Dear cheerleaders, what’s this outfit?

Team Kolkata’s cheergirls have redefined IPL fashion in 2012. OTT? Innovative? Or just funny?
The Team Kolkata cheerleaders have been repackaged, but this time, it’s not just a change in colour. Their new avatar is far, far away from the short skirts they sported till last season.
“Cheerleaders should reflect the essence of the city they are cheering for”, is what Matthew Joy, marketing and PR head of Team Kolkata, had said while announcing the cheerleaders’ dress code for this year.The jury is still out on whether this outfit – purple body suit, puffed sleeves, bindis, long tresses and loads of jewellery – captures the essence of Kolkata.
But designers in Kolkata are far from impressed. “The idea behind cheerleader-dressing is that it should be sporty. If you want to avoid skin show, wear jumpsuits. But this attire is making fun of the sari. If they were trying to portray Bengal, I’ve reservations on that front as well, since the sari hasn’t been draped the Bengali way. With the purple body suit below the sari, the team has made a miserable khichdi out of it all,” says designer Abhishek Dutta.
Designer Soumitra Mondal couldn’t agree more. “You can’t do away with tennis skirts, just like you can’t play cricket in skirts. Then why tamper with the cheerleaders’ dress? Worldwide, cheerleading is a respectable profession and a lot of care is taken while designing their clothes. What’s happening here is plain absurd. You can’t get them to wear skirts, so you add leggings. And then you dress them up in a sari, that too draped in an apsara style which is not remotely Bengali.”
Bengali actress Tanusree Chakraborty can’t stop giggling. She says, “Why do you need apsaras on the cricket field? You do away with short skirts because ‘families or kids are watching’, and you give them what? Sari-clad cheerleaders who look more like they are part of some traditional dance troupe!”
Actress Resshmi Ghosh found the look “hilarious”. “A sari is supposed to be the sexiest drape for a woman. But the way it’s been draped is really inappropriate for the event.” Designer Agnimitra Paul, however, thinks the look is innovative. “I support Shah Rukh Khan’s decision to go traditional. The look, the chunky jewellery, the gold and purple sari – it’s really creative. I feel the other teams should also try and promote their regional culture with the costumes of their cheerleaders.”