Love your leggings

NIFT professors say leggings is most comfortable for women on the run and can never be considered obscene. It is men who should change their perspective about how they look at it argue others.

Reacting to a notice reportedly circulated by a city college, Professor Kaustav Sengupta, head of Fashion and Lifestyle department at the National Institute of Fashion Technology said the list looks strange, because an institution putting up this kind of diktat doesn't match the mindset.

“To me the freedom to wear is similar to freedom of speech. Leggings are one of the most comfortable clothes for women as it is stretchable. If the obscenity is an issue then saree and lungi (for men) must be banned first because it shows much more body than other clothes. Fashion is a social statement, therefore, the wearer must keep in mind that clothes have appropriate combination” he said.

Sengupta also questioned why men were commenting and taking decisions on whether girls should wear leggings or not. The sari can also be worn in an obscene way, he argues, adding that the uniform of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) is a half pant but it doesn't raise any eyebrows.

“This is an alarming trend to put this kind of Talibani fatwa on dress code in a progressive institution, if it is true. Introspection is required and faculties must be trained to have a contemporary mindset,” he said.

For a trouser, the thickness of the fabric and style is different and canbe worn with a short top, said Dr Anitha Manohar, Director, NIFT. But legging is a knit fabric that sticks to the body and should be worn with a long top. Also, the top panel has to be cut in such a manner that the hip circumference is taken care of, explains Manohar.

“But in most of the ready-made shops, the straight cut tops are available. So it doesn’t go with the 3D form of the body. It is a two dimensional top which is available in the market. Since the slit is long too in straight cut tops, it looks awkward as it keeps on flying so the trouser look is also not shown. That is why people consider it obscene," she said.

When asked about men walking bare-chested or in a singlet, she said they wear such clothes only on the beach. Nobody walks on the road bare-chested. “Though I am the director of NIFT I am unable to appreciate tights, unless it is worn with a top, which is long and stylish and the person wearing it knows how to wear it,” she said.

Giving the example of a women sitting pillion on a two-wheeler, she said the legging combined with a short top looks awkward because the top does not cover thighs and buttocks. Leggings should be teamed up with flared and long top to make the overall look aesthetic and beautiful, she said. She, however, disagreed with the move to ban leggings.