Shorts or Pants???

kristinm

Lets not forget those very rich young adults in the top to toe labels... beautifully and very expensively dressed - the girls with a really great east meets west sexy but demure type of look happening and the boys slightly leaning towards the 'wide boy' if you know that English term.. a little flashy but expensive..We ate at Koyla one night and there were large groups of these fabulous young things having a great time, all speaking English with a dash of Hindi loudly and at the same time..

kristinm

I saw many boys in India that thought they were Mick Jagger - something to do with those skinny skinny hips and bony bottoms I think!

Nick-H

It doesn't have to burnt into my brain, it gets renewed a thousand times every time I go out

I don't understand this obsession with dressing like the locals, unless you happen to like it and it suits you. I wear rather traditional South Indian dress (kurta vesti) for those reasons, and because I find it very suitable and comfortable in the climate. More and more, I find myself in the minority on the street.

All this shirts/trousers/suitable-for-work thing is imported anyway. One of the more ridiculous of Britain's gifts to the world is the idea of what is proper to wear in the office. What more absurd than to wear a business suit, complete with tie, when the temperature is in the thirties (C) or higher?

At least India's women have resisted this international standardisation --- although I have heard that the sari came originally from Greece.

If you want to wear shorts... wear them ---except, of course, in Dharmabum's village!. Visitors do not come here to work in Indian offices (If you do, then obviously that dress code does apply, although I would rebel) and there is no need to follow that style.

Of course, if you want to look like a teenager who thinks he's emulating his hero from a movie --- then there is no hope for you!

Not unselfconscious, especially when young. Try dragging a young Chennai bloke past a reflective surface without letting him take the opportunity to check his hair!

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PeakXV

Agreed - do not buy your shorts in India - pack them with you! That sporty men's leisure cloths thing just ain't happening there .... as of this century. More specifically with the 'Raj style' shorts that are still lurking frightfully on the shelves & in the minds of the slightly less than-trendy tailors in the subcontinent - yes the Baden-Powell Boyscout cut is still all the rage - then this stoneage perception on practical warm weather dress will probably continue till at least the year 2200.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

brownboy66

hehe....nothing like a discussion about fashion to illustrate the difference between cultures.

I agree with nick - if you want to wear shorts - wear shorts. Obviously if your going to a nice restaurant, or visiting someone's house, etc - then you'll want to dress up - but if you're seeing the sights, etc - wear shorts. Just be aware that for some tourist site/ monument/ temple - you'll probably have to be in long trousers anyway. Even then, in those places/ temples where bare legs are not allowed - you'll be given something to cover up with anyway.

puchoo

i wear shorts all the time and find them the best fit to a dash to the ATM , shopping with the wife, lazing around and even going to a few places to eat as well. And while i agree that my legs might not be sexy , i dont think its that 'big a deal'...

Its not very uncommon at all. Of course the "right" type of shorts are important

No indian men older then 12 years old do not wear shorts. According to them you must either be poor, or mentally challenged if you wear shorts after your 12 birthday or so.

....nopes....purely as a fact-most school kids are expected to wear shorts till they hit class 10 i.e they are around 15 years old....and

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shashank.aggarwal

Oh now..it was 5th standard in our times..around 10 years of age...

but yes, shorts for men have always been acceptable to an extent..

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Random Reviews

kristinm

It is ridiculous isn't it - here in another British colony the men also go off to work in suit and tie in ridiculously hot weather! What is the point of a tie anyway????

That's what I mean - the Indian boys will pimp and preen quite openly in front of eachother and everyone else. an Aussie boy is just as concerned about how he looks.. spends hours in front of the mirror at home.. but would absolutely die if someone outside thought they cared or had spent any time at all.. so if they check their hair its surreptitiously in a car mirror or something - never in front of people & NEVER NEVER in front of your mates!.

puchoo

I went to Modern School, Barakhamba Road and i remember, as if it were yesterday, my knees beating out a rhythm in the winters

shashank.aggarwal

This shows that they have a false sense of manlyness or whatever you want to call it...they are afraid that if they show their feminish side to their mates, they mighjt be made fun of...

shashank.aggarwal

Oh...those famous blue colors...

Anyways we used to wear trousers from 6th Standard onwards and in winters there were woolen trousers..

kristinm

Exactly - that's what I mean about Indian boys and men being unselfconscious - yes they are vain and preen a lot, but they don't mind being seen to be affectionate or girly or concerned about their appearance.. Australian (and English I think) men are so worried about not looking like a 'man'.

It was good for Oscar to see this - that's what travel's all about, broadening the mind!!!

But getting back to the point of the original post - I reckon, if you want to wear shorts then do, but IMO its important to dress smartly in India, as I said in my earlier post - people really care about how they look and they really give you a bit of a 'look' if you're scruffy and rumpled...

puchoo

i still have them lying around somewhere ! the colors were fine.. the shorts ofcourse , size wise, were made to fit tree trunks rather than anything else...did not help much with keeping the wind..er...out.!

kristinm

I love that - the Baden-Powell school of fashion does seem to be alive and well in India doesn't it?

Nick-H

Why should vanity be associated with female?

Wrong elements in this reasoning!