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Veena Venugopal
Rukmani Vishwanath

WHEN mini-skirts became a rage in the late 60s, one of the most renowned British photographers of the 20th century Sir Cecil Beaton said, "Never in the history of fashion has so little material been raised so high to reveal so much that needs to be covered so badly."

If you are a 20-something working girl and often feel that your hemlines are being dictated by your neighbour's teenage daughter, take heart! Things are about to change.

One of the biggest fashion frustrations for adult women has been that most clothing trends have been defined by what works best on college campuses.

As a result, even if all you were looking for was a basic pair of blue jeans, in all likelihood, you would have to settle for one with huge flares, which may have been the toast of fashion in the 70s, but now is haute only in college. Even if you managed to give the flares a miss, you would have ended with multi-coloured sequins, ruffles on shirts, or T- shirts that scream, `10 reasons why beer is better than women,' `Babelicious,' etc.

Formal options were limited and, therefore, most women were forced to choose either the saree or the salwar kameez.

`Smart Casuals' wasn't even a term that was easily understood. The increasing demand for `non-grungy,' chic clothing for girls who have moved into womanhood has forced the fashion industry to carve a separate design segment that caters to these very needs.

Large stores and niche boutiques, especially in Mumbai, have now woken up to the fact that their largest growing customer segment is in the age group of 23 to 35 due to their higher spending power and awareness of latest international fashion trends.

"Even as late as a year ago, this segment was largely restricted to the Indian wear category. Today demands have changed and Western wear designs catering to this segment is our largest growing category," said Mr Govind Srikhande, Customer-Care Associate and Director, Buying and Merchandising, Shoppers' Stop.

Industry watchers ascribe the growing fashion consciousness among the country's middle class to the ever-increasing role of the Internet and satellite television.

What people see on television today is what they want in their wardrobes tomorrow. "Serials depicting urban Indian women showcase a lot of wearable Western clothes and customers want to beat their colleagues in sporting the latest trends to office," said a senior sales associate in a large retail chain.

"These days a lot of prêt stores are coming up that display affordable trends. There is also better awareness generated due to events such as India Fashion Week, which have made designers household names. A lot of designers these days have a prêt line, aside from their regular couture lines," according to Ms Falguni Jhaveri, CEO, FUEL, a Mumbai-based clothing store that showcases designer prêt.

Large format stores are also cashing in on the designer prêt craze. Shoppers' Stop has introduced a line called Buzz that has designers such as Raghavendra Rathore, Rocky S and others designing fusion wear. "The price range in Buzz is from Rs 700 to Rs 2,500. An average outfit would cost around Rs 1,200," said Mr Srikhande.

The non-branded segment continues to thrive on the teenage market. Thirteen- to 18-year-olds do not get much pocket money and the non-branded garments give them the latest styles and trends.

There is so much defining fashion today, and there is a store for every kind of shopper and a shopper for any kind of store, according to Ms Shweta Pagare, General Manager - Operations and Marketing, Oobe.

While stores and boutiques are sitting up and taking note of the upside in catering to the 24-plus-year-olds separately instead of clubbing them with teenagers, the phenomenon is yet to receive 100 per cent penetration.

Stores such as Globus continue to classify the teenage segment as its primary customer and the rest as secondary, according to Mr Vinay Nadkarni, CEO, Globus.

"The clothing line is designed for the young and the `young at heart,' so what is trendy for the 16-24 age group is right for the 24-35 age group also," he said.

The next time you catch yourself feeling blue and staring at your wardrobe, pull out the credit cards and try some retail therapy. There's a whole new "fashion world" being created just for you.

Picture by Paul Noronha

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