call them beautiful..
Dint a lengerie maker in US pick common place women with imperfection (stretchmarks, moles, etc..) for their new line of lengerie ? Werent they quiet successfull ??
I dont think you need great Market research to try that. Thats just common sense which we should chose to listen to. Atleast once in a while..
vasu
reading your blog's like a voyeuristic peep into a completely different world:-) almost felt guilty. i'm sure that sounds incredibly naive, but i'm kinda new to all this.
"A guy like me likes a tension free environment where the gaurds are lowered to fecilitate better interraction"
A few question for Vasu
So when you say "a guy like me", are you the sample of the regular guy.
I actually didnt get that one. Are you letting us inside your private world and telling us your dating dilemmas or are you telling us that since you have a quantitative advantage(since you are the sample, so a lot of guys have similar preferences) so girls should follow your advice of the no make up and no designer clothes .
I am quite daft so help me here. re you giving out an empirical formula which will translate and amorphous mass of confused single women into extremely adorable unique(?) girls next door who will score all the time.You HAVE very emphatically told us what YOU dont like in women.
Now this cant just be a slam book exercise where you list your likes and dislikes. There has to be a purpose. So why did you tell us what kind of girls you liked?Are you hoping somebody would take the cue? Academic curiosity .
And women in snazzy clothes are still women. The power of suggestion of clothes is extremely limited and can be conquered quite easily. So donot worry and approach your snazzy clothes and other snazzily dressed women without any fear.
(Reference: Snazzy clothes are not conducive. Snazzy clothes, mean certain snazzy ettiquitte and snazzy sense of humour. Otherwise it wont carry off well... I cant talk about the funny aspects of my boring life in a Sachi wardrobe.. thats out of place"
As for women on the ramp who dont turn you on, surprise! They are not supposed to. They are human hangers. The bonier the better.The fall, the cut, the silhouette shows better. Fashion is also an industry...its quite easy to forget at times, i understand.....so when people like you are watching and missing the well endowed women, buyers at the show are just looking at the way the silk maybe drapes across the non-existent assets.
They are not playboy bunnies. You are not supposed to get turned on by them.They are required to have really pleasant faces with really skinny bodies.They are just displaying clothes, not really bodies.Yes even if its a bikini, it's ACTUALLY the bikini on display .Let me surprise you on another account.This too is a job.They lead quite cushy lives,quite fortunate, but yes they still work for it.
As for the girls buying veggies being attractive, I am sure she is. But again i dont see it as a mutually exclusive exercise. The girl buying veggies being pretty doesnot negate the well dressed , made up women's beauty.
Your stand is quite akin to Taliban.Lets word this differently.
"Women dont know what looks good on them. they are hankering after the wrong role models. Let me tell you what actually is beautiful in women...assembly line production to begin please...." It actually sounds like this.
And why so much angst against fashion?
Its a 200 crore industry.It could be quite frivolous, hey but in my scheme of things watching the weather news is equally frivolous and fictional.
Vasu The Terrible: My point is completely lost on you :) Anyway, like i said before too, i'm talking about myself...and i see no "similarity" in asserting my individuality and fashion. If I assert my individuality through this blog or through my work...it doesn't matter if i do so wearing jeans and T-shirt or a Sabyasachi outfit. I'd still be doing/saying the same things and getting the same response.
And clothes to me are things of beauty. Just like things like photographs, films, books etc. Any clothes, be it those picked up from Mango or from Linking Road, or designer ones. If it looks good on me, i'll wear it and i know if i look good, i feel good too. Simple as that!
As for you liking women in plain old tshirts and jeans...how kind of you... Butthe fact is, women love and enjoy dressing up. We have thousands of years of world history to verify that. And in India we even have the concept of sringar and it just makes women feel good and revel in their femininity. A touch of kajal and lipstick can liven up a dreary day like nothing else!
That Girl in Pink: Real anecdotes in a make-believe life? ...Not sure if they'd fit though. And yes, indulge in as much cross talk as you want... :D
Primalsoup: There are more things fake than real now, i'm afraid. Lets all write a book each and get rich! As for commies and elitist watchers...THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. One can run but one cant hide :(
Nevermind: Welcome to the world of Sacred Insanity :) And trust me, its not voyeuristic. What i dont want to tell, i dont. So you're safe! No need to feel guilty :)
Maleficent: Well said, babes! And thanks a tonne for defending "snazzy" clothes. We should go shopping soon ;)
By the way, why don't you drop in here more often?
Iam glad , i stumbled upon your blog
will be a regular here. impressive
vasu : to each his own. peace :-)
And now when I have finally gotten around to prodding my humble little blog along, you have decided to stop coming by, eh? :P
And hey, congratulations!! :)
hey babe - check this out!! http://shimmeringmercury.blogspot.com/2006/04/plagiarised.html
Okie, I know you are giving me the cold shoulder but I thought I should still come by and tell you that I took the liberty of linking to your blog :) If it's not okay, you know what needs to be done :)
You have a way with words.
But then you already knew that.
Glad I stumbled this way.
Bet you guessed that too.
That Woman still believed in love despite all evidence to the contrary, and she believed in soulmates, although lately she’d been wondering if hers just took a wrong turn, got lost and was too stubborn to ask for directions. She was out there, baby. She was looking. But she also had other things to do along with that. Career and such like.
Fabulously worded.
Hi!
I like your story.
But you'd better take a look here to find a really DIFFERENT dating site.
Looks amazing, agree? :-)
You can also find my pics and more about me on my page www.livedatesearch.com/jessica
Read more about me or drop me a message from there.
Chao!
Jessica
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