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City dollies going chic
High-heel shoes are the current rage among Vizag girls. There is a wide choice of footwear for the lasses in any city mart. Photos: K.R. Deepak
Everyone agrees that the best part of an international celebrity show is watching the stars arrive and sashay their way up the red carpet. `Glam' is in, and Vizag's girls are not going to be left back. Gone is the era of the blue jean look and the divas of Vizag are strutting their stuff in sleek and glitzy wear at parties and places of happenings.
"We don't want to look 'regular' at a party, for our generation, there are options galore with more places to shop as compared to our mothers. Now, I can pick up more flamboyant clothes without batting an eyelid..to match with the real me!" avers upcoming model Chandralekha.
For some of us, Vizag just cannot seem to match up. But then wait! Fashion has that `Alice in Wonderland' effect. Till a few years ago the city belles were the typical half -sari clad types but in the late 1970s a sea change came about.
With the opening of "Flower Field" designer wear, fashion became an important part of power dressing. Sarala Oza, a name to reckon with when it comes to fashion. Regarded as one who brought fashion to this city, she has been in this glam business ever since her arrival in 1977. Her taste for fashion coupled with a keen sense of observation that "clothes were not making a statement" here, made her start Flower Field. After a short stint with well-known social worker, Promila Saraf at Sreeramnagar in the Women's Rehabilitation Project, Sarala's dreams took wings and her little fashion studio opened up.
She mainly kept ethnic wear from Bangalore, jewellery from Kolkata and Mumbai and dress material from Gujarat and Rajasthan. Today, the 69- year- old grandmother still looks after the boutique, ably supported by her two daughters-in-law. "Heena, -the elder of the two takes care of the store's aesthetics, while Meghna who's got all the attributes of a keen business woman, helps me make the right strategies". It's no wonder that their shop has stood the test of time and still holds sway in fashion circles.
The 1980s saw the arrival of dynamic Usha Murthy from Vijayawada and `Monalisa' was born. With her passion for needlework - an integral part of convent school curriculum those days- she wanted to be different. Her craving to create made her a household name and soon she shifted to larger premises in Jagadamba Junction and changed the name to "Pramushas". Hers was the magical world of exciting colours and materials. The designer salwaar was introduced and Kanchi cottons became the craze of the city. Usha's touch would transform the simplest of khadis into creations of envy and style. The dhoti salwaar, Patiala suits and heavy embroidery which was in vogue in metros showcased themselves with a bang when Pramushas staged the city's first ever fashion show in 1988.
" Organizing a fashion show those days meant a months hard work and getting loads of clothes together," Usha pips in. "However, the support I got from teenagers was phenomenal and that inspired me to surge on".
Slowly she closed shop and started her exclusive tailoring and embroidery unit where she still doles out the finest of zardosi, zari work and wedding collections with ribbon work, Kundan and Kashmiri embroidery. A good designed sari with basic embroidery would cost anywhere up from Rs. 3,000/- here, but then a design is never repeated.
Drawing inspiration from Pramushas, the Bulchandani Brothers of "Moti Creations" started "Dolls N' Chic" in 1989. Kamal and Dileep work very hard in a woman's world of fashion dressing and putting together readymade collections from different parts of India and abroad. Dileep is especially enamoured with western influence on Indian styles and scouts the fashion markets to bring to Vizag hand picked and exclusive western wear. The 1992 and 1995 Navy Ball saw some colour palettes that ranged from cream through bright jewel colours and cooled down with gowns in pastel shades. They dared to depart from traditional ethnic wear and created an inspirational line of Indo-Westerns that came as a pleasant surprise to the city. Amidst the applause that night, Dolls N' Chic had arrived!
Today, the store located at Prakasaraopeta junction is the most popular haunt of fashionable teenagers. "Their clothes are so glamorous, flirty yet chic," says local model Catherine.
It's no wonder that most cine units which come down to shoot in the city visit this boutique first. They also boast of 1000 styles of footwear. Cine actresses Ghazala, Neha and Laila Khan are among its frequenters. International fashion photographer , B.K. Agarwal, also endorses their collections as "cool and up to the mark".
When it comes to clothes, women are choosy, more so the youthful ones. They would literally scour the whole range of garments available in the emporium before picking their favourite fabric.
The 1990s saw the setting up of some wonderful designer boutiques. The needle started to speak a different language to the city. Bilkis of "Tabassum Creations" has collections that speak of blended ethnic weaves and embroidery with western silhouettes. Madhu of "Femme Fatale" creates wearable clothes with exquisite cuts, finish and fit. Her strength is the simple clean line that does not get lost to embroidery.
Sonu Dhawan's "Ishwatam" is a grand offering to the city. Truly in a class of her own, she uses deep, earthy colours, natural fabrics, vegetable dyes, and artfully combines her versatility to produce masterpieces. Her undisputed and deep knowledge of hand dyeing techniques combines her astute eye for details at work.
Some good designer wear options also hang out at SKML and Kankatala for the younger girls but the middle aged still remember American Silk Store, Fashion Silk House and Gautam's for their classy cotton and silk stuff.
Padmini Chengal Roy extols the regular exhibitions that are being held annually in the city. "Pallavi and Gunjan were names we used to wait for every year to shop like crazy. However, we have some good options locally, too, and if we look around seriously we can find what we want". New Pret Lines are here for the dolls of Vizag. They are now free to follow their instincts and dress themselves pretty. "May be we need a few more good designer fashion shows from bigger cities to feel the difference," feels Rohit Jain who has just come to Vizag from Mumbai. "However, I must say that if we hang out on the beach, at Hot Breads or Rodeo over the weekends we get to see some really stylish girls wearing some chic clothes."
So, girls, showcase your talent in fashion in true style. After all, Vizag is the "fastest growing city" in South<243> India.
MEENAKSHI ANANTRAM
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