Oh! Colombo
Within the past two decades many a thing has changed in Sri Lanka, most for the good. Clothing too has come a long way but whether it is for the greater good is the question. In Colombo, the social circle has gone mad in many ways. One lot mimicking the west and the other lot, which actually is the majority, desperately attempting to mimic Bollywood stars. As a result, Indian clothing is very visibly displayed in shop windows, which are aplenty in Colombo. Garish, loud and colourful is what all our women adorn in this clothing, looking as if they have stepped out from a Bollywood film set after playing the part of an extra.
The modern working girl and others have also discovered the joys of lycra, a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. Mainly for its convenience as it is faster drying, uncrushable, very durable and its ability to return to the original shape.
Most of the women folk in Colombo, who sport lycra tend to wear them two sizes smaller and appear as if they have dived into a condom. All the bulges spilling out from all sides of the figure is certainly not a sight to behold. Gone are the days of cotton and chintz. Probably because of the nuisance of having to buy the fabric and then getting it stitched and having to iron them out each time before wearing them, especially when the available lycra numbers are almost one third the price and are ready to wear. The convenience is the biggest attraction, says a woman, and that fact that it makes them look very modern and trendy.
Many years ago Colombo had popular fabric shops such as Thultex, Veytex and Pugoda selling cotton fabric and what a choice was available. Nowadays to look for a chintz or a cotton fabric is such a difficult task. It makes one wonder whether the recipient feels insulted when presented with the traditional Sinhala Avurudhu gift of a length of chintz.
The other down side of lycra is the odour it carries. Most believe that lycra does not require regular laundering resulting in it absorbing body and surrounding odours, such as food smells. The nightmare is for the keep fit types who go to aerobics, step classes etc., and have to work out among some Smelikas emanating foul odour from their lycra kits.
Even though it will always be an optic pollution, we will all have to put up with lycra as it is a fad that will remain in our country for a long time more. All we can wish for is that a more pleasant fad will overrun the current lycra addiction and make Colombo a more pleasant visual environment to live in.
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