Fashion is not confined to clothes and walking on the ramp. It is much more than apparel. there are so many off-shoots — accessories, tattoos, body painting, carpets, candles, mattresses and cushions. The gist is that fashion is a statement. It is a way of life. It is a matter of attitudes. It is also an industry.In this industry, casuals contribute a great deal. Casuals are innovatively informal. They defy the standard, cliched dress code. What we call dressing up is passe. Even the most formal engagements are without dress constraints. Ties and jackets are no longer ubiquitous. Intricately worked upon lehenga-cholis and dexterously embroidered gowns are not always necessary. Comfort is more important than complex work. Dress is common sense, and there is scope for dressing down. Casuals, however, should not border on carelessness and sloppiness.

This style is spontaneous. It shows the confidence of generation x. It symbolises freedom to break away from the traditions. There is an element of relaxation. It is cool and still chic.The waif-look or grunge-look is common place.

In years gone by, people wore their best clothes to be well-turned out. Today is dressing understated, underplayed and subtle. This originated from many things. The straitjacket hierarchies broke down. The work culture changed. Golf, the game of kings and the king of games, became corporate past time.It spawned a look that caught on.

Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Levis, Benetton, Lee and Polo offered casuals.Nike, Reebok, Lacoste and Adidas offered sporty casuals. Woodland, Proline and Mescas followed suit in India.

Lacoste was a tennis player from France whose reward in the Davis Cup was to be alligator skin suitcase. This incentive was enough for him to win the match. American press called him a crocodile and he sported a blazer with a crocodile drawn on it. In 1933, Lacoste and Gillier set up La Chemise Lacoste, now a big global organisation, and a household name. The logo was of course a crocodile. They designed tennis shirts with half-sleeves, ribbed collar and arm bands. They were smashingly hit.

Sometimes fashion follows no logic. Couch potatoes and lethargic youth are a part of life. These give rise to a casual grunge look. The clothing is deliberately faded, patched, ripped to shreds, crushed and dotted with holes. It provides a used and lived-in look. The clothes are not to be maintained by way of ironing, folding and hanging. They are to be worn and dumped and worn again. It is your will and wish how to use them.

There are lot of loose fitting sweat shirts, track pants and suits. There is a range of t’s and slacks. The clothes are eco-friendly. There are earth colours and tones.The packing is in brown paper. Natural fabrics are chosen — jute, khadi, cottons.Metal alloys are used.

The world of casuals is evolving. New ways are found to use clothes. The search is endless. The clothes are present all over — from homes to offices, from roads to ramps. They are in villages and cities. They are patonised by the princes and paupers in the society.

There are fashion extras and accessories that go well with these casuals. Casual fads sometimes become obsessions. Some watches like Rado are futuristic as well as functional. They are used as casual accessories. Some essentials have acquired fashionable streaks,e.g. Aviator sunglasses.

Apart from clothes, the trend of being casual extended to furniture, upholstery, drapery and blankets.

Fashion houses do not limit to apparel retail.They retail life style. Swatch watches are known as trendy, cheeky, casual watches.

Hindi film industry has adopted this casual look. The average Indian youth is in his casuals. Different professions may have different dress codes. An old man is casually dressed, whereas a banker is in formals.

Perhaps being casual means not to follow fashion which itself is fashionable.