The first model –
Adam
The first fashion statement – a fig leaf.
And thus was born fashion.
Every generation since that
day has claimed itself to be the originators and discovers of fashion. But the true
fact is that we are just copy cats. The beauty lies in what we copy and how we cat.
Today, in a fashion world,
dominated by Paris, Milan and New York, India has enthralled the top-notch couture
masters, around the world.
The weaves, the hand-woven
silks and cottons with intricate traditional designs, ancient block printing techniques
and tie-dye, unique embroidery patterns with bead-work
and mirrors; all etches an eternal pattern on the global fashion.
The Fashion Revolution in India
There was a time when fashion was looked down upon by many a middle class Indian
as a degradation of Indian values. A fact chiefly influenced by the post-Independence
belief in Swadeshi and everything Indian. Fashion was essentially a western import.
Fashion was meant for the elite, and the bohemian. But as another generation was
exposed to the vision of the 21st Century, and India opened up to the West, there
was a need to establish a unique Indian Identity. Thus was born the idea of taking
traditional Indian fabrics and styles, blending western cuts and lines to appeal
to a larger section of occident as well as the masses in India. So much so, that
fashion has moved out of select circles and gained acceptance even in the most conservative
households of India.
The evolution of fashion
in India had fashion houses overwhelmed. Their experimentation in the transference
of designs of Indian origin has produced Oriental fantasies giving the Indian outfits
a uniquely glamorous look around the globe.
Fashion in India has evolved
from the over-used angrakhas, choghas, ghaghra-cholis, achkan, sherwani and much
more. Indian fashion is alive and vibrant amongst classes and masses; whatever the
decade or the century, it is here to stay. Its comfortable, practical and aesthetically
beautiful approach has changed with time now to remain modernized in every aspect.
History of fashion
In the indigenous Indian tradition, stitched garments were not known or used at
all. The art of sewing was unknown to the early Indian, and that it was an import
from outside. Serious and early students of Indian costumes, like Forbes Watson,
have stated, mostly on the authority of other scholars, that the art of sewing came
to India only with the coming of the Muslims.'
The 'timeless' Indian dress
of men, thus, consists of garments that use no stitching, garments in other words
that, as Forbes Watson says, "leave the loom, ready for wear". The Dhoti,
the Scarf or Uttariya, and the Turban, which have never really disappeared from
any part of India, belong to this category, and their marked visibility in India
could have led one erroneously to conclude that the early Indian did not use any
sewn garments.
Likewise, for women, the
Dhoti or the Sari as the lower garments, combined with a Stanapatta or breast-band
for covering the breasts, forms a basic ensemble, and once again consists of garments
that do not have to be stitched, the breast-garment being simply fastened in a knot
at the back. And the Dhoti or the Sari worn covering both legs at the same time
or, in the alternative, with one end of it passed between the legs and tucked at
the back in the fashion that is still prevalent in large area of India.
The Amirs and the Maliks and other officers at the Sultanate courts are described
as wearing "gowns (tatailyat),jakalwat and Islamic qabas of Khawarizm tucked
in the middle of the body" and short turbans which did not exceed five or six
forearms. Of other Amirs we learn that they were as well dressed "as the soldiers
except that they did not use belts and at times they let down a piece of cloth in
front of them after the manner of the sups.
From the earliest period
of Indian proto-history, the Harappan culture, the evidence about textiles and dresses
is scant but not unimportant. The survival of an actual fragment of cotton cloth,
and the upper garment draped around the body like a shawl as seen in a sculpture,
offer interesting examples, although it is difficult to give to these pieces any
kinds of names.
The veil that women still
use so extensively in India, something like the dupatta or odhani of modern times,
has its early prototype in the Vedic period, and various words signifying the same
article of apparel are used, with differences between one and the other that may
not be easy to identify. Minor differences and modifications apart, this dress seems
to remain as a standard 'for women for an uncommon length of time, not only because
women's dresses tend to be more conservative but also because these garments together
belong to the 'timeless' garments of India.
When it comes to head-gears,
there are many names that one comes upon, including usbnisba, kirita, patta, veshtana,
vesbtanapatta, sbirovesbtana. The manner of wearing the turban evidently varied
as much in ancient India as it did in medieval. The range of turban-styles that
we encounter is reminiscent of the many styles in the 19th century, each style having
a specific name for it as recorded by Forbes-Watson." However, there are close-fitting
caps that one finds soldiers and some foreigners wearing in Indian sculptures and
paintings. Exceptionally every head was covered by a turban.
There are specific references
to the clothing of religious men, special mention being made of the sanghati or
double chadar that the Bhikshuks of the Buddhist orders were meant to wear. This
was combined with an antarvasaka or loin-cloth and a dupatta or loose upper garment,
also called the uttarasanga. Short tunics are also heard of, but not seen too often.
At the same time, drawers of the kakshya types, stitched and worn quite tight around
the loins, especially by soldiers and men needing to be active in their movements,
the prototypes of the later jangbias, make frequent appearance.
