One of the vloggers I follow occasionally, very recently commented in one of his reels that in Germany, where he is now based, a premium is put on daily output of an employee and not how he is dressed in the office. Back in India, where he belongs and worked for a while, aside work output, it was very important how an employee dressed to work.
I agree with him as in our office there was a dress code too – saree or western formal for women and shirt and trousers for men. T-shirts and jeans were permitted only on working holidays and not on week days. In high profile meetings men came in two-piece or even in three-piece suit (smelling of moth balls) and women in their best cottons and silks. More adventurous ones put on a tie with a pair of shirt and trouser. Sum and substance of the story – it was easy to figure out the bosses’ schedule from their outfits!!
In certain industries, like hospitality, men are found in black trousers and blazers on white shirts even in hot summers. And they invariably smell of stale food!! I wonder why.
Coming to think of it we do have an unwritten dress code for every occasion. You have got to “dress right”. In fact, we are known by how we dress. For walks it has to be in casuals for gym in sports wears, for outings (depending on the time of the day) informals , for marriages embellished ethnic attires heavier than the body weight, for mourning usually whites.
We cannot think of anybody walking into the office in tracks or shorts (Oops! So revealing) even if you are snoozing most of the hours or knitting socks. After the occasion comes who you are going with or the kind of society you will be in. What nature or thinking they have. Whether male or female. If you are with somebody who is considered to be of a conservative mindset or a certain class you should dress accordingly not to offend his or her sensibilities and not to make a caricature of yourself.
One of my fashionable female colleagues, would strictly subscribe to salwar suits with flowing dupattas when she had to visit the offices of the transporters. From my personal experience, I know as a woman how difficult it is to get work from that clan because in their ecosphere women are only seen and not heard. If you went overboard with your attire it was most certain that you would end up being an object of their utmost contempt and ridicule.
During the second dosage of vaccination for COVID, I had to go to a rural dispensary to get the shot where it was customary for the women to cover their faces in long ghunghats or dupattas. I felt quite unsuitably dressed in a t-shirt and pajama!!
More important is the role being played by you. If you are slotted as the “buzurg” (i.e. the elderly) you have to wear “serious” clothes, like sarees or salwar suits. Interestingly, you easily get a seat in the Metro if you are in a saree. I have tried that out myself. 😊
In Bengali culture, it used to be more age related (I don’t know about now). Women who have crossed the 40s were not supposed to wear darker shades or dress charmingly. More so, if you had a few grey strands visible in your hair. Widows generally wore white or off white sarees with thin borders.
My paternal aunt, married into a joint family, was very cautious about the colour of the sarees she draped much much before her daughter, who was of my age, got married. One of our teachers only wore crisply starched white sarees with simple borders. Was it her personal preference or a family stricture I don’t know. Our Physics teacher, her mix of black and white hair tightly knotted in a bun, wore dark red lipstick and darker shades of sarees. In those times it was considered quite ‘out of the ordinary’!! We had categorically told my mother not to give in to white after my father’s early demise.
And then how one dresses changes with the region or community a person belongs to…
However, now times have changed. With the migratory nature of the workforce, most millennials working in MNCs and families travelling frequently out of the country, dressing has gone global. Jeans have hijacked the populace. Long dresses are also much in vogue as they are very convenient. Fusion wears are upbeat and comfortable.
The long and short of it is that every individual is now making a statement by the way they choose to dress. And that is quite remarkable!!!
Loved this Geeta ji! 🤍From dress codes to personal expression, you’ve covered it so beautifully. 🌸🦋✨
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Thank you Rajeshwari. From societal norms to work necessities our sense of dressing is quite culture deep and ethnic too.
I think this is the only country where there is a vast range of sartorial options and extravagances too.
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I dislike to be told what to dress. I like my own style.🤭
But, if ever I come to India, is it compulsory for foreigners to wear sarees in certain places?
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No…no… absolutely not. You can wear whatever you are comfortable in. Now the norms are not so watertight and absolutely global. You can wear pants, shorts etc.
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Great!!! I like that.
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How difficult people dress for work is interesting. I enjoyed hearing about the various ‘rules’ for what to wear.
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Thank you very much Liz 🙂
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Should have said different not difficult!!
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You write so well! 👍🏻
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Thank you so much Little 😊. Taking a bow.
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That “smelling of moth balls” brought a smile. Wonderful observation.
The dress code mention reminded me of my own experience. In beginning years of my career, some of my female colleagues told me that I was lucky beacause had ever asked me to wear a sari instead of a salwar suit. I decided to have a low profile and keep my choice. 😊
Despite my dressing choice, I maintained my dignity and professionalism and earned the respect of people at all levels of the organization, including Class III and Class IV staff.
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Rupali, unfortunately, those who stick to traditional attire are also typecast as “behenjis” too.
It’s an anomaly because in one hand we associate traditional outfits with role playing on the other we scorn it as downmarket.
I think one should dress according to the climate, work necessities and dignity.
You are right ultimately it’s the way you carry yourself.
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It was like walking a tightrope or “tare varchi kasrat” (as in Marathi). I was an outsider and I knew it very well.
You understood very well the twists and turns of working in a government organisation.
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I can understand and appreciate your feelings as I have spent almost four decades in the government sector.
In fact social/regional /communal segregations in the government sector is very common.
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This was a really fun read! Great work. I’d love for you to check out my latest work at paraphenatic.com, if you’re interested! Always looking to get some feedback!
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A wonderful reflection on the connection between culture and fashion. Clothing is more than just style—it tells stories, preserves traditions, and expresses identity. Thank you for sharing such an engaging perspective. 👏✨
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Thank you so much Safiaji. As you rightly say how we dress is our cultural identifier and preserver of tradition, values and upbringing.
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How we dress is so important – mainly a sign of respect. Many years ago, before it became fashionable to wear torn jeans, I sent a social worker home to change his trousers for that reason.
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😊
I can well imagine!!
Dress code in our office started when one of the higher ups saw an officer in jeans and a t-shirt on a working day.
But now the torn jeans which are called stressed jeans are a fashion statement.
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Wonderful post reflecting culture,fashion,style and fabrics.
Your mention of teachers dresses reminded me of my physics teacher Indira Mam dressed in two-piece suit or a saree,botany teacher Pushpa Mam whose hairpins always matched her dress,Chemistry teacher Natasha Mam dressed in a saree or kameez-salwar ,her hair tied up in a bun and her long fingernails painted with nail paint,english teachers Tanveer Mam,Suriya Mam and Parveen Mam in kameez salwars,their hair tied in a plait and wearing flat shoes.
All these and other graceful teachers taught us how to dress, as teachers in those days cared for the overall development of students.
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Kitni yaadein taaza ho gayin. Thank you Nusrat. Our teachers were dignified and dressed well. Even our HOD in office who was lady dressed in salwar kameez and her dupatta would remain spotless and crease-less till the end of the day.
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As a pebble causes ripples to spread in silent waters,so do your posts.Sab yaadein taaza ho jatee hai
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I agree that one should dress appropriately but the color choices should be my own.
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Freedom of choice should be available to everyone…
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Agreed
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I’m not sure what people are wearing in the office anymore, but ironically, a couple of days ago I was walking through an outdoor shopping mall and was surprised to see a man in a suit. I realized that even on a work day, suits are rare to see.
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Yes, Mary, it seems globally people have taken to casual wears
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