What she wears
In Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar, released in 1963, Arati, a sari-clad, married woman from a middle-class family in Calcutta, takes up a job as a saleswoman to help her struggling family. Over the next few months, as she changes from a timid housewife to a confident worker, so does her appearance. A little. Edith, an Anglo Indian, skirt-wearing colleague, teaches her how to apply lipstick, gifts her a pair of sunglasses. The saris remain.
A decade later in Bombay, Basu Chatterjee’s office-going heroine, Vidya Sinha, in the 1976 release Chhoti Si Baat, still wears saris, but they are brighter, with prints. The concept of Western formals came to India with the coming of the British. But back then it was mostly for men. “Till the 1970s, and probably even in the 1980s, saris were the most common attire for women here, and became quintessential office wear when women started going out to work, ”says Anuradha Kumra, president (apparel), Fabindia. “Today, though saris continue to be considered formal attire at most offices, I find only women who area ta senior level, or of a certain age, wearing saris to work.”
A NEW WARDROBE
It probably started changing with the economicliberal is at ion of the1990s. The opening of the economy meant not just more companies and a variety in jobs, but exposure to global fashion and access to brands selling those.
“The biggest change in the last 20 years has been the increase in the number of women in the workforce,” says designer David Abraham .“Work wear has changed from saris to a mix of contemporary Western wear like trouser and skirt suits and modern interpretations of the salwar kameez.”
Comfort is key, says Kumra. Bifurcates are popular. It can be a tunic with formal trousers, jeans, or a kurta with straight pants or a churidar. But it can’t be a blingy kurt a, says R as hi Gupta, a bank employee.
“India is one of the youngest nations in the world ,” says Ni ki Hay lett, head of internationalbuying, Marks& Spencer, and“is embracing a new way of dressing for work”. This could mean a “mix of casual and formal pieces .” The pant suit is having a real moment, but it’s not like the power suits of the 1980s. Haylett suggests pairing it with T-shirts and trainers for a contemporary look.
Dresses and skirts are being worn more. “While pantsuits and skirt suits occupy 20% of the[ western formals] work wardrobe ,80% includes formal dresses, formal shirts with trousers/ jeans ,” says K av ind ra Mishra, CEO, House of Anita Dongre.
OFFICE MATTERS
Professions matter. Those in traditional corporate jobs or people-facing roles such as business and human resource management,sales or legal may often have to dress more formally than those in creative jobs.
At many offices, those who have to represent the company in front of others have to dress more carefully .“In IT, most engineers now wear jeans and a shirt ,” says Divya Midha, a Delhi-based HR professional. Kurtas are popular. But for customer meets, “it is crisp formals – a pencil skirt or trouser with a shirt, a business suit or a sari or formal kurta,” says Riddhi Chat urvedi,w ho works in the sales team of an IT company in Gurgaon.
That division in attire, between those in back-end jobs and those in client-servicful ing, is also in the banking sector, says Chi ranji tB an erjee,ofB eng al ur u-based hiring firm, PeoplePlus. Seniors across industries usually dress more formally. “Freshers are given a dress code during induction. Slowly, we adapt to what everyone around us is wearing,” says Baisakhi Ch a kr ab or ty, who works at a sales office in Mumbai. Week days mean trousers, pencil skirts, formal dresses (knee-length) for her. Saris and kurtas are allowed. But at seminars and conferences, it’s Western formal. Blazers are a must then. Fridays are more relaxed. She can wear jeans then, or more casual skirts and tops.
With the increase in purchasing power of women, shopping options have grown. Ch a kr ab or ty typically adds three new sets to her work wardrobe every month-and-a half, shopping at places like Park Avenue, Van Heusen or Pantaloons. Online labels like Salt Attire and FableStreet also offer a wide range of formal wear.
With so much to choose from–and given the arduous commutes–saris are reserved for special occasions.
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India, one of the younger nations, is embracing a new way of dressing for work. NIKI HAYLETT, head of international buying, Marks & Spencer