Fluttering wildly in the breeze, swinging over the shoulder or romantically sweeping the floor. Trailing whimsically behind a traditional ghaghra choli or sometimes wrapped coyly around a slender neck, swirling around a shapely waist over the traditional churidar kurta. This interesting and quite often, I'm sure, exasperating piece of fabric -- usually about two and a half meters to maybe 25 -- seems to be a symbol of femininity in the basic Indian context, which I think is sometimes simply beautiful!Historically an important part of the Indian mode of dress, it's definitely a legacy that's come down for generations -- a sort of cultural `diktat'. Essential or superfluous, functional or just habit, an extra shoulder this `appendage' has always been and still is a kind of an indispensable accessory in the entire Indian sub-continent!
Casual or formal, it never ceases to be a significant aspect of the Indian woman's attire and has captured healthy imaginations down the ages -- from the veiledVenus to the seductive dance of the seven veils!
It definitely holds an unshakable place in most women's wardrobes, as well as a special `position' on their upper bodies! YES, I am talking about the `DUPATTA,' that I can't seem to shake off, no matter how hard I try. It's something you have to deal with, as part of Indian design. However, I guess one can always have a ball working out new uses for it or finding different ways to `drape' it, as part of "couture" chic! I think every designer who creates clothes for the Indian woman will, or has, encountered this strange love affair between woman and fabric.
Discovering it afresh everyday and displaying it `originally' everytime, is a designer's challenge.
Its embellishments can be crazily overdone or creatively complimentary to the basic ensemble. But no way can one really drop it; it's the Indian woman's prop, so she must clutch onto it like a security blanket and use it with a flourish. Either resting it peacefully over one shoulder or draping itdivinely over the head. May be even wrapping it like a saree around the body, like an Egyptian mummy, or even using it like a handkerchief, with her house keys and money on the other end!
I've seen interesting versions of the duppata in my numerous years of being a professional in the field, and somehow I keep coming up with one mysterious deduction. So! My fellow designers, while it's there, let's make it as exciting as possible, with numerous variations on the basic theme!Though -- I'm still convinced, "it's a `breast' thing"!
The Agony and Ecstasy of designing the DUPATTA...'
Arjun Khanna is a fashion designer
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
