FIGLEAF TO FASHION - A TRIBUTE

On a bright sunny evening as I boarded a bus for a long journey, the man in the front stooped to pick the wallet he had dropped revealing a large chunk of his innerwear flashing its brand too. As he fashionably raised himself, the T shirt he sported refused to drop down whilst the jeans threatened to succumb to gravity. The sight triggered a trip down the memory lane which was brusquely interrupted by the word "Ticket?". Quickly, purchasing my right to travel, I scoured for a comfortable seat and settled into a cosy one on the aisle side which would allow me the liberty of stretching my limbs at will.

Having nestled into a seat and as the engines revved up and a breeze caressed my locks off the forehead, it was time to get into the nostalgia. It was not long ago that the male of the species would in typical Victorian style exchange meaningful grins whilst the females did a similar act which had gathered some acclaim thanks to the likes of Marlyn Monroe. Then what turned the tides the other way was the thought albeit the saying curiosity kills the cat.

After rummaging through the memory box, it was realised that the men especially the rustics were normally ridiculed for wearing a dhoti which was folded upwards to expose a portion of the shorts. Evidently, these shorts had the treasured pockets and needed to be accessed to recover the moolah. It was also a practical method of carrying money which could not be easily accessed by a pick pocket. However, these wise men had to suffer the ridicule for decades at the hands of the urbane lot.

Apparently, some trouser manufacturer's tagging personnel unwittingly changed the tide by placing the waist size tags on to a larger one. These when picked up by the Genext was found to be fashionable making others follow suit. There is need for research to substantiate this thought process but at least I could find no other. Some mistakes make fashion as long as the marketing man knows how to sell. It is at least one area in which men can now pride in equalling women - matching their plunging necklines to their own waistlines. 

But is it not fair to follow the tradition by installing an idol of the unknown fashion icon donning a dhoti folded upward exposing a portion of the shorts. Let us now wait for some designer to come up with gorgeous fig leaf whilst we invest in cultivating a fig orchard.