A Suit-able Expedition

With the festive season approaching, I decided I wanted a traditional outfit for myself. Not that I don’t have enough of them, my closet is crammed with my largely unworn saris. In Gurgaon, if you wear saris for a casual occasion, people look at you as if you’ve landed from Mars.

Now we women have this unique talent of creating islands of needs even if we are swimming in a sea of plenty. You can’t possibly expect me to wear one of the many outfits I purchased this season, do you? (Insert horrified expression). And on festivals I wouldn’t be caught dead in a western outfit. I want a formal churidar suit for myself and come to think of it, I don’t even have a single one.

So one pleasant evening, we headed to one of the popular malls of Gurgaon. The husband wanted a new pair of spectacles and I would be surveying the many boutiques for “the perfect one”. The mall on a weekday is a pleasant place to be in. It’s surprisingly uncrowded , you don’t run the risk of your toes getting trampled upon and landing an elbow or two in your stomach. The husband busied himself with the onerous task of selecting the perfect pair (yes, both of us are a match made in heaven) and I trundled off for my survey.



When you enter an outlet that specializes in so called haute-couture, you realize how environment friendly they are. Each attire looks like an eco friendly solution to Gurgaon’s power problem, wear one and you will light up even the darkest room. Weighed down with stones of all hues, each kurta makes glittery look pale. And not content with just stones, the designer(??) goes ahead and decides to marry many fabrics in a single ensemble. So, you not only get to wear net, you also get satin, a dash of brocade with velvet encasing the seam. And in colours that could bring even a speeding Ferrari to a grinding halt. To make it worse, each kurta is shaped like a tent, with the one size fits all logic. I gingerly chose an all white outfit and a navy blue one. Tried to imagine myself in them – I was horrified. I beat a hasty retreat and decided to take a breather at the optical store. The husband was missing, found him with the optometrist (don’t you get ideas!!!!) going through an array of mean looking tests. Lenses of all shapes and sizes kept making an appearance and I kept looking impatiently at my watch. Dahling, I think I’ll scoot and check out some more. 

The next boutique was less appalling but still high on bling. Agreed most Delhites love bling, but don’t we normal (read boring) people count too? And they were either shaped like pillowcases or tents. Do you guys design only for plus sized women! I shot at the store attendant. I was feeling a little alarmed now. Oh dear, what was I supposed to do now. 

Thankfully, the husband was now free from the clutches of the over enthusiastic optometrist and was looking for me. He has a calming effect on me - can’t say the same for myself. Nineteen years of handling a drama queen of a wife, he knows exactly what to say and do.

We were now headed to another mall across the road. Checked out a few more revolting churidar kurta sets, hassled a few more shop assistants and I was ready to give up. Has someone issued a fatwa against aesthetically designed outfits? Have they all gone underground, hiding in musty trunks? 

It was, at this moment of hopelessness and utter despair that I walked into a sari shop - Delhi’s favourite over the last three decades. The saris were gorgeous but the mammoth sized kurtas that looked so last century, made me sulk. Gosh, even I was getting tired of sulking now. And then, as I turned around in slow motion, my eyes beheld “the one”, beckoning to me, shimmering in all its glory. Yes, even clothes have a body language that only women can comprehend. It was in a gorgeous weave and in muted shades of olive & mauve. Thankfully it wasn’t stitched so I didn’t have to worry about the fit or rather the lack of it. Ok, my eyes popped out when I saw the bill, but WTF it was worth it.

Dahling, I need a silver arm band to go with the outfit. Let’s go to Khan Market this weekend, shall we? (Insert endearing smiley expression). We can also gorge on Khan Chacha’s (world famous in India, kabab rolls). Good idea naa? And later we can also check out the collection at Anokhi....