I've always loved girly clothes: lace, ruffles, silky fabrics ... Of course, I like them in good taste and never over done. I think that's one reason I loved princess stories and why they resonate with girls little and not so little - the fashion. I mean, how cool are puffy sleeves and floofy skirts with multiple layers beneath?
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| www.serendipityretail.co.uk |
(Isn't this cute? Perfect for little girl dress-up!)
Clothes like that are highly impractical and as a grown-up, I've often felt amazement at the women in history who had to wear things like corsets and hoopskirts and snoods while trying to raise kids, clean house, or organize community projects. Historical costuming aside, there is still a couple of traditional regalia out there that I think rock in the modern age. What are they? Keep reading.
(Okay, so women who wore these probably didn't have to mind the kids or make bread, but their poorer counterparts who had less pretty versions of these dresses did.)
I really hate Western fashion. For the average woman, it's frumpy, or constrictive, immodest, or gaudy. And please give me the right to say that fashion designers are clueless (okay, that's harsh, maybe strapped by modern standards would work better) when it comes to workable, good-looking clothes for everyday wear. Maybe it's our cultural downward spiral into extreme casualness to blame. Well, whatever the reason, I'm locked into Western fashion because that is where I live and unfortunately, my cultural background and identity has taken fashion in directions I loathe.
This one says, "I just threw something on. Oh well.":
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| www.aliexpress.com |
Who could walk comfortably in this thing?:
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| fashionfuz.com |
I wish we had more clothing like this:
Indian fashion is so pretty! Of course it can get too opulent and impractical too. Any cultural fashion type can. But how comfortable and gorgeous these clothes are! (I'm not a fan of the missing mid-drift, but that aside ...) I follow a couple of Indian fashion houses on Facebook just so I can look at the pictures and my hope in femininity can be rekindled.
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| Kaneesha.com |
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| Kaneesha.com |
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| Kaneesha.com |
I admit that Indian fashion helped shape some of the clothing in
my stories. And I wish I had the cultural background to get away with wearing Indian fashion. I'd stick out around the people in my community, or get censured for not having the right cultural identity to wear things like that. I don't have much of a glamorous night life either for the really glitzy stuff. *sigh* A girl can dream, right?
The pictures say so much more than I can, so I'll leave you with a few more. Tell me what you think. Do you like what you see? What traditional cultural garb do you wish you could get away with wearing? And for fun, what's your favorite color?
This one's my favorite:
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| Kaneesha.com |
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| Kaneesha.com |
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| Kaneesha.com |
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| Kaneesha.com |
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| Kaneesha.com |
Beautiful colors. Beautiful fabrics. You can move in these! And most Indian fashion is modest. Proving you don't have to show a ton of skin to draw attention. To me, these clothes say, "I respect myself. I'm comfortable with my femininity. I take care to look my best."
And yes, to the snarky person who is thinking, "You can't chase kids or clean the bathroom in most of these outfits," most of these you couldn't. But there are simpler, less dressy versions of these styles that Indian women wear every day to do mundane chores. They are still feminine.
(I am in no way affiliated with either Mirraw Designs or Kaneesha.com. I'm just a fan who is happy to share their work.)
(Okay, so women who wore these probably didn't have to mind the kids or make bread, but their poorer counterparts who had less pretty versions of these dresses did.) 
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