Calling all Size M Indian women, your time has come

You find the perfect pair of jeans – great colour, cut, soft enough to sit comfortably in, and tough enough to wear multiple times without a wash. Just as you pull them on, they refuse to go up your bum. You size up, but the waist hangs like you’ve borrowed papa’s hand-me-downs. We’ve all struggled with the jean conundrum, especially if you consider yourself ‘midsize’. A healthy medium on most clothing racks.

Don’t get me started on finding a great blouse that just refuses to button over your average-sized chest.

Most Indian women are midsize, blessed with curves in all the right places. Curves which make us feel just a little left out when we’re shopping fast fashion, or everyday wear.

It was blogger Anushka Moore who started the midsize movement internationally — sending a solidarity call for size 10-16s everywhere. Her blog is for the ‘not petite but not plus-sized’ style. While not a fashion industry term, it brought a sense of empowerment and inclusion to a group of women who previous felt ignored by the fashion world.

Noticing this gap in the Indian market, designer Deepshikha Khanna (dailystylematters ) has worked on a new line for Good Earth, called FLOW, a clothing vertical that aims to celebrate the average Indian body, or as we at Tweak like to call it, the Medium Model.

Khanna explains, “At FLOW, we’re talking about a woman in her 30s, confident, sure of her style and very comfortable with her ever-changing body. She’s opinionated, discerning, has a style of her own and her clothes are an extension of who she is”.

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Khanna explains that western brands cater to the European and American body type, ‘lean, small-chested’, often ignoring the wider hips associated with the Indian body. Leaving us with no choice but to force ourselves into those silhouettes, or choose traditional Indian garments (like the always gorgeous sari).

She says, “I am an Indian woman and I have an ample chest, so if I buy larger sizes, I look like a tent. I don’t necessarily want to wear clothes that are designed for the European body type.”

FLOW was designed for the ever-evolving Indian body, with ready-to-wear separates made using handloom textiles like Kala cotton, and linen. The styles sit as comfortably on a lean body as a curvier one.

With a neutral palette composed of taupes, blacks, mogra, sand and more, the modern, minimalist pieces are designed to be versatile, and can be easily paired with existing pieces from your own wardrobe.

Khanna also shares her tips for styling the midsize body, and inspires you to consider pairing separates from the collection with your own personal favourites.

Styling tips for the midsize body

• Lose the loose fit, opt for structured tailoring instead: Often, we steer clear of ‘tight’ clothes, hoping to mask our curves but rather than drowning yourself in material, pick a slim or relaxed fit. A tailored style accentuates your body while skimming over areas you’re not entirely comfortable with showing off. She points out their taupe handloom cotton Cuff shirt as one of the highest sellers of the collection, because of its fit and versatility.

  

• Balance an ample chest with deeper necklines: For Indian women blessed with full breasts, we struggle with finding clothes that aren’t too provocative and don’t make us look top-heavy either. The tendency is to cover up the chest with higher necklines, but Khanna’s trick is to pick a slight V neck, or a scoop neck, and actually show more skin to create that visual balance. If you pick a boat neck, it only adds bulk to your chest area.
• Highlight the body part you’re most proud of, don’t drown it: Khanna explains, “If you have great breasts and beautiful hips, accentuate those features.” Loose dresses with a narrow waist can really show off your waistline. Another pro-tip she shares if you’re wearing a loose blouse, or dress, is to make sure at least one part is fitted, like slim sleeves. Your dress and sleeves shouldn’t both be ballooning.
• Embrace wide-legged pants: You may be afraid of wide-legged pants, well because, you’re afraid you’ll look like a little dibbi, but according to Khanna, wide-legged pants, with their straight fits add length to the body.

  

• Wear longer silhouettes: For slightly vertically-challenged folk like myself, she suggests longer silhouettes and stripes to add length to your body.

FLOW, ₹9,800 onwards, available at select Good Earth stores and at goodearth.in