The Empress's New Clothes

Carrie tells Mr.Big "You play poker, right. So when I accepted The Dress from Vivienne Westwood, it upped the stakes", in an effort to placate him on the humangous guestlist of 220 people! Hah, imagine a Indian wedding with 220 people. Neighbours would say "the are outcasts, hence they didnt have enough people to invite". In the States "thats a lot of people".

I'm a simple girl. Daddy's little girl if I may say so. Daddy spent his lunch hour shopping for clothes for his two little girls. It helped that his office building was bang in the center of the Central Business District and was dotted with shopping destinations in a 2 mile radius. I didnt have much to say in his choice, coz most of the times he had impeccable taste. He bought vibrant colours and the latest fashion. Infact I once remember him draping a sari around himself to see its effect!! He bought that for my mom, who was curling in embarrassment as the salespeople smirked away! Even today, dad loves buying sarees for mom...he knows better than to try buy stuff for either me or my sis!

Well, despite the fact that Dad was a connoiseur of clothes, he did buy stuff which would be considered prudish today. He was unaware that his girls were growing up and they wanted their opinion to matter on the clothes that were to drape their body. My very first rebellion started with my school uniform. Oh! How i wish I had my sexy hourglass figure of my school days! Our sports uniform was a red pleated skirt, a red shorts to be worn underneath and the usual while monpogrammed blouse. After I reached my puberty, I started growing taller. And kept refusing to order new skirts as I grew in height. It wasnt very long before my red unifrom was quickly starting to be considered a mini-skirt in school. I wasnt alone in my endeavours to trick the nuns and our parents. It was a class-wide rebellion! Alas, those girls who stared grwoing fat, were forced to get new skirts with the proper lady-like length! I do believe I still have one of those skirts in my wardrobe today. It sure does take me down a wonderful memory lane.

I grew up. Started college. Went for post graduate studies. Started working in a city far away from home. Inbetween, went through my relationships. Matured as a lady (I think). Made new friends. Lost some old ones to the vagaries of nature. But was always vain about my clothes. Now I didnt have enough money in those days to indulge in designer brands. I still dont. Or probably if I stretch myself, I can afford a Wendell Rodricks, Manish Malhotra or Rocky S creation once in 6 months. Or maybe even a Christian Dior outfit once in 2 years. But where was I supposed to wear them too? I definitely didnt hang out in the highest of high societies to flaunt my fashion labels. I was sensible, i didnt need those guys in my life. But I needed good clothes. Now let me tell you a common secret. Some things in life are addictive, alcohol, the occassional fag and clothes! Especially if you are a female.

So in my very own city, I discovered heaven. And the rest of the journey has sure been addictive. She's a designer who incidentally studied in my school although almost a decade before me! She was well aware of of our shortening hemlines while back in school and totally empathises with me when I speak of my fashion woes. Of course she would! I am after all one of her best customers! I spent atleast 2 weekends in a month at her place resplendent in her workroom, surrounded by the most beautiful fabric and colors and designs and cuts! Whenever I enter a bookstore, I invariably search out the Fashion corner. I watch Carrie and her 3 friends repeatedly on my DVDs just to gorge on their Donna Karans, Ralph Laurens, Christian Diors, Gianni Versaces, Fendi, Manola Blahniks, Jimmy Choos, Guccis. Someone...make me stop. I'm literally drooling while I write this blog....

Betty and Veronica?

I have a friend, a sounding board who save each other a lot of money in therapy. It pays that we both have unlimited access to gtalk and do not work in some of those typical Indian companies trying to pass themselves off as "Multi National Corps" who restrict your access to the internet! They believe in policing you and probably have spy ware to check the applications you open up while your supposed to be working...
We both can identify with those kinds of organisations, as we can attribute our soul-searching friendship to one of those very types. Dont get me wrong here. That org gave me a lot in life...a apartment, some great friends and the occassional men, and thats in order! I value the previous two. About the last, its best left unsaid.

Well coming back to my friend. She's a typical Leo, just as I am. With slight differences here and there. I ALWAYS remember her birthday, but she never remembers mine. Oh every year she promises to remember it, but alas, never does. I guess God made me arrive on the 6th while she arrived on the 17th. Hence, she always remembers my birthday, when her birthday arrives! Now doesnt that make us soul-mates?

She's lived a life mostly away from home and i envy her for that. She just doesnt realise it. She feels that I'm a homesick little fool encased around my mom's pallu! Not that my mom is intp sarees...nevertheless. She's had her fair share of encounters with men, some laughable, some hurtful and some really worth remembering (currently she's committed to a rather nice guy) and I am a baby in that department! Read my below posts to understand why. She's changed jobs at the drop of a hat, saved up more money than I have, travelled to far flung places, some I dont ever think I would travel to, had her passport stamped before me, eaten stuff I'd probably puke at (squids and vaious seafood, trust me, some we didnt even know were edible), bought more clothes than I have (currently I think its not gonna be long before I supercede her atleast in this department), is more tech-savvy than I am, has more Friends in Orkut and Facebook than I have and definitely has knows her way around her life while I aimlessly wander the hallowed portals of mine.

She's been a good friend. And although I havent met her for some 2 years, we do manage to chat everyday! Is that what you call a friendship? or a soul-mateship? Is Farhan Akhtar interested in making a film of the female Dil Chahta Hai??