As modernisation reaches its acme, certain definitions, including the one about how we define individuality, have changed drastically. People are called “fashionable and sophisticated” if they follow the latest fashion trends, however unsightly. The ramps have extended to the pavements where the fashion savvy put up a superlative show, but sans

originality.

The time when boys dressed smartly has also gone. In their bid to stand out from the herd, the youth don T-shirts twice their size, deck it up with odd accessories and hope these peculiarities place them in a different league. Girls are farther ahead, crossing even the minimal requirements of decency. This is 21st century fashion. Yet, in truth, it hardly makes them hip

and happening, let alone reflect their individuality. Replicating others seldom serves the purpose; everyone has his or her own sense of individuality.

Being fashionable is not bad per se. Fashion is an art where creativity and individuality blend. But an indispensable aspect of fashion is individuality.

So if a person looks attractive in a particular outfit, there is no universal rule that the same garb might look good on others. How an outfit looks on you depends a lot on how you carry yourself. Essential here is the inner beauty rather than garish vestments. If you are honest to yourself and have confidence to let people accept you for who you are, you don’t need much fashion. Hence one should learn to stand out with the sheer strength of one’s individuality rather than appear tacky and clumsy while trying to be stylish.

One’s outfit should be the reflection of one’s personality, not vice-versa. Hence the need to dress decently and fill your wardrobe with clothes comfortable to you. With the right attitude to go along with your outfit, you don’t need to be overtly fashionable. This, I call true fashion. Making individuality your fashion statement.

These words which David Bailey, the renowned English photographer, spoke about his beautiful models perhaps should be the ideal way to judge all human beings: “I never

cared for fashion much, amusing little seams and witty little pleats; it was the girls I liked.”