Fri, May 16, 2008
ez access
Subscriber services | Subscriptions
Custom clipper icon

Other articles by Krittivas Mukherjee:

Fashion police on the job at show

Accent

Fashion police on the job to ensure proper decorum

By Krittivas Mukherjee
Reuters
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.04.2006
MUMBAI, India — Indian police have an unusual undercover surveillance job this week: scanning the ramps and observing models at a top fashion show to check that no one intentionally displays too much flesh.
Police in plain clothes mingled with India's cigar-chomping, crystal-clinking class at the Lakme Fashion Week, after busting zippers and slipping bustiers at the show's last edition sparked a morality debate in the conservative country.
"We are keeping an eye on each show. We don't want any bad example to be set," said Sanjay Mohite, deputy commissioner of police in Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital.
In March, a series of "wardrobe malfunctions" at the show saw models exposing their breasts and buttocks, sending newspapers and television channels into a frenzy of excitement.
Indian police even launched an investigation into the incidents, but later concluded that the clothes had come undone by accident.
This time, police have issued a 28-point guide for the organizers and designers, including a directive that models wear nipple tape so that they don't show through flimsy dresses, and that lights be switched off if clothes come off.
Police said they reserved the right to cancel a show if their guidelines were violated.
"We have a set of guidelines to follow. I think everyone is happy about it," said Anil Chopra, vice president of show organizer Lakme.
The Lakme Fashion Week, which ends today, is being attended by top buyers such as Browns, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue and is parading the creations by 47 young or famous designers.
Talk of sex in public is considered rude in India, while even holding hands or kissing in public is frowned upon and can draw jeers.
Officials even declared war on Mumbai's traditionally risqué night life last year, shutting hundreds of popular dance bars on the grounds they bred crime and prostitution.
Some hard-line Hindu groups are part of a growing band of cultural vigilantes opposed to what they see as increasing mimicry of the West, especially by teenagers.
Such groups have in the past stopped young people from celebrating Valentine's Day and prevented the screening of controversial films dealing with homosexuality, saying they denigrated ancient traditions.
Save Money! Subscribe to the Arizona Daily Star.
Go Back