Future frock shocks?

The 8216;Made in India8217; dysfunctional garment has finally come out of the closet

The Real Fashion Week is just over without any wardrobe mishaps, but what does the Mumbai frock shock tell the design jocks? Call it the nipple effect of global fashion 8212; ooh, we have our own wardrobe malfunction. If it happens in Seattle, can the rock chicks of Mumbai be far behind? No, but we all know the Bennu Sehgal Halter 8212; the garment that caused the wardrobe malfunction in Mumbai 8212; had none of the chutzpah of Janet Jackson8217;s multi-tasking bustier Justin Timberlake was supposed to only pull away the bustier and leave the red-lace bra. The malfunction here made a trash statement on the ramp at last week8217;s Other Fashion Week in the City. As the flashbulbs blazed against model Carol Gracias8217; lacquered teeth and naked body, fashionistas and designers swooned and squirmed at what bad tailoring and tacky designs can do to their reputation and business.

Finally, the 8216;Made in India8217; dysfunctional garment has come out of the closet. After years of whispering about tacky tailoring and overpriced rags in the crowded world of 8216;Indian designers8217;, the couture stars finally stand out from the flash trash. While Gracias8217;s super self-possession held the day, it was a dissed-out model who declared she would never work with the designer again. 8220;I have never been so embarrassed in my life,8221; said Gracias of the Fallen Halter, 8220;I would not have minded if it was an accident but the designer is not even serious about her work.8221;

But it8217;s not just an expose on bad rags, the wardrobe malfunction also spun us into a moral panic. And are haute designers ready for its consequences? The Jackson episode in the US not only forced the Federal Communications Commission to order an investigation into the incident an estimated 140 million were watching the show, its chairman was not convinced the incident was an accident. The Commission also ordered that MTV and the CBS networks8217; 200 affiliates and company owned stations could be fined 27,000 each, for indecent exposure. There was a public demand for the fine to be raised to 500,000, television channels began to air their programmes five seconds later so that they could switch off in case of any other moral mishaps, and self-censorship became the order of the day.

With the clamour for commissions of inquiry and stricter guidelines for future fashion shows by the guardians of the law, Indian designers may soon be told their decolletage is dangerously deviant and a menace to moral society. It8217;s going to have a chilling effect on their creative flow. Who knows, Malini Ramani8217;s sexy brunch wear could hurt the sensibilities of the men of Gandhinagar and she could be flung into prison for degrading chaste Indian women. Indian nude art has always hidden behind the fig leaf of religion voluptuous goddesses or tradition bare-breasted tribal girls, but imagine if a bit of thigh skimming or a flash of bottom cleavage on the ramp get to be treated as wardrobe malfunction?