These are the last two sets of clothes I bought in Aug 2025.
Counting my blessings as I look back. I have always been loved by my parents especially after Aai’s passing away in 1994 Baba has not just loved me but also supported me. Whether it was being by my side when I lived in Bangalore for work or even the smallest thing.
I have inherited a spending gene from my Dad my Baba. He was an administrator with the Maharashtra Government and dressed to rule. Until his retirement he owned 300 shirts and I am not counting his pants, sadaras and other ethnic wear. He had a lovely collection of shoes from forest shoes to camel leather ones. He would buy me 10 sets of clothes every June and different types of shoes, keds, formals, sandals, rainy shoes and a Kolhapuri pair was a must. That would set me up for college.
While I was working I would buy clothes every month. I had so many clothes that when I got married my Dad built a wardrobe for me in my marital home so I could house my clothes well. The joke is inspite of the n number of cupboards in the sasural I had no space for my clothes. My husband was so kiddish he too demanded space in the wardrobe. Ha ha 🤣
This is the one ! Left is my side and Right is Arvi’s but now mine.
Then Baba overhauled Arvi’s wardrobe 180 degrees. From a typical Parsi Bawa style he changed it to trendy style.
Something I wrote in 2019…
Arvi was a very simple person except food indulgences he wasn't really into luxury. Having a father who dresses immaculately even today made me a connoisseur of men's clothing.
When Dad worked three jobs he changed clothes thrice. T-shirts and pants/ shorts for his yoga classes and formal well tailored shirts from Shankar Master tailors a favorite of Tatas and the Birlas back in the 70s to 90s. In fact the owner Mohan Amin became one of my Dad's favorite friends in the later years. It was Yash Birla who had adviced Mohan kaka to trim down and wear what he stitches so his clients would see his skill. So Mohan Kaka had joined my Dad's class at Kaivalyadham at Chowpatty. Then on Mohan Kaka used to buy materials imported from Hong Kong for my Dad stitch his clothes and directly deliver to our home in Fort. My Dad was his model wearing the clothes to his elite student's homes and most times they ended up referring clients for each other.
So when I met Arvi my father did judge his fashion sense rather the lack of it. However he also started helping Arvi change his style as much as I did. In Sep 2017 Dad gifted Arvi a couple of shirts and jeans. Arvi had been wearing his old jeans for very long so he loved his new one but it did not fit him well so we went to change it. I coaxed him into buying more jeans and cotton trousers in various colors and loads of new shirts. I had already changed his style a bit during our wedding shopping but this birthday was special.
I remember one day we were going out and were all dressed for a formal evening and Arvi did a bit of fashion walk in front of our neighbor that made her comment, "Aaj kale bou stylish thay gayo tu!"
This recollection makes me smile but that is not the only thing I want to share today.
Since Aug 2025 I haven’t bought a single piece of clothing!
Practising conscious consumerism.
