Wearing Confidence
Verve|April 2017

The innately fashionable know that true style comes from being comfortable in your skin — as well as in your clothes…. Madhu Jain goes down memory lane recalling the moments and people that impacted her.

Madhu Jain
Wearing Confidence

Like me, my French roommate was on a scholarship in a rather waspish, well, to be frank, snobby, women-only college in new England. most of the other students were the progeny of rich Americans. And their clothes reflected it. Francoise (let’s call her that) had a spartan wardrobe. Yet, whenever she emerged for an evening out she stood out from the others, despite their Saks Fifth Avenue ensembles. There was a je ne sais quoi aura about her. it was the little touches that made her different — and the inventive way in which she accessorised. Francoise would tie a scarf around her neck and move it to one side, rendering it a bit off-kilter. The same scarf would metamorphose into a belt another day. Occasionally, she wore just one earring. The tilt of her beret would change to suit her mood: this was before berets became commonplace on the American side of the Atlantic Ocean. likewise, her hair would also somehow always match her changing disposition.

When i went to Paris for further studies at the Sorbonne, there were many Francoises swanning about the latin Quarter, or other haunts where my meager scholarship francs (before euro days) could go further. Paris opened my eyes to the fact that it wasn’t what you had but what you did with it that mattered. Jugaad! it was all about curating your own look. But, before that, you have to discover your look and personality. like Francoise’s long earring worn in just one ear. Years later, i saw author Arundhati Roy with one long, brightly-coloured wooden earring dangling provocatively.

This story is from the April 2017 edition of Verve.

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This story is from the April 2017 edition of Verve.

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