B-town stars Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal’s wedding made the right noise, not just because of the crackling chemistry between the lovebirds, but also their wedding outfits. Katrina’s wedding looks were the talk of the town and netizens couldn’t get enough of the breathtaking beauty. A quintessential Sabyasachi bride, Katrina looked every inch stunning not just because of her outfits, but also of the way they were draped!
The woman behind such meticulous drapes was none other than Dolly Jain, a celebrity saree draper and artist, who has earlier worked her magic on leading ladies like Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Isha Ambani, and Sonam Kapoor, on their big day.
Most recently, Dolly draped the newest Ambani bride, Khrisha Shah, who married Anil and Tina Ambani's son, Anmol Ambani, for her big day. According to Dolly's Instagram post, since Shah “was in the biggest hurry to get married,” she draped the dupatta of the red Anamika Khanna ensemble the most comfortable and fuss-free way allowing the young bride to enjoy her big day.
Over the years, she has helped the saree become an everyday style statement, and we love her for this! Dolly also holds the Guinness World Records for draping a saree in 18.5 seconds, and knows how to style the garment in 325 ways!
During a candid chat with Zee Zest, she spills the beans on everything that went behind Katrina’s wedding looks, her favourite saree draping trends, and more!
1. How did you put together Katrina Kaif’s much-talked-about wedding looks?
I was briefed on the kind of style she wanted, but I always end up adding my personal touch. For any bride, it is hard to pinpoint the rituals, much before the wedding. But we definitely know that every traditional ritual in India is incomplete without water, colour, and fire. So, every drape that I planned for her was done, keeping in mind these customs. Apart from making my brides look their best on the big day, I make sure they are super comfortable.
2. Tell us more about the two looks—one on the D-day and the other for the photoshoot. How did you think of these drapes?
The red bridal lehenga was a typical Sabyasachi drape, and while many others have done this drape before, it is essential to keep it as crisp and clean as possible. We made sure everything was properly pinned up. I appreciate myself for doing this, because, over the years, I’ve understood each bride’s body language, the fabric, and also their personality.
When it comes to Katrina, she has always loved sarees and carries them beautifully, so giving her this drape was an easy job for me. We gave her a short seedha palla, but an open one. The lehenga was so pretty that if you take the palla long, it would have not looked the same. So, we had to strike a balance, and do justice to the lehenga, the designer, as well as the bride.
For the photoshoot, Katrina wanted to keep the palla loose in the arms for the saree, but when I came to know about the veil too in the bridal ensemble, I added a little tweak. I gave her narrow pleats on the shoulder, making the right amount of her skin visible and her body covered. Also, if you have a head veil, you should keep the saree well-pleated and fixed properly, because you have something to handle.
3. Share some common saree tips for brides.
1. Don’t follow what others are doing, even if it is a celebrity. You need to understand your body language and feel comfortable.
2. If you are not a saree person, keep everything well pinned up, rather than leaving it on your arms.
3. Invest in a good underskirt, because that is very important. Designers have been speaking about the saree, embroidery, and silhouette all the time, but it is so important to have the perfect underskirt that fits properly. Ideally, it should be made from cotton or stretchable fabric.
4. Invest in good safety pins that are made from stainless steel. A rusted safety pin can ruin the saree.
4. Are there any trends around veils that one must keep in mind?
I think veils are very much in trend. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- If you plan to take a veil, don’t have too much dupatta, because it can make you feel uncomfortable.
- Keep it minimalistic but classic.
- If you are doing a veil, do a one-body dupatta.
- If you are not doing a trailing veil (as a bride), you can opt for three dupattas — two on your body, and one as a head veil. It looks super stylish!
5. Can you suggest a few ways to style a saree for brides and bridesmaids?
- A lehenga saree is very much in fashion and must be tried this season!
- A Kanjeevaram is a must-have in your wardrobe. Wear it pleated at your wedding ceremony, and carry it as a loose palla later on. It looks very graceful!
- You can wear a saree over a lehenga. Take a plain skirt, maybe a frilly one or something that has too much fabric, and you can drape a saree on top of it, showing little of the lehenga and more of the saree. It’s very trendy and looks good on the bride, as well as the bridesmaids.
- If you have beautiful heirloom pieces or a pretty handwoven fabric, you can opt to wear two sarees together — one saree as a skirt, and the other one draped on your body, which looks super stylish. The best part is that it will only be you who will carry such a drape. You are sure to stand out!
6. What are your favourite saree fabrics and some styles to match these?
1. When you wear a chiffon saree, don’t wear it pleated. These are meant to be open pallas, since the fabric is breezy and flowy.
2. For Kanjeevaram, there are two styles that come to mind. One is the universal style, and the other is open palla.
3. For Bandhini sarees, you can take a seedha palla.
4. Bengal has the most beautiful Dhakai sarees and the most beautiful drapes. Women there wear it all day, and the saree stays as it is!
7. What are some of the favourite markets to shop from?
I think I have no favourite. I am drawn towards handlooms, and I appreciate any good store or market that has handwoven fabric. I don’t endorse plastic or anything that has to do with power looms. The world is my market!
8. Any highlights from other celeb weddings, other than Katrina’s?
I think all my brides are special, and I treat them alike. With celebs, they always know what they want and also carry backup garments, in case of any last-minute glitches. But there are certain instances that I recall from other weddings.
I recall helping a bride in Hua Hin about four to five years ago. Both the bride and the groom had ordered everything online since they were based out of other countries. When I saw the bride in person, I realised she was quite tall and was supposed to wear a 5–6-inch heel. But her lehenga was small and customised for someone much shorter. To fix this, we asked around if anyone was carrying a Kanjeevaram saree. I made her wear a petticoat and draped the saree as a lehenga, according to her height. I slipped the original lehenga on top; the difference was covered with the frills I made with the Kanjeevaram saree, without any cuts or stitches.