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shuts the wearer out. A woman donning the garment can not get her head through the
‘sealed’ collar.
The second part of this garment is the red sequined dress, worn under the jacket. The
upper green bodice known as choli (top) is attached to the long skirt by the train. There is
a material used between the lining and the main fabric of the choli. This material
represents the strong boundaries Indian society has set against the sex workers.
Irrespective of the individual build of the wearer, if this garment was successfully
donned, the choli will not allow the woman’s form to influence the shape of the garment.
Like the rare prostitute who does marry, she remains defined by her profession and the
status it relegates her to in Indian society.
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The skirt pattern used in the design is adapted from Indian lehnga, which is fused with
the western style of the train. It is possible to be deceived by the jacket into believing
that there could be another opening underneath the garment. However, closer inspection
reveals that this dress also has no opening. A substantial volume of fabric has been added
to the skirt to make the dress richer and suggest opulence and status. Under this volume
is yet another layer of dull green polyester. This operates as a lining that implies perhaps
another method of getting into the garment. However, even this is a ruse. A woman
wanting to put the dress on from beneath finds that the linings are sewn together, so she
is literally designed out of the dress.
Thus, the very skirt that assures status, protection and modesty shuts the woman out.
Status and safety are illusions. The protective layer that signifies belonging cannot be
worn. One can hold the dress against one’s self and imagine how it might feel to wear it,
but the (social) physical structure of the garment will not allow the woman to protect
herself with its covering. Beneath its bright signifiers of status it is a closed door. It is
desirable but exclusive.
44
The last element in the costume is a golden veil that is known as a dupatta. traditionally
this signifies the values and respect a woman carries in Indian society. It connotes
modesty and the paying of respect to elders, which is reciprocated.
43 Lehnga is a voluminous embellished, circular skirt worn by Indian brides.
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