Salwar kameez is a big, frumpy ensemble

If you want to make heads turn or want to impress your date don't wear a salwar. The sheer ordinariness of the outfit ensures that you rarely turn heads. In fact it is alleged that business tycoon Adi Godrej isn't a fan of the garment either and Shah Rukh Khan doesn't like his wife Gauri in one. So why does this Indian ensemble worn by millions everyday fail to make a splash or get the wearer lots of admiring glances? "The salwar is more of a comfort everyday piece clothing, it's very decent and the wearer doesn't have to worry about midriff showing or this showing or that. Unless it's phenomenally well cut, custom-made, has the right neckline and the dupatta is worn well, it fails to make an impression," explains Kabra.

Basically the salwar is meant for the house, when you are going to a place of worship or if you are going to be at your desk the whole day at work. Unfortunately custom made or fabulously cut salwars can be ordered or bought only for an occasion and we can't justify designer gear for everyday wear. Another problem with the garment is our Indian psyche, feels designer Neeta Lulla.

She says, "We feel salwars are meant for casual wear, whereas a sari is for formal and official dos and a ghagra is meant for bridal wear." So when one turns up in a simple salwar one might feel the person just hasn't put in any effort to dress up. Another problem which designer Zubair Kirmani points out is that, "Everyone is wearing it everyday. The person wearing it also feels like she is doing something very regular instead of being different. I love the salwar, but in order for it to make a difference people who usually don't wear it should wear it once in a while and add variety to their wardrobe and the ensemble should be very well tailored and neatly done."

Singer Kunal Ganjawalla though feels the salwar can't be blamed because it all depends upon the wearer and her attitude. He believes it all lies in the woman and how she carries off an outfit. When asked if he likes his wife wearing a salwar he replies, "The person who is wearing an outfit gets the preference of deciding what to wear. I don't mind what my wife wears, but if she asks me for an opinion I will give it to her."

It's true that how the wearer wears an outfit makes all the difference and one should have the freedom of wearing what they like, but wearing an ensemble that everyone thinks is rather ordinary and frumpy won't get you any brownie points.