Clothing

Owning very few things for hot weather, I arrived with only 3 outfits and a plan to shop for clothing immediately. Right near my house is “Eve’s Era”, women’s clothing emporium. Nothing ready-made is big enough in the shoulders and chest (a surprise, since the affluent women are very busty, pot-bellied, and definitely bigger than me, but they wear saris mostly, not salwars). So I buy a set of material to take to the tailor for “stitching”: custom made salwar kameez – tunic top down to mid-thigh, many choices of neckline, baloony pants with draw-string closure, fitted at the ankle, in contrasting or complimentary color and pattern, never the two pieces the same, and a large shawl that matches both parts. Went downtown to the enormous store full of these sets of fabric, and saris, and various combinations I don’t understand, in cottons, polys, silks and blends, some fabulously expensive ($500+ for exquisite silk saris). I’ve been twice now, bought 7 sets, all light-weight cotton, taken them to the tailor right by my office, who does a fine job. Total cost of final outfit around $15. No use for the shawls, though, because they make an otherwise rather cool outfit rather suffocating. And the fitted ankle is great in the bathrooms – the trousers don’t fall onto the always-wet floors, whether clean or not. All that water slopping about because of the different personal hygiene practices. More on that some other time, perhaps.