‘SHE WENT AS A FRIEND, NOT AS AN INDIAN’
Designers disagree with those who felt that Priyanka Chopra should have worn a sari to the royal wedding
At the May 19 wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry and former television star Meghan Markle, actor Priyanka Chopra was in the throng of the ultra-highprofile guests. Like all the other guests, Priyanka was in Western attire, wearing a skirt suit with an asymmetrical neckline. Seeing this, textile revivalist Jaya Jaitly, who is also the founder-president of Dastkari Haat Samiti, tweeted: “How sad an Indian actor attending the royal wedding in UK should dress like a British aristocrat at Ascot rather than represent a free and independent India in a beautiful Sari.” Some other social media users also felt that a sari would have been the perfect showcase of Indian culture.
Priyanka, who wore a Vivienne Westwood ensemble with a Philip Treacy fascinator never reacted to the tweet. However, her fans spoke up. “She is not there to represent, she’s attending her friend’s wedding. Make your daughter wear sari. Actually don’t. Let her wear whatever she wants,” wrote @Sense8Lady.
We asked Indian designers if the wedding could have been a platform for promoting Indian textiles, and if the actor missed an opportunity. All of them disagreed. Revealing that they had received a request from Priyanka’s team for the wedding, designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla said, “As India’s most successful international actor, Priyanka Chopra is uniquely empowered and positioned to promote Indian textiles and design. What someone wears is a personal choice. Nobody should feel pressurised to conform to anyone else’s opinions. However, we’d love to see her go Indian when she conducts her work for Unicef. She Is the perfect ambassador for India and we’d love for her to wear Indian couture more often.”
We’re told that Priyanka did ask for a chikankari sari, but then chose to go with an iconic British designer.
Sanjay Garg, of the contemporary textile brand Raw Mango, says, “If Priyanka had attended the wedding as a representative of India, then I think a sari/Indian handloom would’ve been preferable. But she was there in a personal capacity; it should be her choice to wear whatever.”
Designer Wendell Rodricks, too, supports her choice, saying, “Priyanka is an international star with a hit American TV show. I think she wore a British designer out of respect for a British/ American wedding. It seems appropriate that she wore Westwood; it would’ve been just as appropriate if she wore Indian. The choice is entirely her private expression.”
If Priyanka had attended the wedding as a representative of India, then a sari would have been preferable. But she was there in a personal capacity...
SANJAY GARG OWNER, TEXTILE COMPANY
What someone wears is, of course, a personal choice. However, we would love to see her go Indian when she conducts her work for Unicef.
ABU JANI AND SANDEEP KHOSLA DESIGNERS
It seems appropriate that she wore Westwood; it would have been just as appropriate if she wore Indian. The choice is entirely her private expression.
WENDELL RODRICKS DESIGNER