By Monisha Shivaraj
I take the abstraction of fashion like I take my vitamins. It’s not just good for my heart but also makes me feel better. When someone asks me what I love the most about fashion, (which no one is right now, aside from Edha), I’d like to say I love the way the fabric consumes me. I persistently say you are what you wear, and this rationally applies to me because my fashion sense is an extension of my personality. My attire is perpetually a portrait of my internal mood that practically changes like the weather of Bangalore these days.
I’m not sure why anyone would be interested to know about my perception of fashion, but trust me, the design that lives in my head is a fascinating one. Every outfit idea I devise is a memory of something that steals me away to a distinct place and different time. Except I’ve never been to this place or existed at this time. Although I was physically born in the 21st century, I’m that person who's nostalgic of an era I never knew. I don’t know if this trait is a flaw or not but I’d like to consider it as the depth that weaves my personality.
Let us stoop down to why I started writing about fashion. People who know me really well know that I do not fancy wearing the same clothes more than once. Yes, I know it sounds like I am an extremely spoiled brat. But no, that is not what it is. Most people might not understand this, but the primary aim behind not repeating clothes is the urge and desire to try new attire. Although fashion changes like the weather, one's style is like the climate. The sad reality is that style seems to be a place the world has forgotten these days. Yeah, fashion is extremely trendy, but people lose their style due to fast fashion. A friend of mine once said, ‘you are too passionate not to follow your passion’, and this column is the first peek into my passion. By writing, my ideas turn into alphabetical expressions.
I'm that girl who can go from looking like an Indian festival in desi clothes to looking like the wild west in American clothes. Every fabric of India amuses me, and I am more desi than I look. The heritage of India lies in its sarees and the history in its lehengas and shararas. Every design pattern and colour on traditional Indian clothes has a different story to tell me, or I just come up with one that I like. Besides all this, every outfit, every piece of clothing I see brightens my soul. Everything about fashion absorbs me.
Although my perpetual thoughts are being conveyed, the intensity of the emotions I feel towards fashion may take more than just one article to unravel.
A prominent example is that I can hardly recall when my obsession with leopard prints started. Leopard prints are a trend that never dies. Ancient Egypt's were obsessed with leopard prints too. This pattern traces back to them. Oh, guess I'm from ancient Egypt then! To some extent, I think leopard prints are highly underrated. (my friends would have killed me if I didn't mention leopard prints) .
Well, I'm not just all leopard prints you know, on the contrary, I come up with fusion Indian clothes ideas too. and I'm a huge huge, HUGE fan of formal clothes and yes my first article was about formals because I love them so much. Oh, and how could I forget fishnet stockings. I could just go on. Though I have so much fashion in my skull, you'll probably still see me in a casual T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
That's my style and so helping you discover yours is what moves me.
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