India, May 30 -- My paternal grandmother used to keep her clothes in a small steel box, famously called the trunk box of those days. All her clothes, including daily wear, inners, silk sarees for special occasions, everything went into that single box.

My maternal grandma had specific fashion choices. She loved sarees. She had a bigger wardrobe, a two-layered shelf, and every single piece of her clothing was able to fit in the shelf. My mom was a fashionista of her time. She had a variety of sarees from different parts of India, matching blouses and inners to pair with the sarees.

Her wardrobe was considered extensive in her friends' circle. That was a single steel rack with four shelves. Even when I was a child, I remember having a lim...