Fashion spells freedom in so many ways. It nurtures ties and wanders into territories it has no business going. Perhaps, that explains why India’s identity is undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts. The south is still the champion of unstitched garments—the sari is never sorry, the heavier the happier.
The half davanisari is still in, while displaying skin is not. The Andhra is the Delhi of the south, influenced by fashion designers and glittering embellishments that can be seen from Pluto. Interestingly enough, the north often seesaws between the khadi revivalist movement triggered by Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi, and the Herve Leger bandage dresses seen on party-perfected bodies of the noveau riche. Louis Vuitton, the man behind the monogram, will be pleased with the influx of bags (real and fake) flooding every horizon. Thankfully, the SoBo (South Bombay) style is a little more restrained, and simmers with casual cool that spells surfer millionaire chic—comes in handy when hopping off onto a private yacht for that weekend home in Alibaug. But anywhere north of Antilla is a bastardised version of Bollywood. The east knows best how to repackage tradition with a brilliantly boho twist. Perhaps that explains why Sabyasachi claimed to have a Rs 60 crore turnover in the last financial year. We ask fashion experts from the four corners of our country to throw some light on India’s ever-evolving fashion identity. Read on, and clean out your closet.