A trinket hanging from the arm, a dazzling hairpin to hold the hair in style, a decorative knot of the blouse and the umpteen decorative items that had gone to produce the ensemble for the young girl, still in school, had put her mother Namratha into a tizzy spin.
She had to spend several days hunting for the matching materials and the accessories to go with the outfit for her daughter’s Onam celebration in school.
Come Onam and it is a rush to get your Onam “wear” stitched. But, it is not the simple ‘pavada’ and blouse or the Kerala sari or ‘set-mundu’ anymore.
The buzz among the young girls is to get a dazzling wear, making a sort of fashion statement with Onam.
Dressing up for the festive occasion celebrated in school and college has become a trend. And the indulgent parents or rather the mothers are willing to open up their purses just a little too much, perhaps.
And the peer pressure among the young girls for a wonderful outfit and to be the smartest gets them all gung ho about the event.
Assembling an outfit could cost up to Rs.10,000 to Rs.12,0000, said a boutique owner, who did not want to be identified.
“Had many a time discouraged people from spending too much on creating an ensemble just for a day. But, the girls and the indulging mothers care more about my advice on what is more trendy,” she said.
Swapna Manoj running Devatha, a designer stitching enterprise, says that for the last one month she had been taking a minimum of 30-35 orders a day for school and college girls.
People are not bothered about the cost, she says. “They want something different.”
The material could cost a minimum of Rs.5,000 and with the stitching charges and other accessories, on a lower estimate the outfit could get ready at Rs.8,000, she adds.
Omana Ravindran, running the Shanaz Pretty Miss parlour for the last 30 years, says that girls not even into high school want to get their hair and costume to be handled at the parlour.
“It is busy season for us, but sometimes you cannot say no to their requests. Most of the time, it would be the mothers calling up to help their child get dressed,” she said.
