When actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay took the oath as the Chief Minister on May 10, all eyes were on his black-and-white suit. In a State where politicians have long favoured the classic white shirt-and-veshti, the blazer stood out.Weeks later, Vijay has made this look his uniform — standing out in a sea of white at the Tamil Nadu Assembly. According to sources, his suits cost about ₹1-1.25 lakhs. Inspired by a viral shopping offer advertising the ‘CM Vijay Look’ for ₹3,999, I set out to find out how many people are switching to blazers, inspired by his style, and whether I can recreate the look, on a budget.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief C.Joseph Vijay addresses after the swearing-in ceremony at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, on May 10, on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
The poster — reportedly from a popular clothing brand, which on enquiry dissociates itself from the ad – publicised a combo offer called ‘CM Vijay Look’ offering a black suit, black trousers, a white shirt, a black leather belt, and black shoes for ₹3,999. On a sweltering day, I start my search in T Nagar, hoping to find out whether the blazer section of popular brands such as Pothys Hyper, Saravana Stores, Jeyachandran and Saravana Selvarathnam offer similarly competitive deals.How much does a suit cost in these stores?As it turns out, despite the social media buzz, there is no ‘Vijay look’ readily available for purchase. I realise that I can, however, replicate it after a casual stroll.At Jeyachandran in North Usman Road, the look costs between ₹3,000 and ₹9,000, including a range of Linen Valley blazers, made from an Italian cotton blend, starting around ₹2,000. On the higher end, I find a five-piece suit set consisting of a blazer, shirt, vest, tie and pant material selling for between ₹6,900 and ₹8,200. At The Legend Saravana Stores, where the fourth floor has a wide range of blazer collections from many brands like Rameez Ethnics, Suit Studio and Uvaam, a basic blazer costs around ₹1,600, but I suggest you check out their range of five-piece suit sets that cost between ₹8,000 and ₹16,000.The Saravana Selvarathnam store offers Royal Wood, where the cheapest combination includes a blazer made from Mumbai-sourced cotton blend for around ₹2,300, while a Royal Wood five-piece set costs ₹5,000.Fair warning: Saravana Stores can be challenging with its slow elevators and packed crowds, while Selvarathnam’s air conditioning falters in the face of the afternoon heat. After multiple stops, I realised Pothys Hyper offers the most comfortable shopping experience, though the prices are higher. Otto’s five-piece suit, made in Mumbai and featuring satin in the mix for a shinier finish, is ₹8,000. Siddham Ethnic’s set of the same costs ₹9,500, while you might find a fellow shopper shell out ₹17,000 for Hallmark HMK’s suit setsourced from Jammu & Kashmir. Many of the suits available at Pothys are made of viscose, satin and matty fabric.At the Raymond Shop outlets in Panagal Park and Pondy Bazaar, you can tailor your own suit sets starting from ₹10,000. You can choose from an array of polywool, priced from ₹600 per metre in some stores and ₹1,500 per metre in others, with the most expensive fabric at ₹15,000 per metre. Though black remains the best-selling colour, shopkeepers say they find many customers also opting for blue, maroon and grey blazers for special occasions.The most affordable‘CM Vijay Look’The most affordable combination of Vijay’s black-and-white suit in T Nagar includes: a black blazer costing ₹1,600, a white shirt costing ₹300, and black pants costing ₹500.The trend of blazer wearNagoor Meeran, owner of the wedding suit design studio Meeran Designz, says that there was an increased demand for suits post the release of Vijay’s 2022 film Beast. “Since then, there have been requests from people referencing his look. Just a few days ago, a groom wanted his suit to be as minimal as the one Vijay now wears,” he adds.
