Spook me not

“In India,we always give weather conditions and comfort a priority while dressing up. But this is one night of the year when we can wear anything,and be anyone without thinking twice,” says Sharma. A fashion consultant,she has been celebrating Halloween for the last three years and starts planning her costume in the beginning of October. “I look forward to it every year because it also becomes a great opportunity to showcase my creativity,” she says. This year,she isn’t sure what party she will attend but her costume is planned and ready. “I’m going as a Harlequin Puppet no matter what,” she grins.

A holiday in the West,Halloween has become popular in India due to the growing expat market. But expats are not the only ones taking the festival seriously to go out of their way and dress up as a chosen character; the trend has caught on among Indians too. “People used to feel intimated heading out of the house in a costume,” recounts Mickhil Pinto,a partner with Network Prive,a company that organises events at Mumbai’s Tote on the Turf. “You may still find some people shy of wearing hats and wigs. But last year,we had a guest who came dressed as Lady Gaga. So the trend is catching on,” says Pinto.

Writer Jahnabee Borah celebrates her birthday on November 1,which coincides with the festival. She prefers to keep the guest list limited and the venue private. But the Halloween theme is always common.

“Spook factor has been part of my birthday parties since I was in school,” she says. “Last year’s theme was ‘The Walking Dead’,so my friends came as zombie versions of John Lennon,Janis Joplin,Tupac and Freida Kahlo among others,” she says. From canvas paintings to blood and musical instruments to bullet holes,Borah and her friends left little to the imagination.

Many revellers have come to view Halloween as an opportunity to dress up unusually and are hence exploring themes beyond spook. “It’s not fun to always go as a witch or a ghost. We’ve got people coming as black-and-yellow taxis,the sun and other cool characters,” say Tina Goyal,who is a consultant with an organic food company,and designer Khushnam Polad. The festival reminds Mumbai-based roommates —who were born and brought up in Canada and the US respectively — of home. According to them,the limited range of ready-to-wear outfits in the Indian market only adds to the excitement of planning a party every year. “We’ve infused a bit of Mumbai into our costumes this year,” says Goyal. The girls have decided that one will wear a sari,flowers and bangles and go as an Indian maid while the other will trail her as a cleaning gear.

Goyal has sourced the top of a mop to wear as a wig and a belt that will allow her to carry other accessories such as a rag,gloves and yes,a bucket of water. This may not be a very pretty sight,but it sure sounds innovative.