June 20, 2006
Fix Up, Look SharpFashion
If this were a face-to-face conversation, our sassy Barmaid would be telling me about her Ritu Beri entry and I would follow up with…
It’s funny that you should mention Beri’s rubbish ideas on Indian design, Barmaid, particularly the bit about how it is limited. Just the other day I was partaking in some retail therapy and I happened upon my most bank-breaking pleasure, a little Queen West shoppe called ‘Delphic’. Of course I had to go in for a teensy look, maybe try on a little of this and that, drool over some sneaks.
I took a tentative step through the door and what did I see? A lone mannequin wearing a twisted ‘Little Black Dress’, the shape of which looked eerily familiar. I mean really familiar. My eyes then darted right and on the rack there was a coat. A grey coat. With painful-looking needlework that I have only before seen in the kurtas I used to wear (back when I lived in a warmer climate). But the pattern did not resemble anything I had ever seen before, here or in that yonder homeland. Delicately I moved the lapels aside to reveal a name: Rashmi Varma. Ahhh, it made me feel good.
The nice shop lady informed me that Varma spends her time between Toronto and Delhi, where most of her pieces are made. I asked to see all the RV items they had, held up top after top to see if I could find even a hint of that proverbial ‘mango’. And you know what? Nothing. Just beautiful, expressive pieces like the Bihari dress, or the Kantha trench, or (my personal fav) the Dogri jersey pants. Hammertime.
Yes I do have faith in Indian fashion, perhaps not in Beri’s world of regurgitated design but efforts made in cloth have never been limited to haughty architects who like to point fingers while their own blinders are fastened in place. Hmph!
neha on June 20, 2006 11:41 PM in Fashion · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
Hmph! is right. I'm glad to see we are of one mind. :)
Fantastic find, Neha. I also love Swati Argade for the mere fact that her clothes look so comfortable and non-constricting.
For all the ladies looking for Lakme Fashion Week hits, there's IndoMix down on Mulberry. Sure beats Jackson Heights.
I liked Benzer's collection when Malaika Arora was their model =)
If I could find fasion that closes the gap between Hillcroft and Rashmi Varma in Houston, I'd die happy.
Ideas??
Priya, Anyone,
Do you have any other thoughts in places to purchase desi/desi-ish clothes in the U.S.?
Pooja
Pooja,
What city are you in? Well made "easternized" western clothes are generally accessable in major cities. In NYC it permeats to the $10 store but when I was in Lewisburg PA visiting a friend I couldn't find a single store that carried anything even remotely desi.
JoaT,
I am in NYC and I am not looking for "easternized" western clothes, but more for "westernized" eastern clothes, like funky saris, hip salwaar khameezes, etc. (I do most of my shopping in India, however, I do want to know what available here, whether in-store or online. I am utterly clueless in this regard!)
Pooja
Any suggestion on men's wear are welcomed too. I need some new flavas of flowing threads for the hot sticky summer.
Pooja, I had a good experience with Kaneesha.com, actually. Some of their suits are more of a "western twist" on gorgeous salwar & churidaar suits.
Oh wow, Priya, Argade has wonderful stuff, thanks. Excuse me while I stare agape. That Mughal summer dress looks so good.
Siddhartha and DesiDancer:
A question I've wanted to ask you guys for a long time...if I marry a non-desi, how can I make sure my future kids are as into desi stuff as you guys are? Actually, even if I marry a desi woman how do I ensure that? Obviously you can't force anything down kids throats since that will inevitably backfire...but what do you think a parent should do? Not to be offensive or patronising (forgive me if I come across that way) but I'm incredibly impressed with how interested you guys are in things desi.
I should say impressed with how interested AND KNOWLEDGABLE you guys are.
Amitabh
Show them a love of the beautiful things of Desi culture - music, dance, film, language! I'm being serious. If you have a daughter, teach her Indian dance from an early age, send her to the classes. Show them the fun, colourful, wonderful aspects of Desi culture at a young age, not the whole obligation thing where they get sent to Sunday school at the gurdwara or mandir - but something that seeps into them from an early age that is fun and allows them a lively creative affinity with desi culture.
Also, make sure they have lots of funny uncles who do fart jokes and sweet aunties who tickle them - a lifelong affection for traditional Indians despite all their faults is inevitable!
OK for the ladies some stores that come to mind and carry fabulous "easternized" western wear at reasonable prices are Mexx, MissSixty, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie & Laundry. Believe it or not Ann Taylor and Banana Republic have both incorporated a lot of embroidered eastern aspects in their linen line.
In better brands Nicole Miller, Betsy Johnson (who does fabulous colors) & Cynthia Rowleys spring/summer line has a lot of eastern elements. TJ Maxx and Annie Sez baby, no one said you gotta fork over tons of $$$ to look good. Zara is another one that has lots of eastern elements but stuff there might fit my left thigh so I rarely venture in there. :-) My personal favorite is Scoop NYC. A little on the high end but if you browse there as often as I do you tend to find great pieces on sale.
For men I would recommend Mexx and Urban Outfitters though I think Sid something tells me you'd enjoy shopping at Canal Jeans down in Soho. Another store you might like is Lucky Jeans which has kurtas in really great fabrics. Even stores like Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagel (I am fearful to venture in these because the average shopper there is 17) :-) carry lots of kurta like tops, fun eastern printed t-shirts. Oh yeah Old Navy has a whole line of eastern t-shirts this summer. Well I saw them a month ago. I'm sure they are still there. There's a great little store on Thompson called Dosa, no not the food, but it has natural fabrics and carries lots of great cotton summer stuff but better wear not cheap t-shirt like items.
OK I'm a huge fan of Soho (south of Houston, Green, Spring, lower Broadway) & Nolita (north of Little Italy, Mulberry and Mott Street). I find it the best place to get a feel for the seasons hippest looks. Even a walk down can give you perspective that can be used say at Woodbury Commons (best personal shopping recommendation on the east coast). I'm a big fan of venturing away from Broadway and going into some of the smaller Boutiques . I highly recommend venturing into the stores and going to the back first because thats where the sale racks are. Also July is when Fall lines start appearing (I know crazy) but that means great bargains for summer clothes that you can still wear thru September.
Happy Shopping...
Your resident shopaholic JOAT who will be more then happy to personally help you look fabulous and gorgeous as I know you all are.
Ummm, I actually have nothing to say w.r.t the topic. I'm just showing my luv for Neha and leaving a comment. Rock on!
amitabh,
(re #11) thanks for the kind words. it's a big question you ask, but in a way the answer is a simple one: just do it. the more you expose your kids to desi-ness, in your own version and flavor of it, the more they will, well, be exposed to it. hey, you can desi-fy your spouse or for that matter your circle of friends too. just be yourself and nevermind the bollocks.
in my own case props must go to my dad and the extended family. traveling to india at an early age was important. i also took the time to study south asian culture in college -- not a ton of it, but, like, a class on hinduism, a class on indo-muslim culture, and because i was a thrd-worldy political kid (and still am), i got a lot of exposure to indian political economy.
but props to the mutiny -- hanging out here has certainly (re-)awakened my desi-ness, although i think of myself more as a hybrid, as much post-desi or meta-desi as the "authentic" article. i din't grow up around desis, and didn't come of age around them either -- i'm a little older than the big wave of ABD/1.5s. in a way that frees me to pick and choose and be my own kind of desi without excessive worry about what anyone will or will not think.
anyway, this is really a topic for a post; we've talked about mixed-ness here before, but not in a while. thanks for reminding me :) and thanks for saying those nice things.
back to clothing: JOAT, yeah, i'm dressing more and more casual since i don't have to go to an office and besides, i'm a freelancer therefore permanently broke. does anyone have a recommendation for a good cheap NYC kurta etc. joint and/or desi tailor?
peace
Believe it or not venture out to Jackson Heights, there are tons of places that have basic kurtas that are really cheap. Another recommendation is the street fairs that happen every weekend in NYC. There are tons of bargains and many desi vendors who bring the stuff from India. Don't forget to bargain. Here's a link.
Amitabh,
Thanks for the compliments! Like Siddartha says, it's a difficult question, but a potentially easy answer. Kids always want to know about who they are and where they come from. Parents can easily feed this natural curiosity, and encourage its growth by not having off-limits topics (ie, don't ask Papa about x or y back in India...) and by incorporating cultural aspects into the child's inherent interests.
Myself being a dancer, Siddartha gives good advice to include kathak/bharatanatyam/odissi/bollywood dance as a supplement to ballet or jazz training. For a kid interested in music, throw them some tablas or vocal classes; our culture has as many offerings as there are interests, whether academic, artistic, political, culinary, spiritual... I think presenting Indian cultural items as part of the whole, as opposed to "the other thing" is key.
Language helps, too. I wish we'd learned Hindi as kids, but it was in the 70s and my parents were concerned that we didn't mix our vocabulary or fit in less for it. So alas, in my 20's I started trying to learn Hindi and it's hella difficult! With language skills, their immersion in the culture will only be more beneficial, as they can interact and converse on their own, instead of being limited to relatives or family friends translating for them.
Children have a natural curiosity, and a tendency to seek acceptance and definition to themselves. If, as parents, you present all the facets that comprise your household, they will be secure in their knowledge and confident in exploring what truly makes them the sum of the parts.
Yet, it's a little different and involves some balancing-- being mixed-race/multi-cultural means there is potential to never feel "enough" (Indian enough, American enough, whatever-other-race enough) but again it's easily staved off if being "mixed" is presented as an entity in itself. We are fortunate to have the benefit of more than one cultural identity and influence; it is possible to pick and choose what suits you and what doesn't and create your own individual mix. It is possible to be a hybrid of all things, and take that compassion and ability to relate into many situations in life. In the end, just support the kids to be As Indian As They Wanna Be, and it may be variable at different phases in their life. As a teenager they may just want to fit in, whereas in their 20's they may discover a brown pride movement ;)
Siddhartha-- a post would be awesome! Speaking of... where's BongBreaker?
JOAT, are you available for hire as a shopping companion? :)
I demand a Sid/DD combo post seriously. We've had so many sidebar conversation about mixed cultures. You guys are so eloquent about that it would be utter disservice to those that could really benefit from your wisdom if you don't pen something. It's about time.
Absolutely anytime. Years ago I actually ran a personal shopping / image consulting business. Do you come down to NYC often?
BONG BREAKER'S BACK! And now you call him DOCTOR BONG BREAKER.
Oooh this place has changed. I'm going to have a look around and get to know these young turks I've not met before. But before then, Amitabh's comment made me smile as I'm marrying a fully Indian girl and I don't want my kids to become TOO Indian, I want the white blood to exert its influence! ;)
CAAAAAAME ORRRRRRRWN DR. BONG BREAKER! Good to have you back, boy.
Who you callin' boy, girl?
I mean Doctor :-) Yay!
O-ey Daktar Sahib! So nice to see you again!
Dammit JOAT, I'm a dancer not a blogger...
;)
Hey, it's not like I haven't tried to change that. ;) No worries, I remember our subway conversation on the way to Arzan's well.
i live in the midwest, and there isn't a "easternized" western wear (or "westernized" eastern wear)store for thousands of miles. any recommendations on online stores that are good?
newbie,
I second DD on Kaneesha. I have bought clothes from her. She's great, based out of Jersey and she will customize the clothes to you to make sure they fit.
i have an idea for a mixed-ness post that can incorporate DD's input without actually making her blog. stay tuned... though it'll probably have to wait til after the world cup :)
I'm not adverse to being the item-girl ;) I'll pop in and do a little Chaiyya Chaiyya, with pleasure. Siddartha, you know how to find me. In fact, you owe me an email, but I'll forgive you, in light of the world cup :D
Yes, ANNA-bhen you've done your best to sway me. But why should I blog when I love Herstory so much!
re my #25: no love for the Star Trek?
Damnit DD you are so much more then that. Just look at #18. You've got wisdom and the gift of words and I say you owe it to everyone and yourself ;-) to share that. Is that working better then Queen ANNAs pressure?
Neha... word. You see why I love so much? Did you see the white trench for spring/summer? Fabulous construction. In a word: Love.
Pooja ... As for other desi-related fashion, it's everywhere. (In fact I just got back from my lunch break in a Claire's and bought a slew of stuff to wear with saris to a wedding.) As far as clothes @ mainstream stores I love the stuff happening at La Redoute. (The best-kept secret for a mail-order catalog EVER. When you're done looking at the desi-related stuff, check out the cheap chic line from Unité. Yeah. Really.)
I've noticed Kismet and Miguelina... I'm seriously crushing on Miguelina like whoa for all that embroidery.
In the UK I have heard of Ranis of Bradford... has anyone been there?
Bong Breaker,
Good to have you back, buddy. Since you've been away, I've been flying the flag for Ingerlaanda here on SM and have probably ruined the image of British Asians worldwide ;)
(PS -- A new star on PP's arrived during your absence -- Kismet Hardy. That guy's hilarious and takes {very} dodgy humour right off the scale.)
Thank you Siddhartha, DesiDancer and Red Snapper.
Thanks Priya, DD, and JoaT. I'll be surfing those sites for the rest of the workday.
Amitabh, I thought of something else while I was out-- there's a great site called Asia For Kids, who sells a lot of ethnically oriented dolls, toys, games, books and other fun children's stuff. I don't mean to jump the gun and get all auntie on you ;) but my point is that I think showing kids that there are stories with characters like them as the protagonist, instead of the minority sidekick friend, it's something validating and they can relate to.
Hell, look at us at SM- I have a particular affection for MIA, Dr. Sanjay Gupta (though they need to QUIT mispronunciating his name!) Kal Penn, and most any other brown who can break the mainstream barricade and get some shine time. It's because mostly we never saw people that remotely resembled us on TV, in movies, in magazines, etc. If I ever get to piggy-back Siddartha's post idea, I'll give you the long-winded dialogue of why Bollywood movies are critical to building my present relationships with all my family in India and the "homecoming" I had a few years back.
JOAT- you're good, you're really good. I almost signed up for Blogger. almost ;)
it's been a long time! (shouldn't have left you)
i have a purse/clutch type thing customed by rashmi varma that i picked up at masala! mehndi! masti! a couple of years ago. we had a small chat, she's really sweet :)
i definitely need to check this place out, thanks for the heads up neha!
DD --
I agree w/the chorus. having taken a pass on Blogger, you still can make ANNA happy and sign up for Typepad :) besides, what better platform for your 2008 campaign??? dishoom!
p.s. -- thumbs down on Dr. Sanjay Gupta for being Lou Dobbs's minstrel in the ad that was noted in these pages some time ago. booooooooo.
(oops, it might have been here that Dr. Sanjay was playing Lou Dobbs's Tonto. The links are broken so can't verify that.)
ah Priya those links are great! Swati Argade's collection is fabulous...shame we can't get any of it here.
Badmash said:
And I'm just showin my luv for Neha for the ass-kickingly cool title. You're going to miss out on Artwallah, my fellow indie/underground arts junkie.
Other than that, I also have nothing (good) to say about this topic because I'm surrounded by hippies and other pretentiously cosmopolitan Americans, and generally get very annoyed when I see them wearing Orientalized stuff. It wouldn't annoy me so much if 1) more of these clothes were in better taste, and 2) I didn't expect this trend to fade out, as all exotic trends do. It's one thing to have a substancial and permanent influence on Western culture- that's a sign of respect. But pop fashion trends? I think all that proves is the East's disposability.
...Ok, well I guess I did say quite a bit there.
Cheers DDay, Neh and Jai. DD I can take your Star Trek reference and say the real version now! This is essentially the only reason I went to medical school. Now I just need a friend called Jim who asks me to do non-medical things.
Jai Kismet's a good mate of mine, I'm all too aware of his personality. In fact I was going to meet him for a drink today with Yamboy and Gautam Malkani but I've had a bit of an accident...I'll post it up on my blog at some point.
Hollrrrr Shruti, you hear the big beat, you hear the sound! I hear what you're saying about them hippies too. Used to live next door to a girl who wore bandhini crinkle skirts, payals, and a bindi. I struck up a conversation with her trying to suss out why she wore what she wore in butt-fug nowhere New Brunswick (she was a small town girl from NB, never been outside the province) and her own words were: "Because I'M A BUDDHIST". Any ol' excuse to wear a goddamn bindi. I may be a cynical hater and she was a nice cat but her reasoning was majorly misguided.
Dude I got into a huge argument with this chick over tattoos. She wanted to get a Om on her thigh. I was like "do you even know what the meaning of it is"?. Tats generally are an expression of the inside (well at least for hard core tat people). Getting a butterfly on your toe doesn't count. I explained what it meant and that it was offensive. She's like "Oh that's so cool, it will make me controversial". Dum fuk. I said sure I'll be getting Jesus Christ on my ass next.
A week later she discovered the Nataraja and wanted to get it on her lower back. Apparently her boyfriend convinced her otherwise because he didn't want to look at it while they were having sex!! Oh yeah that's a good reason to not get another religion's god on your ass. Man I'm glad I don't see her anymore I was ready to pull a can of whoopass on her. Fukin posers.
to steal from filmiholic, you mean a Tramp Stamp?
For those keeping their wardrobes in desi function, Fabindia nows sells online in the US
www.fabindia.com
Anyone bought stuff from their US e-biz site?
Yup trampstamp. But trampstamp can only be used if it's above the ass crack. Anywhere else doesn't carry as much sluttiness factor hehe.
I know I've told this story before, but I love it so much:
Me: psst, look at that girl's tat. (tramp stamp location)
Friend: which one?
Me: the hindi script one, on the blond girl.
Friend: I can't read hindi, what does it mean?
Me: Jai Mata Din
Friend: huh?
Me: you know, like the thing it says on the back of the trucks in India?
Friend: Use Dipper At Night??
Now that would be a tramp-stamp to go down in history.
Speaking of Jesus tattoos...here's a fun game, would you rather have a Nataraja trampstamp or a either of those two tattoos? And you have to have one of them. I'm almost thinking the first Jesus. I hear epidurals are a no go with trampstamps.
eek, the first jesus looks like Willie Nelson!
Not true unless you are planning on getting on while you are pregnant. Healed old tatoos are just ink on your skin, they don't interfere with anything below the epidermis. The epidural is going into your spine. :-)
Hey, what's wrong with lower-back tattoos on suitably saucy ladies ? I think they look really foxy.
Probably not a good thing to do considering these things are permanent and not easy (or pleasant) to remove, of course, but I guess the people concerned aren't really thinking long-term about these actions anyway. And I had no idea they had such a bad rep over there in the US.
But they still look quite naughty ;)
Trampstamp here I come! Ha.
My whole theory about trampstamps and tats and I have a few is that they should be out of the visibility of any potential future mother in laws. It's all fair otherwise. Besides visible tats on women are sort of tacky. Imagine wearing a ball gown and having a big ass tattoo on your arm :-)
This might be a bit off-topic, but it's something I think about periodically and it kinda fits under this whole east/west fashion discussion. I wanted to throw it out there and see what people's reactions are, and I didn't know where else to post it.
I'm white, and my partner is South Asian. I've worn saris to a couple of weddings for his friends and family. After a while, it got kinda old borrowing from his aunt, so I bought a couple of my own. I almost wore one to a non-South Asian wedding once, but backed out at the last minute (didn't want to outshine the bride :). I just find myself wondering about the line between enjoying and sharing my partner's culture, and the exoticization of it. I mean, sometimes you see white folks wearing bindis and crinkle skirts and your first thought is "poser," but then just the other day I saw a woman in a salwar kameez looking comfy and totally at home, and I thought "oh, she must have a personal connection - family, time spent in Asia, etc". I tell myself I have more wiggle room b/c of my partner; I have a more personal connection to and reason for participating in this culture and its fashion. But does that extend to a situation where, say, I attend an event by myself? I think if people saw me in a sari without my partner beside me, they'd think "poser" too. (And maybe that doesn't matter.)
I try and think about why I think wearing a sari is awesome. My best friend in 1st grade was Indian and I remember seeing her mother wearing a different brightly-colored sari every day and thinking how beautiful she was, and how much I'd love to try one on. I think about being willing and eager to embrace parts of my partner's culture as he embraces parts of mine, as we create a life together. But then I also think, hang on, do you just think they're beautiful as part of an internalized white-folks reaction to the 'exotic'? Prolly that too. Very complicated. We perform ourselves partly through fashion - I guess my question is - Is a white person's appropriation of non-white fashion always exploitative? I've definitely gotten positive responses from people while wearing a sari - some people seem happy to see a white girl in a sari, happy that the fashion flow can go both ways ("reverse colonization," as a coworker of my sister's called her slow taking over of their shared desk). At the same time, I think some people's immediate response, especially in everyday life, is to feel possessive of their culture and resentful if someone unworthy (like a white person, given all the history and power dynamics, etc inherent in white people's 'borrowing' from the cultures they colonized and marginalized) takes it upon themselves to adopt markers of that culture.
Whew. I guess I'll just throw all that out there and hope I don't get taken down for being off-topic. :) Thanks for any responses.
So I just talked about my post with my partner, and he said that he thinks in a setting like his cousin's wedding, where I'm the minority, my wearing a sari is good b/c it's me participating in the culture around me. BUT in a mostly-white setting, it'd be me trying to be all 'different' and 'exotic' so then it gets sticky. The context changes the meaning. And he says the same goes for him too - he was raised in the U.S., so when does he decide to wear a tux versus a kurta? It's not like he always dresses in Indian attire when he dresses up. Interesting.
Lizzie, the fact that you are even open to discussing this issue and think about it on a philosophical level gives you enough right to wear whatever you want. You aren't a poser if it's something you love and enjoy being part of. And to a degree even if it's exoticized there isn't anything wrong with it. I lived off and on in Hong Kong for 3 years and own a couple of traditional chinese dresses that I happily wear from time to time. I'd think it was silly if someone were to call me a poser but in the grand scheme of things, at the end of the day, does it really matter?
We are a sum of so many complex experiences and cultures in this country. I think I'm lucky living in NYC to come across people from so many parts of the world where as I may not have had that opportunity somewhere else. Some of it will naturally rub off. One day we'll all be a big pool of just humans...no religion no race :-). Nothing wrong with that. Wear away and do as you please. If someone thinks you are a poser without understanding you, it's their loss.
to cosign JOAT's response; there isn't a rulebook that comes with a sari. If *you* are comfortable wearing one in the situation of your choice, then it's all good. If, for example, you didn't want to wear one to a non-indian event because you didn't want to outshine the bride, then I say trust your gut. The fact that you have such concern for what is or isn't disrespectful to your partner's culture is remarkable, and I think consideration is all anyone asks for, in any culture.
If someone judges you by your attire before learning who you are or what your story is, then they're just being judgemental-- and then why even care what they think? :)
Like to remarked to Anna and Cicatrix at the last meetup, I don't find TrampStamps that hot. I think very few men find them hot. Without getting any more graphic, we want to see lovely brown SKIN there... not some sickly green thing there. Tattoos are hot, no doubt about that -- but when they are in the form of a small thingie on the thigh, or a shoulder blade. Not all over the upper gluteal area/waist.
Janeofalltrades and DesiDancer - thanks for the positive reinforcement. It's funny, JOAT - when talking about this, my partner also said "in 100 years we'll all be one color anyway." :) When participating in non-white cultures, I try and focus on examining my own feelings and motives, rather than on how other people might be judging me (which can be hard, but hey - lots o' stuff is harder).
In any case, the kindness of your responses is much appreciated. Thanks
DesiDancer..... "Use Dipper At Night??" ....that is priceless!
Lizzie, congrats to you for having the cojones to wear a sari, AND at a desi boyfriend's family function. Wow!
I say that for two reasons: First, my ex's family and community were sufficiently aghast and disturbed by and opposed to the notion of us being together, I can just imagine how much worse the reax would have been had I had the temerity to wrap myself up in a sari at the weddings we attended back in India. I can hear all the aunties hitting the wedding hall floor in a group faint as I type!
And second, I wear a lot of long and short kurtas during the summer and, given that there's a large desi community near where I live, I feel somehwat queasy when passing folks at the shops or public transport, half wondering if some folks are thinking "Oh God! Vite Voman in Indian clothing, chi chi chi!" But hey, they're pretty and comfortable in the hot weather (if only they didn't have to be hand-laundered), so I soldier on.