TRADITIONAL DRESS IN MODERN SETTINGS: A VISUAL OBSERVATION
On a humid Kathmandu afternoon, a young woman in a flowing red gunyo cholo steps into a coffee shop filled with denim jackets, crop tops, and wireless earbuds. Her long, braided hair swings gently as she orders a cold brew. Around her, conversations continue, and eyes flicker momentarily toward her — curious, admiring, perhaps unsure. This fleeting moment, barely acknowledged and quickly absorbed by the urban rhythm, says something quietly profound: the presence of traditional dress in modern spaces is no longer out of place, but it is not entirely settled either. It carries with it a kind of visual dissonance, like a note just off key — noticeable, intriguing, but not unwelcome. In cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara, or even smaller towns on festive days, one might spot a man in a daura suruwal stepping out of a luxury car, or a group of young girls in sari and heels posing against concrete walls with graffiti. These are not costume acts nor nostalgic reenactments. They are rea...