Like most things in India, buying clothes is an interesting experience.
Ready-made clothes exist, but are not particularly common. Most of the time clothing is either custom "stitched" or, more commonly, is a blend of ready-made and stitching. For example, I recently purchased three salwar-kameez (shirt-pants-dupatta combos). The kameez (or kurta) was mostly ready-made, but the sleeves had to be sewn in. I'm not sure why it's so important to fit the sleeves, but the sleeves are custom-made; the fabric for them is included with the set.
Buying a saree is yet another experience. While the saree is mostly 6 yards of fabric draped around the body, it also requires a blouse (chola) and a petticoat. Usually a coordinating "blouse piece" accompanies the saree material, but if not (or if you don't care for the blouse fabric), you go to a "matching shop" that has fabric in every conceivable color and hue to find a blouse fabric. This is also where you go to get a matching petticoat. Sometimes you can also get ready-made cholas.
So, buying clothes requires three stops: the "emporium" where you purchase the clothes; the "matching shop" where you purchase coordinating fabric; and the tailor where everything gets finished.
And in all of this, the sales staff is entirely male. The clientele is entirely female. A different way of doing business!
Ready-made clothes exist, but are not particularly common. Most of the time clothing is either custom "stitched" or, more commonly, is a blend of ready-made and stitching. For example, I recently purchased three salwar-kameez (shirt-pants-dupatta combos). The kameez (or kurta) was mostly ready-made, but the sleeves had to be sewn in. I'm not sure why it's so important to fit the sleeves, but the sleeves are custom-made; the fabric for them is included with the set.
Buying a saree is yet another experience. While the saree is mostly 6 yards of fabric draped around the body, it also requires a blouse (chola) and a petticoat. Usually a coordinating "blouse piece" accompanies the saree material, but if not (or if you don't care for the blouse fabric), you go to a "matching shop" that has fabric in every conceivable color and hue to find a blouse fabric. This is also where you go to get a matching petticoat. Sometimes you can also get ready-made cholas.
So, buying clothes requires three stops: the "emporium" where you purchase the clothes; the "matching shop" where you purchase coordinating fabric; and the tailor where everything gets finished.
And in all of this, the sales staff is entirely male. The clientele is entirely female. A different way of doing business!
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| A "matchng" shop in Valsad. The walls are lined with an incredible array of fabrics. |
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| The final result. I thought I'd look ridiculous in a saree, but it's really not too bad! |
I like it! It does seem like a roundabout way to get it all together, though.
ReplyDeleteYou look great!
ReplyDeleteThanks. What our Indian friends are saying is that it's not complete until I add the jewelry. (At a minimum, bangles and a large necklace.)
Delete