“You can make money, you can acquire objects, but the time you are allotted can never be replaced or purchased.”
I have never been into clothes. My favorite place to shop back home is Goodwill which probably shows you that I rarely spend more than ten dollars in a “shopping spree.” Here though I can afford to get clothes tailor made! Nepalis and Indian girls alike wear “suits” which are composed of three parts: the shirt, which is like a dress with slits down the side, pants, and a scarf, all of which match perfectly and look feminine and stylish while remaining comfortable. I was given two of these outfits in India (by a family I stayed with) which have proven to be an absolute blessing as they make me stand out a bit less and the locals love when I wear them. I have decided to get a new dress (no slits, but basically Nepali style) and pants made, and here is how it works.
1) First you pick out the fabric. There is a fabric store or two on every street, so in a large city like Kathmandu the choices are overwhelming. I picked a small shop near where I live and found a fabric I liked. For the dress I bought 2.5m, and for the pants, 2m. All in all it was seven dollars for the fabric.
Here is an example of a fabric shop.
Here is the fabric I picked out for the dress and pants.
2) Next you find a tailor which is quite easy as they are also on every street street (often working outside with their century old sewing machines). They take your measurements and then get to work. You can have just about anything done, and each item only costs you a dollar or two. For my dress and pants to be custom-made it cost 2.50$.
3) Done! It only takes a day or two for them to complete your clothes. And voila, a tailor made outfit for only ten dollars.
