Where’s the waist?

Dubbed the “inexterminable cockroach of the fashion world”, low-rise jeans and its blood relative, the ‘dangerously low-rise’ variety, cling tenaciously on in India, despite having been shown the door by the global fash frat.

It’s a form of anarchy — one that took the inspiration of several pop artistes and much advertising before crawling its way out of music videos and on to the streets, colleges, even offices. Women and men of all ages and sizes are wearing these jeans with low waistbands that often fit far below the hip, somehow struggling to hold on. The trend travelled to India some years ago, but the uneasy depths to which the pants have sunk after Salaam Namaste was quite unexpected.

“Honestly, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t wear low-waist jeans. Do stores still sell the high-waist ones?” asks Neepa Mitra, 19, a student of St Xavier’s College. Atul Agarwal, owner of the Levi’s Store on Park Street, confirms that there has been a dramatic rise in the sale of “dangerously low” jeans in the past few years.

Have we gone too far, and for too long? Perhaps not — the young seem to be restless for more (or less). “I am thrilled to draw gasps of horror from my mother, but would not follow the Kaanta Laga trend. The rule is-go as low as you’d dare, but please keep the underwear out of sight and mind!” says a 24-year old Calcutta-based designer, who chose to stay anonymous.

But this is a delicately poised problem, and the balance is rarely struck. The girls don’t all disapprove of a good-looking male waist and stylish undie on display. “It’s nice actually. As long as it isn’t embracing a wobbly-waist line!” feels Debdutta Ganguly, a 20-year-old JU student. “Guys flaunting their boxers is okay as long as it’s a Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger. Anything else is just repulsive!” adds Pooja Ghatak, a 19-year-old Xaverian.

The blue G-string made famous by Shefali Zariwala

But for girls, it’s a different story altogether. “It’s almost like putting our body and moral sensibilities in some painfully humiliating reality show!” groans a Modern High student. Bending, sitting, even moving without drawing shocked gasps from the room can be quite an uphill task. “Well, it’s best to team low-waist jeans with a longish top and a belt. But it’s still unavoidable,” sighs the 17-year old.

Why can’t we seem to let go? Could there be a practical reason behind it? “Low fit is great for us to hold the bulge of the tummy many of us seem to have, without making it a muffin top!” explains fashion photographer Kaustav Saikia.

The low-rise connection is not restricted to jeans alone. “We love Fergie’s Hey Mama look — a black boxer skirt, worn really low with a little peek-a-boo midriff, teamed with a white semi-formal shirt, knee-length white socks and ankle-length red converse!” says Anurupa Bodra, a 17-year-old La Martiniere student.

Hem heights

While the waistbands are dropping, hemlines are crawling right up. Sudden liberty has encouraged the pretty young things in town to flirt so dangerously with hemlines that wearing a long skirt in school can crush your dreams of upward social mobility forever. Blame the weather or television or Sania Mirza or all three, but we love our skirts served short.

“Girls wearing long skirts look dumb, funny and so not cool. I wear my skirt some three inches above my knee. It’s nice and comfortable,” says our girl at Modern High. The Lakshya-Preity-long-skirt look is a long passe. Think more along the lines of Britney Spears, in the titillating …Baby One More Time music video, or our very own minimalist, Malaika Arora Khan.

“Students have found different ways to make their school skirts shorter. We always ask the ones with short skirts to take down the hem, but these days that doesn’t help much. They fold the skirt near the waist and conveniently tuck it in. Bollywood made it fashionable, but the campus is not really a ramp,” frowns teacher Sagarika Ghosh of Our Lady Queen of the Mission. “It’s great if one can pull it off, but by and large, the Indian body is not crafted for mini-skirts. A tube top + mini skirt + knee length boots = harlot horror!” says our aghast young designer.

Necks next

Hollywood has mastered it and Bollywood is learning fast. So Calcutta can’t help but take the plunge! The temptation is strong to waver from our modest sensibilities and to push the neckline lower than ever before.

Bollywood took the ‘plunge’ with Salaam Namaste

“I am least apprehensive about experimenting with my neckline. Scoop, off-shoulder, halter — I have tried it all,” explains Sayani Majumder, a 19-year-old student. And it isn’t just about following trends — she has clear reasons for it. “The neckline is a great tool to take the focus off my short height and a little plunge makes my neck look longer.”

Designers and fashion experts would agree, who say the perfect neckline flatters your body proportions. But experiment at your own risk when on the perilous streets of Calcutta. “On a regular college day I would be wearing spaghettis with my pair of Levi’s or a skirt, as a spaghetti is boat-shaped and shows off my collarbones rather than my cleavage,” explains Debdutta.

Designers have a clever solution for teenage girls coming of age with playful intentions, but who have to wear their values — quite literally — on their sleeves for mom or the man on the street: opt for a colourful shawl to cover the shoulders. And do pick your neckline with care, they recommend, as it reflects the image you want to convey.

Men, too, have taken the plunge. The ‘dress shirt’, spearheaded by designer Tom Ford, has collars that spread like wings, and are supposed to be a frame for the proud, sculpted chest. The trend has now trickled down to every nightclub and pub in the country. “Keeping in mind the muggy Indian weather, round tees provide no ventilation at all! A moderately plunging tee, enough to show off the chest muscles, with rolled-up sleeves, teamed with a pair of cigarette Levi’s is most suitable for Indian men,” sums up lensman Saikia.

Bottomline? Bahut girey huye hain hum.