“I cant look at anything else in the room “, Swapnil my colleague remarked as he walked in to office. For a change I had worn bold colorful stripes to work to counter the Monday blues, deviating from the customary greys and blacks that dominate the business world! I went on receiving quite a few compliments that day and decided that I must move away from shades of grey to a more colorful world. After all, as Indians we are known to celebrate colors in our daily lives and must not shy away from adding a desi touch to our persona as well. With Holi round the corner, a celebration of colors seems to be the order of the day.
Lidia, my Italian friend says, “India introduced colors to me”. Ever since her first visit to India, she has definitely embraced colors into her otherwise conservative European color schemes. That seemed like a victory for India, coming from an Italian, especially when all the fashion houses come from Italy. After all even the devil wears Prada! Formal dressing for most of us means Western formals due to its neat cuts and low maintenance on the job. |
And for many of us formals also means stiff clothes. I always had this view until my first visit to Australia. The tour guide was waiting to welcome us with a big smile, a shirt, a tie and shorts! This funny combination seemed to be an adaptation to suit Australia’s climate and I think mindset as well. As a guide who worked in sunny Queensland and spent a lot of time guiding tourists across the stunning beaches, theme parks, rainforests and wildlife sanctuaries in search of koalas and Kangaroos this seemed the most appropriate friendly yet formal dress. And of course his sunny disposition added to make the whole Aussie holiday a colorful and happy experience!
Just as the shorts and tie combination works wonders for Australia, the ‘Singapore Girl’ has created magic for Singapore Airlines over the years. One of the most admired official uniforms, the sarong kebaya’ worn by the Singapore Airlines Air hostesses is much more than a uniform. It has created excellent brand value for Singapore Airlines and is instantly recognizable as a mark of quality and
service. |
 Of course it goes hand in hand with Singapore airlines hospitality and cabin crew being recognized as the best with various
awards and recognition. And many women like me aspire to fit in to the Sarong as effortlessly as the Singapore girl! Titania, my colleague from Singapore informs me that the air hostesses are hardly given any margin for the dress measurements. The beautiful dress almost looks like it is stitched on the body and most probably is! The minute they realize that its slightly tighter at the seams, they go on a diet to make sure they fit in their dress for the next flight. But flying to Singapore also means devouring the sizzling chili crabs, the wonderful roti pratas and downing the Singapore slings. So if I had to choose between the Singapore food delights against fitting into the Singapore girl’s uniform I would definitely choose the former. And yes, I wouldn’t mind adopting the Aussie uniform if I had to! |
