Fashion Weeks and Wardrobe Malfunctions

It's that time of the year again. Another India Fashion Week has got under way. So it will be more designers strutting their creativity on more models on the ramp once more. Does the average non-page 3 really care? Does he see anything that one can wear? Why then the hype and glamour surrounding the fashion week?

For any average person, fashion week just means an opportunity to ogle at gorgeous models. Both men and women are more interested in what the models are not wearing, rather than what they are. Most of the dresses on show are completely unwearable for the non party-goer. Would you wear a sheer dress to your office? Or go to the mall wearing a long feathered hat? Who are the designers kidding?

A regular feature of these fashion weeks have been wardrobe malfunctions. The Lakme India Fashion Week began on the 28th of March, and in the past three days has already seen two incidents of wardrobe malfunctions. The term "Wardrobe Malfunction" caught public attention after the Janet Jackson fiasco at the superbowl. But in the Indian context, it becomes more important.

A few years back, Negar Khan had a wardrobe malfunction on the ramp, where she got noticed by a music video maker. How, after that she went on to become the queen of music videos and item-numbers, is history. So, for any model looking to tread this path, a wardrobe malfunction is an easy way to get noticed. A model who can keep her cool after her dress falls off, is certainly not shy at exposing, hence ideal stuff for item-numbers. Also, these wardrobe malfunctions have provided the fashion week with free publicity as well.

However it does not mean that all wardrobe malfunctions are engineered. There is some merit to the fact that there is little time between successive appearances on the ramp, which allows any model little time for change of costume, make-up and hair. So an accident is always a possibility which cannot be ruled out.

And anyway when the interest of the majority of the audience is in what is not worn, a wardrobe malfunction is always a welcome thing!