From Vogue to Rouge

Copycat? You decide.

British Vogue, July 2007

Rouge, Times of India, Oct 2007

Dress rehearsal - 2

Adding to my rant on non-availability of suitable dresses for 'normal' Indian frames (is it just me?), I want to quickly make a comment about the quality of clothing.

Coming from India, I would expect (usually) more expensive clothing to be of better quality. That just doesn't hold here, I'm afraid. The bigger the brand, the pricier it gets. Quality is suspect. I saw quite a few outfits today in the £100-150 pound range that were cotton-polyster mix with some sequins thrown at the neck, some of them missing. Now, for that kind of money, not only would I expect a 'decent' material, but also that all the bits were intact!

Also, why does t-shirt material count as 'formal' wear here? What happened to silks, chiffons and elegant fabric? I'm sick of jersey dresses that cling and look like they were made for the aunties in court shoes. Every shop has those - maybe they're meant to be fashionable, but it makes me cringe.

Which reminds me, what does one do when one wants to buy something other than what the shops deem to be 'in' at the moment? Nothing. There is no alternative. Right now, every shop has the grey, shining silver fabric, the disco tops and dresses meant to be worn with black leggings. Where does one go for an alternative?

Rant over.

'Dress' rehearsal

The hunt is on.

With the summer clothing finally off the shelves, it is time to go hunting for that elusive party-dress again. I need to find something festive for a upcoming occasion, but it seems I'm a bit early for the winter collection (when the Christmassy clothes start coming out).

Nevertheless, some shops already have a supply of sparkly dresses, disco tops and the always-in-fashion black dress.

The trouble is, I find it hard to find anything to fit me.

Don't get me wrong. There's a lot of stuff in my size, but nothing seems 'appropriate'. Today, I've spent over 4 hours on Oxford Street, tried on 12 dresses (ranging from £150 - £30) and have not bought a single one. The reason : the dresses either don't fit well, have plunging necklines or look tacky. And who the hell can wear those floor length maxi dresses? Besides supermodels?

There was one that I liked - a black halter neck with sequins on the neck and waist. It fit rather well too. Until upon closer inspection I noticed that a lot of the sequins had fallen off. The label said 'Made in India'. It's a shame it was so mangled.

Waste of time? Well, at least I now know where NOT to look. Eliminating this, this, this and this store makes life so much easier. Or does it?

Thinking of Shoefie

Not Manalo, but close

The Salvatore Ferragamo store in Florence