The Hindu Business Line : Formal, but not boring

Looking right is not child's play for the average guy at work. Check out his agenda: Lustrous cuffl-inks for meetings — pastel casuals on Fridays — a hip brand for winning the girl next door. Is it easy to kick out the college hangover at work?

Not really, says Sharath Chandra, an engineering graduate from Bangalore who just joined a French multi-national company, "A transition from college to work doesn't necessarily involve chucking out clothes as much as bringing formal outfits and shoes into one's wardrobe." The rock `n' roll fan has a penchant for all things grunge. While strumming the bass guitar at his usual hangouts, he is clad in a low waist Pepe or Levis jeansand T-shirts, which convey what he "stands for."

Some apparel companies are trying to make inroads into the wardrobes of youngsters who unwillingly don formals. Park Avenue (Raymond Apparel's men's wear brand) has come up with the motto, `Formal is not boring' for its autumn-winter 2004 collection. The collection includes business wear, evening wear, leisure and travel wear, where each category offers a complete wardrobe solution.

Savit Shastri, a physician in his early 20s, has left behind his old sartorial ways at medical school. To present a sober appearance to patients in his clinic, he has switched over from Iron Maiden T-shirts and faded jeans to Indigo Nation, Park Avenue and Van Heusen trousers. With a range of clothes from Fashion Street to Arrow shirts to Levis jeans, he has defined a semi-casual for himself.

Shiva, a model-turned-DJ for Radio Mirchi, Chennai, retains an avant-garde style even in the midst of the Page-3 crowd. "I make my own fashion statement and try to be a trendsetter," he says. Without confining himself to brands, he mixes and matches ethnic wear with casuals.

Some retailers say that Indian professionals working abroad are their frequent customers. Shankar Radhakrishnan, who works as a circuit design engineer for IBM in North Carolina, purchases polo T-shirts, Van Heusen shirts, Dockers trousers and Levis jeans during his visits to India.

Dress codes in the IT sector in the US are becoming passé — more Indian IT professionals there are going in for casuals. "In IT companies today, most of the professionals come in jeans and T-shirts, even when they have to make presentations," says Radhakrishnan. Research scholars in the US rack their grey cells at labs in casuals but switch over to formals for conferences.

"I like to lounge in my lab in shorts and a collared T-shirt," says Bharath Chandrasekhar, who is pursuing his Ph.D in neuroscience at Purdue University in the US. Pointing out that blues and khakis never go out of fashion, he adds, "I like to combine formal shirts with khaki shorts or half-sleeve shirts with trousers to give the semi-formal look."

Business casuals such as collared T-shirts and semi-formal trousers are in vogue among finance managers of accounting companies in the US.

S. Niranjan, a staff auditor for a Big Four accounting company in New Jersey, fancies brands such as GAP, Armani (Emporio and Exchange) and Polo. Citing the rage of black outfits, he says nothing compares to the elegant finish of leather coats in winter.

Bankers in India, besides matching balance sheets with international accounting systems, are also dressing in sync with their counterparts worldwide. World Bank officials from Washington to Chennai are now following a uniform dress code of smart casuals to rough out global warming this summer.

Pastel shades, pin-stripes, checks and self-coloured shirts are the must-haves for Anand, a Chennai-based World Bank official. "Pin-stripes give a lot of definition, particularly when you go for meetings," he says. While observing that Park Avenue trousers are popular among executives, the style-savvy banker cautions professionals to steer clear of glossy trousers as they "give a picnic party effect."

In the meantime, the retail chain Pantaloons, has seen a quick turnover for pastel colours, solids and checks. Formals like flat-front trousers, broad checks and chinos are in demand this season, says the store manager of Pantaloons in Chennai. Software professionals are going in for semi-formals including plains and cottons to beat the soaring mercury. John Miller formals and Turtle casuals are also making headway in sales, he adds.

Allen Solly is mostly sought after by younger customers who find its light colours and stitching more appealing, points out the manager of Guru Costumes, an apparel showroom for branded men's wear in Chennai. He adds that roughly 60 per cent of the buyers of Allen Solly are IT professionals. Allen Solly's Mood Indigo — a collection of bright shirts with broad checks, and the Eco-Friendly formal range, have the flamboyant look to capture young takers.

ColorPlus, the upmarket range of smart casuals, is also doing its bit to spice up the attire of CEOs and senior executives this summer. Like a throwback to the psychedelic 1960s, ColorPlus has launched mackerel, aubergine and parsnip stripes. Taking a cue from the French, the summer collection lets executives breathe easy with `fil-a-fil' (end-upon-end) weaves.

Louis Philippe's `Gods and Kings' party-wear collection for the summer, at a price range of Rs 1,599-Rs 4,000, suits the pockets of fledgling professionals as well as CEOs. The apparel chain's Connoisseur trousers are not only engineered to give a "classic fit" but also provide ergonomic comfort to jet-setting managers.

With a flurry of brands, smart textile technology and changing corporate dress codes, men's wear is far from mundane. There's more to formals than stodgy suits and ties, and casuals can go beyond hip-hop sweat -shirts.

Picture by Mohammed Yousuf

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Formal, but not boring

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