The
word “wardrobe stylist” brings to mind
images of the famous and the glamorous!! But there are also people who have
self styled “wardrobe consultants” with the sole aim of giving the person an
image makeover. My father, at various
points in his life has had to suffer such consultants- first in the form of his
daughters and now his granddaughter.
His
first image makeover was attempted by a five year old kid –ME! Between me and
my friend we used to experiment with his once thick shock of hair tying it with
ribbons and rubber bands. He was a trainee
hairdresser’s delight, sitting quietly on a chair while we stood behind him on
stools tying up his hair. I think he allowed us at least one hour of this
experiment before pulling it all off.
As
I grew older I tried desperately to get him to wear bell bottom trousers which
were the rage of the 70s. But he continued to wear what he always did –trousers
that were timeless in their style. They were generally black, grey, dark brown
or navy blue. The shirts were invariably white, off white or light blue with muted stripes or checks. Depending on
the weather they were either half or full sleeved. His sweaters were grey or
navy blue. He has never been known to
buy shirts that are “readymade”. They were all stitched by a certain “Saha
Tailors” in Kolkata. He has these shirts with him even today and anytime that
he needs to have a new one stitched he gives out the “Saha Tailors” one as the
“Namoona”( Specimen) !
A
generally accommodating man in all respects, he is most obstinate when it comes
to his dressing. I remember my mother
once suggesting to him to try a “Safari Suit” to which he retorted that he did
not want to look like a “Marwari Business man”.
But he did make some concession later on when he started tucking in his
full sleeved shirts!
Despite
his fixed sense of style, we, his image consultants never really gave up! I once managed to convince him to let me dye
his graying hair. But I guess I botched up the assignment rather badly ( I
think I also dyed a bit of his scalp along with his thinning hair) because he
never let anyone touch his hair again. Nature took its own course as the root
of this controversy ( the hair) came off its roots over the years.
For
me, this is the end of my career as his stylist. I know, I can do nothing to
this image!! It is beyond me! But his
younger daughter and his granddaughter continue to try.
My
sister had some unexpected success when she managed to get him to wear a pair
of Reeboks with this pant- kurta
outfit – a startling combination of products from the swadeshi and market economy!
The daughter tried to take this “Brand Equity” a step further. She decided he
needed branded underwear.
After
being bullied into accepting the fact that he actually did need some new
underwear he agreed to try something “different”
in this department. Accompanied by his granddaughter
he went to a jockey showroom to buy them. He was aghast when the salesman told him that
he needed to buy an entire set of three “jetties” (underwear) and not just one
from that set!!
However
the man has his own way of dealing with this “extravagance”. During our last visit to his place my
daughter pointed out that “Tata” was wearing only one of the underwear from
that box. He intended to take out the next one only when this was worn out!
Meanwhile it was his old and faded VIPs that reigned. The way he held forth on the quality of their elastic,
one would wish that the manufacturers of VIP underwear could have heard. It was
certainly the sort of stuff that they would want any brand ambassador to speak
!
Despite
the so called eccentricity in the way he dresses, I must say I admire the way
he has evolved his own sense of style. A friend who ran into him on the road a few months ago called me back
and told me how “smart” my father looked as he walked briskly down the road. Though
I was very tickled at the use of the word
“smart” to describe the way he looked,
I guess it is his confidence and complete lack of concern about “being with the
trend” that stands out!
My
daughter often tells me in her moments of exasperation that I am getting to be
as eccentric as my father. May be.. but I do not think that is bad. He has handed down to us a sense of
individuality that I cherish. He has
taught us to be who we want to be and not what the world expects us to be..!
For
a man of his generation, that is a big lesson to pass down to daughters which
makes him in every way a very "Uncommon man" - a “Trend setter”actually !
Happy Father's Day.
ReplyDeletenice lucid post.... your way of narrating common (read routine) things look so uncommon.....and hence interesting... Please keep them coming....
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