By Upasana Gupta
Remember Anne Hathaway all dressed for work, strutting around the streets of New York City in The Devil Wears Prada? That’s Hollywood. We live, work, party and chill in the real world, in Delhi, and unless you’re working for Google where you can walk into office in pjs {love the idea}, you’re going to be able to relate to what's coming. Uncomfortable, unattractive or unaffordable - the 3 'un’s' of staple work wear have made most women resort to dark coloured jeans, loose-around-the-crotch trousers, or lycra leggings to take them from morning to evening. After all, after the initial excitement to dress up for work wears off, we're all just looking to be comfortable through a long day.
Banker turned fashion entrepreneur Poornima moved back from the States in 2012, and realised she should have donated most of her clothes to Oxfam, given their unsuitability for most work life environments in Delhi. Thus began her quest to finding a middle ground - something that wasn’t too casual, yet not as formal as a full-fledged suit. She started researching the leggings industry; the largest growing segment in the apparel industry over the past 2 years. Research and her innovative mind resulted in her developing a custom-made poly viscose fabric, which became the base material for 335th.
To be completely honest, when I first heard the term ‘fitwear’, I’d imagined a really awkward, pseudo-sporty crossover between a corporate suit and sweat pants. Wrong, very wrong.
Enter 335th treggings - the love child of chic office trousers and surprisingly comfortable leggings. My friend called them "bum pants", because of {apparently} how good my non-existent posterior looked in them. My partner called them "proper", and a pleasant change from my otherwise underdressed self at work. The fabric will prevent you from gravitating towards translucent leggings and trousers that people usually wear to work. It isn’t thin enough for lumps and bumps to show, or the crotch area to tear. Nor is it so thick that it feels bulky on your skin. It takes the shape of your body, and is comfortable enough for you to sit cross-legged! Yes, I sit cross-legged at work, at meals and sometimes at bars. It only gets better; you can dress the pants up, or dress them down. I’ve worn my treggings with a crisp white shirt and a double-breasted navy blazer, and sailed through work. In the same evening, I've paired the treggings with a loose sweater and accessories, and carried on to a bar.
Each 335th tregging comes with zip detail and an elastic waistband. They have names for most of their collections. The winter tregging collection includes rich solid colours like the Café Au Lait in camel, Wild Berry in maroon and essentials like Noir in black, and cool prints like Monochrome in black and white checks, Houndstooth in soft coloured checks and criss cross Geometric prints, among others. Brownie points for the very appropriate sign off - Yours Fittingly.
Notes in our Little Black Book |
We’d recommend these as the perfect replacement, and a frump to fab upgrade from other lower body garments. Personal favorites are the Sliver Noir in black and the Café Au Lait in basic beige.
Where | Official website here ; Facebook page here
Price | Solid colors at INR 1899 and prints are INR 2499
Note: Their spring collection launches soon in Delhi
