Everytime I go back to India..the same outfits or dresses I wear abroad seems uncomfortable to wear back in my place.I feel judged.maybe it is just my feeling. Secondly..I have never felt conscious of what I really wear here,nor do people around me even care..so it is easy to just wear what I like and be relaxed.When I go to Chennai ..even if I wear a decent dress,I suddenly think consciously of what I wear,consider my age and child etc.. I have worn even casual gym outfits and gone to the mall here and I get normal treatment.In Chennai,I feel I need to dress quite elegant to be shown good sarees and treated well.. I feel if you are rich or travel by car all the time with a good gang..it feels comfortable. Just a casual thread.Planning to go to India this year and was just looking at my closet on what to pack and suddenly so many thoughts creeped in Are you more Conscious in your dressing when you go back home?
Home for me is where I live.. but that pesky point aside ... yes, I am more conscious about my dressing when I am in India. Because I don't keep up to date. So, what happens is for the first shopping trip or visit to relatives, they will look at what clothes I have brought in my suitcase. A bit of silence as they search for polite, kind ways to tell me my clothes are no-no to wear when going out. By a deft re-arranging they add the pile of "my" clothes to the pile of clothes I brought to "give away". Then, with the delight of a tailor getting an order for the entire wardrobe of a bride from a rich household, they set about improving my appearance and clothes. Quick calls are made to arrange for kids' school pick-ups, MIL's medicine, FIL's doctor appointment... they clear up the rest of their day for me, and march me to the stores on a weekday early afternoon. They present me as a "gone case" to the salesgirls, all enjoy a few laughs at my expense, I refuse the bright colors and latest fashions, we arrive at some compromises. They add to the pile some clothes for themselves that the salesgirl tells them, "Ma'am that dress you were looking for last week, now your size is in stock..." As I make a beeline for the payment counter, some frenzied discussions happen, my companion says the overall amount has to be reduced by some percent, and also picks up some mix-and-match pieces randomly. I handover my credit card, the cashier looks at it in puzzlement, turns it over, reads the bank name aloud, then my name aloud... I thank my stars my DOB is not on it. The DIY firangi in me reaches to carry my own bags... I am shushed and as I look on apologetically, some store persons carry the bags to outside.. while my companion starts to yell at the hired car's driver for not yet being outside the entrance, and why he is still off for chai. ===== The joy an India trip starts from the time of mental planning, looking at one's closet in despair, wondering if to buy new clothes in US or wait till India... and this is all more fun if kids are old enough to let mom do this closet search at peace. Nice thread, anika. Brought back memories of the list making, packing and more before an India trip. LOL, for one trip, I even got the luggage tags laminated. : ) And sorry for the wholesale hijack of thread : )
Nice reply Am excited to go to India after a long time..trying to pack decent clothes to wear there.My friends out there are so upto date with fashion and I suddenly feel Peer pressured to be in par I keep telling myself to just be me but this heart isn’t listening lol but it’s fun to dress up..
More than me I'm worried about my daughter how she is going to cope up with dressing in India She lives in her exercise clothes . Her body is so different like she has broad shoulders but short upper body. I'm not sure how to even shop for her clothes. Some of the temples we want to visit has strict dress code. I hope she doesn't face any kind of criticism for her clothing choices at home. First thing I'm doing is to go shopping with her and buy comfortable clothes which would look presentable .
I take just a few comfy traveling outfits with me when I go to India: leggings or yoga pants and tops. These serve for the flights back and forth and for all the local travel which is usually road trips. I do make sure to pack a few pairs of comfortable shoes. Literally the first thing I do when I roll out of bed on day one is to ransack Anokhi and Fab India. This provides the foundations of my wardrobe for my stay in India. I am a creature of habit and don’t care about trends. But I also try not to look like a complete clown while at home. My very blunt youngest family members are not shy about calling me out on this. So I enlist my two best girlfriends in Chennai to show me what’s in style and steer me right. Another treasured tradition is wandering around Parrys, Pondy Bazar and Mylapore tank with my favorite aunt who knows all the shopping secrets there. My parents don’t care for these escapades so they will take me to the malls. In Bangalore my SIL is my partner in crime. At the end of the trip I have a nice collection of clothes to bring back, and look forward to doing it all again on the next visit since everything will be outdated .
For temples I always wear leggings and a long top or kurta. I also carry an extra large dupatta and a long skirt for insurance. Some of the Kerala temples are very strict and I have also seen people pulled out of line for dress issues in Tirumala, so I try to cover all bases.
I once wore leggings and very long anarkali top bearing my ankle..but I was asked not to enter the temple just coz I was wearing leggings!! it was just a little bit of legging shown and my top was way below the knees I understand rules but sometimes people can be a bit flexible when it it not way near exposing or vulgar..
I carry only 2-3 clothes when travel to India..second day afternoon I set out to buy couple of Indian outfits which is trendy and as per fashion..and rest of the trip I buy whenever I see some clothes...random purchases..my dressing style in India is diff from that of my style abroad
One time I was almost turned away from the Sathya Sai center in Puttaparthi because I didn’t have a shawl. I was wearing a billowy shalwar-kurta but neglected to take a dupatta. A kind German lady lent me a small wrap and the volunteers let me through. The bhajan lasted an hour, mom’s lecture went on till the next day.
I still can’t forget the day after my visa interview at Chennai, I visited Pondy bazaar and bought some printed leggings and few tops which I got it to the US Wore those kurtas several times especially for temple visits. But now they don’t fit me anymore