Wardrobe chronicles: Finding harmony in flux

Overheard a fascinating conversation between the restroom attendants at the New Delhi airport lounge. One of the attendants remarked, “We women are incredibly meticulous about our routines. Before our afternoon shift, we not only clean and tidy our homes but also prepare meals, do laundry, perform our religious rituals, visit the temple, and ensure we are immaculately groomed with neatly combed, well-oiled hair when we come to work. Just look at the men! It makes you wonder if they even bothered to freshen up before heading to work.” I couldn’t help but smile at their astute observation. Women indeed invest a great deal of effort into organizing their lives. However, despite our best attempts, there’s one thing that always seems to resist our efforts to keep it neat and orderly – the wardrobe.

Organizing a woman’s wardrobe can be an intricate challenge, often akin to arranging a puzzle that constantly reshapes itself. The ever-changing landscape of fashion trends, seasons, and occasions makes it exceptionally tough to maintain order. A meticulously folded stack of jeans or sarees might transform into a chaotic jumble of colours and textures within days. Dresses and blouses, carefully hung, seem to conspire in an unspoken rebellion, entangling themselves into a perplexing mess.

In this sartorial chaos, I sometimes found humour. “Wardrobe, you’re like a circus,” I laughed, imagining my clothes performing acrobatics. The formal suits hung regally, pretending to be above the fray, while the traditional Indian suits seemingly challenge the minor existence of regular college wear or athleisure.

The diversity of women’s clothing adds complexity to the chaos. For a casual outing you need to team a kurta with a salwar or jeans while a formal event requires you to dress to the T and this ‘T’ includes multifarious attires ranging from cotton sarees to silks, a formal business suit to wedding attires. 

Those of us who read Geetanjali Shree’s The Tomb of Sand can’t help flaunting their newly acquired knowledge of the variety of sarees differing not only in their silks but also in their weaving. The writer describes colours, patterns and weave of more than twenty types of sarees produced in India- the Kanjeevarams, the Paithanis, the Kota Dorias, the Bandhanis, the Benarsees, the Sambalpuri silks, the Ikkats, the Patolas, the Uppadas, the Pochampallys and the Balucharis- to name a few. If a woman decides to own even one-a-piece, it necessitates an exclusive wardrobe for her collection of the six yard apparel. 

From delicate accessories to voluminous dresses, each item demands a unique storage solution. Shoes multiply, seemingly on their own, occupying every available space. Handbags, scarves, and jewellery create additional challenges, necessitating creative storage ideas that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Basically, a woman’s wardrobe reflects her evolving identity and mood, resulting in frequent changes and rearrangements. A piece worn once might be banished to the depths of the closet, making space for new acquisitions. The delicate balance between fashion, comfort, and self-expression ensures that a woman’s wardrobe is in a perpetual state of flux. The unrest caused bi-annually due to seasonal fluctuations is perhaps one of the most arduous one and a woman requires extra efforts and strength to manage it. Most of our vacations or holidays are earmarked in advance for the said project.

Despite these challenges, organizing a woman’s wardrobe is a testament to adaptability and creativity. It requires not just storage solutions, but a keen understanding of personal style and a willingness to embrace change. Despite the constant disorientation, the art of maintaining an organized woman’s wardrobe lies in appreciating the ever-shifting nature of fashion and finding harmony amidst the chaos.

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