Arti Sandhu: ‘Haute-Style’ - The Nationalisation and Representation of Global Fashion in Indian Magazines
MA Fashion and Textiles - Nottingham Trent University, U.K.
Department of Fashion and Textile Design, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
The pages of any contemporary Indian Fashion magazine bear evidence of the simultaneous and often contradictory discourse of tradition and modernity experienced by urban middle class women in India. Recent decades have seen a definite shift towards the increasing acceptance of western clothing styles and the impact of global fashion trends on clothing amongst the urban middle classes and this is mirrored in the way clothing is represented in these magazines. One is struck by the multitude of images in the form of advertisements, styling tips and advertorials that construct Indianisedscenarios of, what is perceived as, ‘western’ modernity, all in the aim to appeal to its middle class female audience. Largely defined by norms emanating from the West, these indigenised visual representations combine themed fashion photography with embellished textual references that fetishize every item of clothing and accessory featured. The women who consume these images are not only consumers of the products on display, but also of the symbolic lifestyle and identities that are projected through this medium.
This paper will examine a selection of such image-texts, decoding the ‘rhetorical garment’ and the common themes and meanings that accrue from the relationship from one image to another and of the words to images. The aim is not only to give an account of how fashion and clothing is portrayed in these magazines, but also how meaning is made through the consumption of this imagery and the authenticity of such representations in shaping and defining the everyday experiences of modern women in urban India.