The empire's new clothes

Jasvinder Kaur chronicles the impact of the British Raj on the clothes of Punjab

- MANDIRA NAYAR

It is commonly said that clothes make the man or woman. But more than just appearance, clothes are also about stories. Stitching together the stories of trousers, saris, pagri, purses, embroidery and much more is Jasvinder Kaur’s Influences of the British Raj on the Attire and Textiles of Punjab—a book that brings alive fashion that once was.

Much has been written about the British and the influence that the Raj had on various aspects of life, but clothes do not find much mention. Kaur, however, has chosen to focus only on the outward appearance to weave together the empire’s impact on dress. From the embracing of coats, shoes, socks and trousers—the last to be adopted because it was not easy to sit on the ground in them— Kaur chronicles the change that swept through Indian life.

She focuses mainly on Punjab, where she grew up. A treasure trove of information, Kaur writes about lace, net and thick velvet, which, with gold embroidery, became much the rage in Punjab, both for men and women. From how parachute cloth—the result of material shortage during World War II—found its way to trousseaus in Punjab, to the advent of the sewing machine, Kaur uses cloth to document the history of Punjab. More than just her nuggets, though delicious and informative, there are the pictures of decadent fabrics, dashing men and gorgeous clothes.

Lace-making came from the Madras Presidency in the 19th century. In Punjab, it did not catch on much. The first issue of India’s Woman does, however, have a reference to Fatima from Amritsar who did “good lace” work.