Note: This article appeared on LinkedIn first.
Surely, it is a coincidence that after Bombay Shaving Company, I have fallen in love with Bombay Shirt Company. LOL. And I don’t even like Mumbai so much, not even when it was Bombay.
I had ordered a shirt from them long ago (maybe from their offline shop, if I am not mistaken) and then just forgotten about them. Recently, I clicked on a link in a newsletter (for those who say newsletters and mail subscriptions don’t work, take note) they send me infrequently, and decided to order the ‘Milled Indigo || Organic Soft Jeans‘ from Korra. The reason I ordered it was because it was Rs.2,990, which was all I was prepared to risk, and it would have been the cheapest piece of denim I would have owned, if it fit (of which I was highly apprehensive). I measured myself as explained by their website, and went to work customising the design. Having paid and checked out, I forgot about it because other stuff happened in life.
I remembered the order 10-odd days later and realised that the shipment hadn’t arrived. So, I checked with them, and sure enough, they sent me an AWB, and 2 days later, a small packet came through the mail. It contained a small denim bag inside of which was my order, rolled up right along with a beautiful illustration of the design, washing instructions (which, they could simply have finished in one word, ‘don’t’), and so on. I opened it with trepidation and was disappointed. It looked too big, too baggy, and too loose. Anyway, I had zero expectations. I left it there and went off with other stuff. Until 2 days later, when I saw it lying around and thought I’d just try it. So, I did. And it fit. Like it was supposed to. Snug. Beautiful. Soft. Just. Perfect.
What a surprise! I wore it for the whole day. And then again. And then again. And it is the 4th day today, and it is stuck like glue to me. I used to be a monogamous Diesel user. And now, I am wearing something that costs an eighth of that price and provides me with 10x the comfort and confidence. That’s saying a lot for someone who’ll turn 50 in a year.
Lessons learnt:
1. You may be young as you wish to be in your mind. But you are not as thin or fit as you think you are. If the clothes look baggy, that isn’t necessarily the tailor’s fault.
2. Monogamy in fashion is a bad thing. If you don’t look around, try things, and experiment, you’ll never realise if something much better is just around the corner (in this case, at my fingertips). Korra (and Bombay Shirt Company) is where I am buying my denims from now on. Until I discover something even better, though that’s a high bar they’ve set.
3. I didn’t know jeans are my thing. Now, I do.
One last thing before I go: If you think this shouldn’t be on Linkedin, you need to think about your life choices and why you weren’t really hugged as much as a child. You need to loosen up, mate. Go, get yourself a nice pair of jeans from Bombay Shirt Company. Thank me later.
