Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Of Butts and Long Legs

The numerous, often un-explainable glitches in the Indian fashion industry continue to baffle me. For one thing, I’ve never understood why when one style is “in fashion”, it’s impossible to find something of a different style. For the past few months, low-waist jeans have been “the fashion”. And for the last few months, I have been unable to find any jeans that are at my waist, not four inches below it. Today, I tried on nine pairs of jeans (I counted!) before I found one [hideously expensive] pair that I could wear. “Madam, aaj kal to yeh hi chal raha hai” (Madam, this is what is being worn these days) was what I was told every time I asked for jeans that were not low-waist.

Besides, I can’t even understand why low-waist jeans are so popular. Unless I’m wearing them the wrong way, low-waist jeans seem to be especially designed to display my underwear to the whole world. Of course, it is entirely possible (probably, in fact) that these jeans are designed for girls with butts significantly smaller than mine. On their small-sized butts, maybe the jeans look stylish, instead of bordering on inappropriate or obscene. And since I haven’t seen many girls showing off their Jockey or Enamour underwear, I guess those jeans really aren’t meant for me.*
Whatever the case, I refuse to believe that there are no girls who don’t want the entire world to know the colour of their underwear, or alternatively, girls with butts as big as (or bigger than) mine. Why oh why won’t Jealous 21 or Pepe Jeans realise this? How can they not see us and our [big] butts?

Another phenomenon that continues to mystify me is the utter non-existence of shorts for women in the market. I went to Globus, Lifestyle and Pantaloons today, looking for jeans and shorts. After spending half an hour in the trial room in Pantaloons (and severely testing the patience of the guy who was assisting me), I did manage to find a pair of jeans. But the only shorts for women that I found in any of these shops either reached three inches below my knee (too long) or three inches below my butt (too short). Where were all the knee-length-or-slightly-shorter shorts that so many girls need in the Delhi summer heat? I finally came home with three pairs of grey and black cotton shorts for men, found in Big Bazaar.

There is, of course, the chance that I am shopping in all the wrong places. I did try Sarojini Nagar for shorts, came home with shorts meant for men again. Delhi-dwellers, any ideas?


*Which brings me to a complaint I’ve always had: the problem of not finding clothes in my size. I’ve written about it here, though today, for a change, I actually found nine pairs of jeans in my size. And a dress.

8 comments:

Unmana said...

Hey, I so agree with you, on this and the earlier 'woes of fatness' post. Why don't apparel manufacturers in India wake up to the wider market? Though I must say, I think things are improving... I find more clothes now than I did a couple of years ago, though I'm much the same size.

Sumedha said...

Unmana: Ya, if they fashion industry realises this, they'll just be making their own market bigger... it's good for them only, right? And yes, you may be right... I've never found nine pairs of jeans that somewhat fit me in one store before. :) Maybe things are getting better.

... said...

I was gonna siggest Sarojni Nagar, but then you say you did try that and still no success in finding 'perfect' shorts. Kind of wierd because Sarojni is THE place to go shorts-hunting. I have been there a lot recently and have always come back with bags full of shorts! No really!!

Sumedha said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. :) And maybe I just didn't look hard enough in Sarojini... shall try again, thanks. :)

Aishwarya said...

It's not just the Indian market - it's hard to find clothes above a certain size even in the West* (though since here in England everyone wears western clothes there is slightly more choice)

And don't get me started on buying bras above a D cup.

*The Shapely Prose blog has had a few posts on the industry logic (or lack of) of only making clothes for thin people.

Sumedha said...

There ARE no bras above D cup in India. Unless I order the ridiculously expensive ones online. :( And the last I remember of the US market, it was better. But that was long ago, and I was.... smaller?... then. ;)

Thanks for the link.

Anonymous said...

The low waist jeans, yea. They're a mess. I haven't been able to find a decent "normal" jeans in my waist size for quite a while now. The attendant actually suggested I look in the women's section for my waist. Yea right. Are there really no guys in the country with waist 28? I'm sure I've seen skinnier guys. But nope, I've never found the jeans. Had to give in to semi-low waist-ish Pepe stuff. Blah.

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