Get this look: Sculpted Dhoti

I used to have a problem with the way media, and fashion magazines in particular, sell products. The cosmetics section in every magazine is cleverly called the “beauty” section (you’re not beautiful this month if you don’t wear xxx eyeshadow), and the writing on fashion and lifestyle almost makes you feel frumpy for not wearing the latest fashion trend (on their list of essentials this winter is a 42k wool cardigan) or not using words like staycation. Of course this could just be a case of sour grapes because every attempt I’ve made to get Brass Tacks featured in Vogue has been in vain. The closest I’ve come is Lavanya Nalli wearing one of my tops in her feature (thank you, Lavanya).

left: Lavanya Nalli in Vogue Magazine; right: "Swatches" from the Spring '09 collection.

But truth be told (and I like to tell the truth), I have a much better understanding for how the industry works now that I too have a product to sell. It’s not always about selling reality- it’s about creating a fantasy and giving people something cool or glamorous to aspire for. Owning the product is not the fantasy, but using/wearing it should make the owner feel a part of the fantasy.

Fashion shouldn’t be rigid in its instructions on what to wear and what not to wear. After all in an ideal world we should all wear something that is representative of our inner selves- and how homogeneous would the world be if we all shifted from one trend to another at the same time? Fashion can however open our minds to other forms of self-expression. Up until recently I never used to pay attention to fashion trends and I always focused on the overall look of a garment while designing. My new found insight has now taught me that it’s not only about the look, it’s about the feeling as well; I need to design clothes that make the wearer look and feel good.

"Sculpted Dhoti", in burnt orange and olive from the Winter '09 Collection.

Inspired by all the Harem and Turkish and Dhoti pants I’ve been seeing in magazines, I made my own pair of dhoti pants for this winter collection. I’ve always felt that this look is perfect for Indian women who are confident and proud enough to embrace their hips, and I really think it has a lot more attitude then a cocktail dress. So come over to my store and get this look- it can only help your stylish staycation get better. Oh and don’t forget to rock it with a pair of heels and a glass of single malt in hand. That’s right, Single malt is the new Mojito.

Okay, I’ll stop now.

What’s In and What’s Out

I’ve always wondered how people decide what is officially going to be trendy for the next few years. It’s called fashion trend forecasting and I’m guessing it’s done by experts in the fashion and fashion-history field. I remember a few years ago I was so blown away when I learned about the colour forecasting group: a group of people who decide/predict which colours will be in trend two or three years down the line for the global retail industry. Large retailers follow their advice because they work on their production a year before it hits the stores.

Once I started Brass Tacks I found out that at a more local level, trends are told by the media from their interviews with designers and retailers. I am often asked what the current trends are- a somewhat hilarious question considering I pay no attention whatsoever to “trends” in fashion while designing my collection. I firmly believe that people should wear what they like and what they feel comfortable wearing. Everyone’s taste is a function of their environment while growing up, so it would be ridiculous to suggest that someone who grew up in a small town with a modest household income should gradually aspire to wear something more “trendy”- like harem pants for example.

What shocked me recently, is that fashion magazines have started a section within their magazine on “beauty”. They mean “trends in cosmetics and the how-to of grooming”, but they call it beauty. The beauty section tells you what’s in and what’s not (sorry South Asians with thick eyebrows and big hips, you are not “in” this year) and how to change yourself if you are not in. I guess cosmetic companies and make-up artists call the shots on beauty, and just like with fashion, what gets my goat is the lack of cultural understanding. Or in the case of make-up, no regard whatsoever for difference in racial features (“black glossy lips give power to your pout” – but do they really if you are brown?)

And finally, here is my confession and dilemma: as a small company with practically no budget for advertising, I need every kind of publicity I can get. So if a journalist calls me to ask what the latest trends are, or what I think the Indian fashion scene is lacking, I try to answer the question to the best of ability even though I’m no authority. So in my own small way, I could be accused of contributing towards the message the media sends out about fashion and beauty. Maybe it serves me right that my hair dresser asked me if I want to thread my eyebrows, for my wedding at least.