Colors: Red

Red has many different meanings in Indian culture. In marriage, red plays a major part for the bride. She wears red clothing, red henna, and in some Hindu communities, wears bright red sindoor powder on her hairline to show she is married. Red also symbolizes fertility, purity, and is generally associated with positive energy.

In Western culture, red is often associated with danger, love, or anger. The villain is often dressed in red as a warning and a way of showing power. The love interest is also often dressed in red, though usually not the ingenue, but the more experienced character.

Walter C. Hodges' costume design for Lady Macbeth is shown below. The red in the dress helps convey the character's power and ruthlessness.

Below is the main character, a young bride, in Bollywood movie Monsoon Wedding. Note the red accents throughout her outfit.

Colors: White

Although the costumes in Bollywood movies differ in style, they all share one factor: rich, vibrant colors.  While in India, I noticed the fashion on the street was similarly colorful--a bright purple sari was more common than a dull brown one. Though Bollywood and street fashion definitely influence each other, the colors in Bollywood costumes have more significance than just looking pretty. Many colors symbolize different aspects of the character's personality or even hint at that character's future.

Of course, the use of colors as symbols is not unique to Bollywood costumes. The costumes of Western theater use colors for added meaning as well--pastels for the love-struck ingenue, dark reds and blacks for the villain. Though some colors and their associations are shared in both Western theater and Bollywood, many colors have entirely different meanings in India.

The color white is often used in Western theater to symbolize youth and purity. Alternatively, it can symbolize wealth and high status. In India, white symbolizes peace. However, it is also the color used in mourning. For example, the Indian movie Water, which documents the life of a widow, has the main character wearing a white sari for movie. The reason for white is because white is devoid of color, and therefore a widow wearing white is disconnected from the luxuries of life around her.

Below is the poster art for the film Water:

In the 2009 revival of the musical Ragtime, costume designer Santo Loquasto has the people of New Rochelle--the upper class, rich, white family--all wear completely white costumes.

In the 2010 revival of A Little Night Music, Anne, the young, innocent new wife, is dressed in all white.

These differences in how costume designers use the color white are interesting to study, as they are based in the country's culture and the preconceived associations with these colors. Next time, I'll look at red!

Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai

Another very popular Bollywood song from the 90s, "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" is from the 1993 movie Khalnayak and features many beautiful costumes. As you can see from the below picture, the main character wears a vibrant costume with many reflective decorations on the bodice. The top and skirt also have small coins that make noise as she moves, similar to the ones used in belly dancing. You can watch the number here.

While researching this song, I found out that it was a subject of great controversy in India for many years for the suggestive lyrics. The title translates to "what's underneath that blouse?" And was originally intended to be cut from the song. The number also caused controversy because of the "saucy" dance number, although as Monika Mehta notes in Censorship and Sexuality in Bombay Cinema, the movie was determined suitable for those 15 and over by the British Board of Film Classification. This discrepancy is interesting to examine, especially when one compares the costumes in this number to similar ones in Western films or even Western theater. It is clear that the Indian and Western standards are different in lyrics and in costumes. 

Chaiyya Chaiyya & Bombay Dreams

I am officially back from India! Though I will miss lime soda and dosa, I am happy to be back in a place where people obey traffic laws.

Since I returned, I have been watching a lot of Bollywood dance numbers on Youtube. I love the quick costume and set changes and the intricate jewelry in all the songs. One song I particularly love is "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se.., a 1998 Bollywood movie. You can watch the number here.

I love that in this number the main guy (King Khan) wears a very 90s-looking red jacket while the rest of the dancers are wearing very traditional costumes. The combination goes to show how even in Bollywood films, the costumes are influenced by the popular fashions of the time.

Even more interesting about this number is that it was used in Bombay Dreams, the Andrew Lloyd Webber-produced Bollywood musical that closed less than a year after it opened on Broadway. I am a fan of Bombay Dreams because it uses a few songs from originally Bollywood movies, like "Chaiyya Chaiyya." I am intrigued by this crossover of Broadway and Bollywood, since as far as I know no other show on Broadway has embraced the Bollywood theme as much as this one. Although Bombay Dreams did not receive very good reviews, it still managed to gain a few Tony nominations, including best costume. You can see the elaborate costumes from the show below:

Mohabbat the Taj

While in Agra, I was lucky enough to see the show Mohabbat the Taj, a "mesmerizing dance drama" depicting the love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Though the show was not  quite as epic as it the description led me to believe, the costumes were amazing. Luckily the theater had some of them on display, so I was able to look at them in great detail.

Below are two costumes of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. These characters did not move as much as the ensemble, who put on elaborate dance numbers. As you can see, the two main characters' costumes are very vibrant and richly colored, with great detail in the designs of their costumes. 

Many pieces of jewelry from the show were also on display. One major difference between Indian costuming and Western costuming is the use of heavy necklaces, bangles, and earrings like the one below. These are much more prominent in Indian costuming, and just as intricate and detailed as the costumes themselves.

Below are some of the other costumes hanging up. These are the costumes of the dancers, and therefore have to allow more movement. Still, they are all very brightly colored and relied heavily on sparkles and sequins to catch the audiences' eye.

These costumes are beautiful, but I also know they are not representative of all Indian costumes. Next week I will discuss the different variations in costuming and clothing in general that I have witnessed here.

Rajasthan & Block Printing

I spent the past weeks galavanting around India. In my travels, I stumbled upon the practice of block printing, a method of dying textiles that is famous in the state of Rajasthan. While in Jaipur, we were shown many different scarves, bed sheets, and other fabrics dyed in this unique way. I even got to try my hand at block printing (though the result was not too impressive). Observe my sad elephant:

Ignoring my sad attempt, block printing can produce beautiful and complex designs. To do so, first the fabric is smoothed out on a flat surface. Next, a stamp-like block with a design is dipped in a dye and pressed continuously onto the fabric. The dye I used to make my elephant was all natural, coming from turmeric and spinach, but synthetic dyes are also used. Though I only used two, up to six different colors can be used to make more complicated designs, as you can see below.

The key to these designs is accuracy. After examining the method of block printing, I am amazed at the detail that goes into the cloth at such an early stage. In Western costuming, fabric is hand dyed only when the costume designer wants a specific color unavailable in stores. The process is rarely a natural as that of the Rajashtani block printing, and lacks the cultural richness.

Bangalore!

For the past couple of days, I have been in Bangalore, home of delicious food and brightly-colored clothing. Mosambi (sweet lime juice), gulab jamun, peda, and kootu have been my favorites so far (and Prithvi definitely did not help me spell those). And the fresh coconut juice from the street! Observe this pile of coconuts:

Clothing-wise, we visited a tailor shop that makes women's clothing. The colorful fabric is incredibly vibrant and beautiful, ranging from bright magenta to deep gold. I learned from the shop that when making saris, the blouses must be individually made for the wearer. Because of the customization, the person must be measured before the blouse can be made. Below is a photo of the tailor shop we visited. You can see the blouses hanging in the top left corner and the colorful fabrics on the right.

Here is Prithvi getting measured. She looks enthralled.

Tomorrow we leave for our busy trip to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Mumbai. I can't wait!

Bath Fashion Museum

Hello! This week I come to you from India. I just arrived in Bangalore, but before I get into the Bollywood side of things I thought I'd discuss the items at the Fashion Museum in my birthplace, Bath. Bath is glorious, as was this museum, as you can see from these beautiful pieces.

The below dress is an evening gown from 1800. It reminded me of something Ms. Bennet would wear in Pride and Prejudice. Embroidered with tiny glass cylinders, it sparkled like it was covered in sequins. Evening gowns in the 1800s were often styled like Greek and Roman statues, with slender shapes and long skirts.

This gold dress is from 1925. It has a gold lace skirt and a "freeing" golden bodice. Designed by Paul Poiret, it was meant to free women from the corsets of the time. I love the detail in this piece and the rich golden color.

The last dress is from the 1950s, my favorite fashion time period.  The embroidery reminds me of dresses from the 1800s, while the full skirt is characteristic of the mid 20th century.

After looking at countless pieces at the museums in England, I find the rich detail throughout the centuries is amazing. No matter which decade, clothing always uses impressive embroidery, dye, or other decorations to capture the eye. Also interesting is the difference between these authentic pieces and what we see as costumes in movies, television shows, and theater--those made to look old still use the methods of today, resulting in clothing that is very cleanly made. Many of the pieces I saw, especially from the earlier centuries, lack that precision because of the tools and fabrics available at that time. 

Finally, a picture from an actual costume shop in London! Isn't it pretty?

That's it for Europe. Next time I'll start posting about the amazing India!