Designer Distress

De flips a few clothes over and is amazed by the price tags. 8216;8216;Fashion Street gives you the best value for money,8217;8217; she ...

Shobhaa De
Author, columnist

SHOBHAA De, celebrated for her very unique style, says Fashion Street is as much part of her as Mumbai8217;s bhelpuri. 8216;8216;Fashion Street is quintessentially Mumbai in spirit because it showcases enterprise and is democratic.8217;8217;

A determined non-designer dresser, De says, 8216;8216;I think, fashion is fickle, frivolous and fun and should, therefore, not take over your life. I take fashion very casually. Fashion is an expression of individuality, not just following a bunch of designers who dictate what you should be wearing or not.8217;8217;

De flips a few clothes over and is amazed by the price tags. 8216;8216;Fashion Street gives you the best value for money,8217;8217; she says. 8216;8216;Shoppers the world over get their high when they think they have got a bargain, that8217;s half the fun. The worst low is when you feel you have been ripped off, which is what I feel when I see designer tags on our designer garments. Of course, I8217;m not talking of a really exquisite heirloom ghagra or sari, which are works of art and which are passed down over generations.8217;8217;

For De, it is the accessories available at Fashion Street that are the main attraction. 8216;8216;It8217;s great picking up the odd scarf or trendy pair of sandals here. You can throw them away after wearing them six-seven times. I have picked up some lovely things from Fashion Street which I keep re-cycling after putting them away for some months,8217;8217; she says.

De8217;s finds have included some fine cotton shirts, 8216;8216;probably better than what you may find in any boutique in India or abroad.8217;8217;

So, how would she rate clothes from Fashion Street with those on display at fashion shows? 8216;8216;I think Mumbai designers get their cue from Fashion Street,8217;8217; she says with all seriousness. 8216;8216;It just happens to be a pricier version of what you would get on the pavement. There is very little originality in Indian fashion and the only real contribution to international fashion is the fusion version of the salwar-kameez which is catching on and, our exquisite embroideries. Unfortunately, all our designers are obsessed with what8217;s happening in the West and it8217;s a pathetic 8216;me too8217; syndrome.8217;8217;