I wore trousers to the office today! Black with pinstripes and teamed with a tunic and scarf. From all the compliments I got, I believe I accessorized correctly. (Ahem, ahem...patting myself on the back, there...and no, I didn't wear red stilletos...the pic just looked yummy enough to post!)So why is this a big deal, you wonder? Well, because it's the first time I've ever worn trousers in a looooo-ooong time. And boy, was I nervous! But it seems to have gone down well. Phew!
When I was growing up, my father thought trousers were unfeminine and unbecoming for women. (Don't comment on that...it's a long story.) Besides, I was (and still am) fat, so I thought I looked better in skirts and that safe harbor of Indian fashion: salwar-kameez suits.
I had two pairs of trousers when I was around 4-5 years old. Then Mum got me a tailored denim jean-and-jacket set for my sixth birthday and after that, I had a pair of slacks as part of my winter school uniform in the fifth grade. (They changed the uniform the following year.) That was it, until 1999. I'd been married a year or so around then and it got really cold (we were in New Delhi then). I needed something like thick jeans for the night shifts I did, and even then, I teamed it up with a knee-length woollen sweater.
I outgrew those jeans after having my son and put on some (okay, a lot) more weight after that. So it's been just salwar-kameez and skirts, mostly long ones. No sarees, even. Mum says I look 10 years older in that outfit so it's a strict no-no. This is especially important because my mother is very pretty, not fat, and looks 10 years younger than she actually is. Oh yes, and she has a great sense of style. :)
Anyway, so here I am, this morning, wearing formal trousers to work. Feeling terribly conscious but what the heck...if I don't start to try to look younger at 34, I might as well call for sackcloth and ashes and begin to mourn my lost youth. Darned if I do that. So here's wishing I find more trousers in my size (and get used to wearing them).
ps: one advantage of wearing trousers is that I walk around with my gut sucked in...maybe my paunch (of course I have one) will shrink that way?
pps: here's what my son had to say after looking me up and down: "Hmm....you're not thin but this makes you look thinner than you are." Why, thank you, my boy. Just don't say that to your girlfriend when you finally get one. :-P
Image from Freerangestock
2 comments:
YAY! becoming a daring fashionista now eh? triple thumbs up darling =) never too old or too young to try new things.. really proud of you, i know the 'oh gosh this is something new and not used to it' feeling.. but of course the compliments do help make you feel comfortable in the end. Heck, i think the great feeling you get trying something new is grand enough =) hehhe, wished your son gave you a more constructive compliment! hehehe.. oh about being fat-ish? i think the bulk of us suffer from it apart from those paper thin ones, so no worries there =) big is beautiful! plus, being too thin (according to indian culture if i am not mistaken) isnt a good thing right? like you are not eating enough, or your hubby isnt taking care of you enough type of thing? heheh, anyways... happy vals day hunny!
Hey, Happy Valentine's Day to you too. And thanks for the encouragement: need it all the time. Yes, traditionally, the female Indian has been more curvy than her Western counterparts. But that's changing. Globalization and what have you. :-P At any rate, I tend to lose weight when I'm happy. When I'm depressed, the pounds pile on. So fashion and food are intertwined! I'm attempting a new hair-do soon. Will keep ya posted! :)
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