Heather’s Clothes Visit Asia for the “First” Time – Informative

Presser Service: Our flat is kitty-corner from a presser service. The man who runs it uses his courtyard as a drop-off where people bring their clean laundry to be ironed. From the stairs to my rooftop I can see down into his courtyard. He has a tarp over the tables that he lays his work on, and quite a few mountains of clothes on other tables, incoming bundles and neatly folded outgoing stacks. He has help from a few assistants and employs some delivery boys. It think he also has an apprentice or two in addition to a few family members who act as management. I watch these hard workers scurry in and out of the front gate, under the tarp and over to one of the open spaces to fold the larger pieces. About seven feet from the tarp/main ironing station, they keep a fire burning. I thought, naively, that it may have been there to cook lunch, as there are a lot of street-food stands that roast corn on the cob and other foods over a fire of that size. But then I saw that the coals were used to heat the irons. The top part, by the handle, latches open and shut and the red hot coals can be shovelled inside the iron. I think Tara and I have seen this in Museums…I seem to remember one on the historical streetscape in the Museum of Science and Industry across from the old-fashioned dentist’s office--possibly close to the Museum’s food court and the tasty mini pizzas. Not that I’m comparing India’s ironing technology to “the days of yore,” I commend their energy-saving technique and find it fascinating, and in a city where there are constant power-cuts, this seems to be a very savvy business solution. Anyway, yesterday morning I asked Robin to drop-off two oxfords and a pair of khakis to be pressed for me—total cost 30 cents. (Incidentally, the root word for khaki, means “dust” in Sanskrit, probably referring to the colour my white pair of pants will be by the end of my stay). Robin told me he was scolded by the delivery guy, who now will ring the bell daily for pick-up/drop-off. Heaven forbid we lift a finger. I think that this would be the biggest adjustment for Melody to make if she came here—she’s a true do-it-yourselfer at heart—though she did enjoy the pampering on the cruise. I toyed with the idea of just tossing my clothes over my rooftop and saving the delivery guy the climb upstairs, boy would that be silly. I certainly would cement my neighbourhood reputation as “the strange American girl” that way.
Other Delivery/Clothing Services: It seems that there are delivery people for everything here. Not only can you get McDonalds delivered (gross!), but our trash man rings the bell daily for pickup; groceries, alcohol, wicker furniture (We’ve purchased 2 beautiful chairs for my patio at $4 apiece!), clothing, you name it, can be brought to your doorstep at no extra charge for your purchase/perusal. I think that “Dot Com Guy” could have fared much better here just relying on India’s service-based workforce rather than relying on ordering things from the internet in the US. Anyway, I was not brave enough to give the pressing service any of my white items this time, especially with the fear of ash and soot being pressed in, but since they did a wonderful job on my shirts and pants, they’ll get lots of business from me in the future. I’m planning on having a few pairs of pants replicated for me ($4 for service) and I’m also thinking of having another suit made (the service fee is less than $30, the “real cost” is the fabric, apparently!!! Good thing I have moved to “the land of good fabric,” according to my mom. All they need is measurements and a description of what you want or a picture; or they also can replicate something you bring in eerily well). Sharon Hogan, Mike’s aunt who has been very nice to show me around Delhi, suggests bringing in a Vogue and asking for some high fashion/exorbitant designer work to be replicated for Target-esque prices. Long live couture! If anyone needs/wants anything let me know! The most imaginative thing I can come up with is to have a pair of Venetian jeans made for me (I’m glad Tara and I took pictures of the $200 pants instead of buying them). I wish I had better style so I could take advantage of this and come home with some amazing outfits. Alex, this is right up your alley.
Made in India: Sharon has also tipped me off to a handbag shop where the bags are made for designers in Italy, of all places. I think there are a great deal of skilled labourers here that are overlooked. Even a few Indians have remarked that they have to go all the way to Europe or the US to get good merchandise. After one of Robin’s female friends visited and complemented me on a few items I own, I thought to look in the label to see where they were actually constructed. Most of my GAP clothes were made nearby (comparatively) in Sri Lanka, and other brands come from Bangladesh, Hong Kong and India. So I’ve carefully packed my bag with distinctively American items to “import” to Asia, which as it turns out, is just a homecoming for them after all. So really, the experts who were skilled enough to create most of my favourite pieces are right here on my doorstep. The sky’s the limit!