Behind the banal kurta-pyjama politicians invariably wear during election campaigns in the scorching sun, there are branded watches, colognes, dark shades, high-priced shoes and sporty luggage.
Designers feel that politicians should be more open about their style statements rather than playing safe, because voters, they think, like a well-groomed look. Talking to The Pioneer, fashion designer Asma Hussain from lucknow claims that she has been closely observing fashion-conscious political leaders and has discovered that both the young and the old are conscious of brand in accessories they use, but prefer to stick to traditional attire.
Asma said the style statements were extremely subtle. “There are so subtle that they can easily escape the attention of the comman man. But if one closely observes the candidates, they will find the politicians sporting the most expensive watches along with the desi kurta pyjama. In many cases, shoes they wear start from
Rs 60,000 onward. Similarly, the sunglasses start around Rs 16,000. The perfumes and the colognes are high priced and are imported from France and the USA. The luggage is vintage collection,” she said.
She said the common fear among the politicians is that if they do not carry the desi image in their clothes they will be rejected. “Some of the candidates have studied at Harvard and must have always worn trousers throughout their life, but they have switched over to kurta pyjama look for fear of being rejected by the general public,” she pointed out.
Manish Tripathi, a well-known fashion designer from Delhi who has been designing for netas, said he found Narendra Modi’s kurtas very bright and vibrant. “Youths are following Modi on social networking sites and what I like about his kurtas is that they are bright and vibrant, much different from the other boring kurtas,” said Manish.
The designer who has designed jackets of Rajnath Singh agrees that shoes, watches and wallets are things to watch out for. “There was a politician, I would not name him, who told me that gone is the yesteryear age when the politicians were supposed to look poor. But they don’t want to be seen flaunting. So they go for accessories because these go unnoticed. After all, how will a person from the crowd come to know that the candidate is wearing a watch which costs Rs 10 lakh,” he said.
Nida Mehmood, another well-known designer from Delhi, said the politicians have to explore style within their own parameters, and watches and sun shades seem the most convenient. “They wear the usual clothes because they want to project the image of a simple man. In case of accessories like shades, watches, they are not too intimidating to the voter and it is also very convenient to buy one. There is more awareness and the candidates also want to present a well-groomed look,” she said.
Film actresses too are very careful about their style of dressing. Actress Nagma (Congress), who is contesting from Meerut, told The Pioneer that she preferred sarees for her campaigning. “I have mostly worn Chinese collared blouses and pastel shade sarees for my campaigning,” said Nagma.
Captain Malik, who is accompanying actress Hema Malini, said her style statement comes from her composure. “She wears cotton sarees and carries a calm and composed look which is her style statement that goes very well with her personality” he said.