Is ‘passenger seat pink’ the new power dressing colour?

Forget jet black and classic white. The wives of the world’s most powerful women are being seen in another hue — one that was earlier probably just a shade that belonged to flowers and candy canes. From Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle to Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, wife of French prez Brigitte Macron to US First Lady Melania Trump, they’re wearing a light, delicate shade of pink. Called ‘passenger seat pink’, this is what they’re sporting on official engagements and well, it’s more than just for its pretty visual value. As per a report, the shade is said to be their way to appear subtle and demure in front of their famous spouses. A magazine has even called ‘passenger seat pink’, a ‘preference for the feminine hue may act as a subtle assurance that traditional power dynamics are still in place’.

WHEN THEY WORE IT


The colour is about being official and making a statement, yet doing so while taking a step back. In all the public instances concerning royalty and politicos thus far, the light hue was worn in the presence of the male partner during an important event or in circumstance. It was meant to make presence felt, albeit an understated one. Here’s when politicos and royals wore it...

Topping the list is Meghan Markle, who has worn the hue thrice since she took on official duties as the Duchess of Sussex, after her wedding. Meghan chose a pale blush dress for a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, she was seen in a similar hued designer dress for her first Trooping the Colour post her honeymoon and donned a pretty pink dress last week for the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony.

Queen Rania of Jordan was dressed in the shade of pink last week, when she and husband King Abdullah II of Jordan paid an official visit to Washington.

US First Lady Melania Trump also chose a similar pink to welcome the Jordanian royals to the White House. The pictures of the two ladies opting to have worn pale pink, went viral instantly.

Earlier in May this year, Brigitte Macron, wife of French president Emmanuel Macron, wore a coat in the shade with her denims as she posed with her famous husband during the country’s Music Day at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

LOVE THE SHADE? HERE ARE 5 WAYS TO POWER DRESS IN THE LOOK

1) Go with a suit: Hillary Clinton is one of the best examples of this. She rocked a pantsuit through her election run-up and it’s regarded as one of the most formal fashion fads of late. Pick up a pale pink pantsuit.

Wear it with a neutral shade shirt and your pumps.

2) Shirt: Wear a blush pink shirt under a waistcoat or just on its own with plain or plaid pants or a pencil skirt. The best part is, it works with every skin tone.

3) Jewellery: Opt for a single string of pink pearls over your white shirt or blouse. You can also have a pink baubled bracelet to go with the look.

4) Shoes and bag: Heels or pumps in light pink work well with greys and whites. Team it with a simple, compact bag to match.

5) Keep the look minimal: Remember, this is a low-key hue so keep the make-up to a minimum. Use just a pale blush and eyeliner with a touch of gloss. Bright lipsticks are a no-no for sure.

Stylish ways to wear socks

Socks have their own personality and style statement. They can be matched with not just different kinds of footwear, but also with various outfits, say experts. So, how does matching socks work? This is how...

MAXI DRESSES AND SOCKS:


Maxi dresses exemplify comfort. A nice long sombre dress matched with a pair of nude shoes and bright socks can be your balancing feature for the day.

SOCKS AND PALAZZO PANTS:

Palazzos can be paired with anything and almost everything. Socks share similar feels. Coupling a dark coloured patterned palazzo with light pastel socks and shoes is a good idea.

SOCK WITH SEMI-FORMALS

Formals no longer mean a three-piece suit. It is important for the attire to give out a professional vibe, and allow you to be comfortable. Because at most places, monotones are still considered formal, add a quirky pair of socks to give it a tinge of vibrancy.

SOCKS AND BRIDAL WEAR

This combination of quirky customised socks with a wedding gown can actually break the monotone.

SOCKS THAT CLASH

It’s fun to take a sock that clashes slightly — wearing pink socks with red shoes for instance, or the bright blues, which are sort of having a moment, are great matched with brown sandals.

GLITTER SOCKS FOR SUMMER

Absolutely perfect for warm summer days when you want to spice up your look. They are best worn with high heels.

English goes native as more Parsis, East Indians list it as mother tongue

When Herman Rodrigues was asked which language he’d consider his mother tongue, he wondered if mother tongue should stand in for “ancestral language,” which in his case would be Marathi, or the language one grew up speaking. Rodrigues settled on the latter definition, and he’s “pretty sure” that was what he told data collectors who visited his home before the 2011census.


Rodrigues, 67, is part of a microscopic but growing minority in India, who listed English as their mother tongue in the last census. Forty-one per cent of these individuals, who number 2,59,678 across India, are concentrated in Maharashtra, which logged 1,06,656 native English speakers. The overall figure has risen by 14.6% since 2001 (see box).

Anahita Subedar, editor of Parsi Times, estimates that about 80% of Mumbai-based Parsis read only the English section of her newspaper and just 5-8% of their correspondence with readers is in the community’s mother tongue, Gujarati. “The number of Parsis who can read and write Gujarati has dwindled,” adds Subedar, pointing out that just four of the paper’s 24 pages are in Gujarati and those are targeted at readers who are 70-plus or based in Gujarat.


‘40% of East Indians now more fluent in English than Marathi’

An East Indian from Bandra, Herman Rodrigues grew up speaking English at home — his parents also considered it their first language though his maternal grandmother was fluent in English, Marathi and Portuguese. His father even published a local rag ‘Varsity’, which borrowed heavily from English classics, and rewarded any child who could crack a clue in The Times of India’s crossword puzzle with the “princely sum” of four annas. All voracious readers, Rodrigues and his four siblings read Enid Blyton and Billy Bunter before graduating to William Faulkner’s novels and T S Eliot’s poetry, and they listened to audio recordings of Shakespeare’s plays from the British Council library. And when he became a parent, Rodrigues introduced his children to Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstein and Gerald Durrell.

Rodrigues attended St Stanislaus High School with his brothers. His sisters were enrolled in St Joseph’s Convent School. He learnt Hindi and Marathi in school but has only a basic knowledge of both languages. “I can count the number of Hindi and Marathi movies I’ve watched on one hand,” he says, “because I can’t grasp the nuances.”

Rodrigues’s fluency in English isn’t a rarity in the East Indian community, especially in Bandra. “About 40% of East Indians are now more fluent in English than Marathi,” says Alphi D’souza, managing trustee of Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) . He insists, though, that the tide is changing as MGP is making efforts to promote Marathi among East Indians. Though the census isn’t complete, D’souza estimates the number of East Indians in the state is three lakh.

Vernon Fernandes (62) and his wife Cynthia have been staying in Pune for 40 years but hail from Goa. “My father and grandfather spoke Konkani, but I hardly know it and speak English at home. We consider it our mother tongue and have passed it on to my daughter and grandson,” says Vernon. Their daughter, Sharon, who went to St Anne’s School, had English listed as mother tongue in her school records, and she plans to do the same for her son. Similarly, Alten Lobo (65), who’s familiar with Konkani, put English as mother tongue when the census survey was conducted at his Pune house, though his relatives in Goa put Konkani.

However, many individuals differentiate between first language and mother tongue. Simin Patel, a Parsi who grew up in Mumbai and studied at Oxford, spoke Gujarati as a child but forgot it once she started going to school. Today, she can understand Gujarati but struggles to express herself. Yet, she’d still put it down as her mother tongue but not her “every day tongue”.

Some scholars insist the figures may be survey errors caused by people mixing up their mother tongue with their preferred language. Anjali Radkar, a faculty member at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, explains that Pune is an IT hub that attracts professionals from other states who prefer English. “People in this group tend to have inter-state marriages and hence the spoken language is English. But despite this, the English mother-tongue data shouldn’t see a spike,” she says. “There is a chance respondents misunderstood the question as most preferred language.”

Plus Size Store

Fashion for one and all
Lakmé Fashion Week and fashion forward apparel brand, aLL — The Plus Size Store, hosted their plus size model auditions at St Regis, Mumbai, yesterday. Twenty nine chosen winners (19 women and 10 men) will walk for the third edition of India’s plus size fashion show at the upcoming edition of Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018.

Over 300 participants from across the country came in for the auditions. The winners were selected by the esteemed panel of judges — actress Zareen Khan, fashion designer Narendra Kumar, fashion choreographer Lubna Adam, Hetal Kotak, CEO, aLL — The Plus Size Store and Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President and Head of Fashion, IMG Reliance — after three competitive rounds.


aLL — The Plus Store has collaborated with ace designer Narendra Kumar who will be designing ‘aLL Primero’ collection for the brand’s Autumn Winter 18’ collection. The line will be showcased at the upcoming fashion week and will be available in stores at the same time. The collection promises to be chic, classy and stylish and will cater to the needs of its plus size customers. “We are dazzled by such a heart-warming response to the auditions. With such a fabulous turnout this year, we expect our third runway show to be bigger than last year. We are always looking at bringing fresh and trendy collection for our customers,” said Hetal Kotak. Talking about the show, Zareen said, “I am very happy to see that we had a great turnout. The show is an excellent initiative in bridging the gap between fashion and plus size consumers. aLL’s motto of ‘Fashion is for one and all’ is something I believe in. Having fought for body positivity all my life, I was excited to be a part of the jury which promotes body positivity and fashion.”

Adding to this Narendra Kumar said, “It has always been a pleasure to be associated with Lakmé Fashion Week. Judging this event was quite overwhelming because of the contestants’ confidence, perseverance and spirit.”

Jaspreet Chandok summed it up by saying, “Lakmé Fashion Week has always stood for inclusivity in fashion, and the plus size show that we do each season is a testament to our belief that fashion is for everyone and not just for a specific set of people. We want to grow this movement as the years go by.”

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