CHANGING FASHIONS
Introduction: Change is the law of nature. Summer turns to autumn which changes to winter and finally to spring. Travelers from the West mix with tourists from the East and exchange their experience, and sometimes even the way they dress-up and live. Finally, you watch the change in the world through television and cinema. All this makes human beings desire to be different, in looks and style. Any Indian would love to wear jeans after he sees a film showing cowboy adventure. Likewise, an American will crave for the Kurta pyjama after watching a sitar concert by an Indian master.
The Root Cause: There are styles that are durable because they make us feel so comfortable and elegant. For example, Indian saree has resisted the tides of change in womanly garments. So have the salwar and the kameez. But everything else, from the earring to the shoe-heel has undergone dramatic changes, year after year.
The root cause of changing fashions is man’s desire and women’s craving to ‘be’ different from others. By wearing a new perfume or sporting a newly-cut suit, your ego is boosted among your peers. Later, when others copy you, you feel flattered and wanted by your friends. You create a social status for yourself, as being up-to-date.
Undesirable: But do you think this to be desirable? Imagine the stress and strain on your income or family earnings! Imagine the horror of discovering that the expensive coat you wore last year cannot be worn this year because the fashion has changed!
What to do. You would have found from experience that there are certain styles which undergo little or no change. For example, if you find good comfort in the clothes you wear, keep wearing them. You might change the buttons once in a while or the laces. Never forget the fact that what is outdated now will again be in fashion in the near future! After all, are not the pleated trousers of the 1960s back in fashion today? Be comfortable. Buy comfortable.