If you are planning to party in Mumbai make sure your arms are covered. If you are a woman you may raise a few eyebrows, however, if you are a man you’d be denied entry at venues. On Sunday fitness trainer Omkar Sharma was denied entry at Bombay Rasta due to his sleeveless tank top. “The guards stopped me saying I wasn’t appropriately dressed,” he shares.
Just this month, Suraj Namboodiri, 28, was denied entry at 145 Kala Ghoda, owing to his sleeveless top. Namboodiri’s outfit was called ‘indecent’ by the venue and he was only granted entry after his friend lent him a blazer. “They warned me that if I remove the blazer inside the club, I’ll be asked to leave. After we got in, I removed the blazer after some time because it was too hot, and the bouncer asked us to leave. We weren’t creating any ruckus at the party,” shares Nambodiri, who is a fitness trainer.
26-year-old Mikhail Cazi had a similar experience at the same venue: “They stopped me from entering because I was wearing a sleeveless tank top. My friend, however, was allowed in even though she was sleeveless, too – wearing spaghetti straps. When we tried arguing their sexism, they said it didn’t matter and that “decent” dressing was part of their policy.”
When we reached out to Ishaan Bahl, owner of 145, he admitted to the dress code. “Much like hundreds of restaurants and bars across Mumbai, we too have a strict dress code policy for our guests, keeping it solely to maintain the formality of the venue and the feel-good factor once you enter any of our locations,” he explains.
However, 145 isn’t the only place in Mumbai with such archaic dress code. Sanky Evrus, 31, a celebrity hairstylist by profession shares that this is quite common in Mumbai as he has faced similar experience at multiple other venues. “I’ve faced this not only at 145, but also at other bars such as BSE, Olive. I’ve been denied entries because I was wearing a sleeveless top. With no offence, no matter how skimpy a girl’s attire is, their (venue’s) dress code never discriminates against them. We talk so much about equality however, even in 2023 we are not allowed to express ourselves,” shares Evrus.
Several outlets in the city have it written on their websites that men in sleeveless shirts won’t be allowed. Shiro, Prive, Bora Bora, Opa are a few such places. “We are not rigid and do not stop anyone from entering our outlets, even if they are dressed in sleeveless. If it’s fashion driven or an appropriate attire then we do allow it. A loophole in the communication is when people who come in basic tanks and sleeveless gymwear which isn’t the right attire for a restaurant,” says Karamvir Singh Gandhi, Director of Operations, Opa! Bar & Café. Shiro chose to not comment on their stance.
Jenamani Soumitri Kumar Ray, General Manager, Pablo Restaurant and Lounge, Navi Mumbai says, “It is purely based on the perception of how one wants to maintain the decorum of a place. For a casual Cafe, all-day dining or an all-day Bistro, these things don’t matter at all. Whereas if the restaurant is positioned to be really premium like a fine dine restaurant then to maintain the decorum and ambiance of such a place dress codes are essential.” While his restaurant doesn’t have the rule of no sleeves, “ he explains, “Typically a restaurant was only for the rich earlier, whereas the positioning has drastically changed now over decades. Some rules are relevant to a particular time, which becomes irrelevant when trends change. This rule is purely a victim of not changing with time and believing in old redundant traditions and rules.
In 2020 hairstylist Elton Steve Vessoaker posted a picture of him from BSE Bandra where he was denied entry at the venue. Back then BSE’s founder Mihir Desai told a portal, “To maintain hygiene and to maintain the dress code, we normally don’t allow sleeveless to any male… A man doesn’t go to an office wearing sleeveless. So it’s a basic hygienic thing that people sitting around would not be comfortable, so it’s on that basis.”
When we reached out to Desai in 2023, the stance changed: “We do allow sleeveless. Sometimes at the gate if people are not properly dressed, the manager takes the call at the gate.”
This gives a hope that hopefully the eateries are open to turning a new leaf and be more accepting. “145 never has, and never will, discriminate against its visitors. We are looking to enhance the rules with a more 2023 approach,” Bahl promises.