Pret-a-porter

The pursuit for affordable sartorial indulgences ends with designer pret

Anybody who loves good clothes would agree that a beautiful garment is an unfathomable source of joy; the most mood lifting of all therapies. My mother never fails to reminisce of the times when every birthday/festival/ special occasion would mean a trip to Mangharams or India Silk House, the then popular textile stores, where yards of taffeta silk, hakoba, net nylon and casement would be purchased only to be transformed into fine-looking skirts, blouses, dresses, shirts and pinafores by the handy family tailor. Readymade garments were scoffed at and considered more of a last resort as finding the perfect size and fit was a rare occurrence with off the rack clothes.
Westernisation and a remarkable turnaround in the pace of lives popularized ready-mades. Custom made clothes soon became more of a once in a while indulgence with retailers like Boston, Sarang, Sharkskin, London Stores, Raymond, Naidu hall etc redefining the way people looked at ready-to-wear clothes. Sizes were precise, choices many and soon shopping around for that perfect fabric and running behind an absent minded tailor, who almost always had a labor problem seemed like a very cumbersome process. Unlike before when the middle class urbanite mostly associated good clothes with the celebration of a significant occasion, today a sartorial indulgence is more about celebrating oneself, which means shopping more often and investing only in clothes that look good and feel good, which is why the affordability and allure of designer prêt have made it an easy winner.
Until very recently designer wear meant expensive and opulent clothing that was the preserve of the very wealthy and the affluent. Indian designers sat in their studios and drew creations for a select clientele that primarily comprised of rich socialites and Non Resident Indians. The clothes were termed haute couture and the creations priced at nothing less than a small fortune. But soon the burgeoning middle class with its increasing disposable income and growing aspirations to look wealthy had the entire designer world succumbing to the lure of prêt, with cleverly cut, chic designer wear being available within a very affordable price bracket of Rs 300-3000. World over any fashion house’s primary income is derived of prêt. Couture serves to indulge the designer’s creative urges but is hardly as lucrative as prêt. And the consumer is hardly complaining because designer prêt means availing the style sensibilities of Ritu Kumar or Vivek Karunakaran at a little less than a thousand rupees. It might mean a few sequins less but it’s designer wear any way.
Pic courtesy: label Ascot designer pret by Vivek Karunakaran