How the wardrobe of a foreign diplomat visiting India is planned

Sophie Trudeau chose a turmeric Anita Dongre kurta for a visit to Sabarmati AshramIndia isnt the land of colour for nothing It carries the power to inspire a man who otherwise tends to pick bluegrey suits although with red chequered socks to wear a Benarasi sherwani Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the dimples and tousled hair fame fell a few notches in the ladies esteem when he wife Sophie and kids Xavier Hadrien and EllaGrace chose to turn up for function after function during their India visit last fortnight in elaborate Indian wear that New York Times called fit for a Maharaja and his courtThe Trudeaus in ethnic wear with Shah Rukh Khan at a Bollywood meetandgreet night PicsAFP PTIBBC Asias headline read Justin Trudeaus Bollywood wardrobe amuses Indians This was said about the sherwani and rouge mojris he chose to wear for a Bollywood meetandgreet function held at Colabas Taj Mahal hotel Interestingly his guests Shah Rukh Khan Farhan Akhtar and Aamir Khan stuck to black and blue mostly suitsNadir Patel Jennifer Graham Anita and Yash Dongre at the latterrsquos store launch in Delhi Graham was instrumental in Mrs Trudeau picking Dongre outfits for her India visitSandeep Khosla one half of the couturier designer duo Abu Jani amp Sandeep Khosla said Trudeaus look that night brought back memories of an ad for Manyavar an ethnic menswear label Embarrassing and completely tone deaf Whos advising him wondered Sanjay Garg when we made him a call Its obviously not anyone in tune with the India of today said the Delhibased designer famed for giving the Benarasi saree modern heftSophie Trudeau went for this Abraham amp Thakore jacket as seen on the runway when she addressed students of Sophia College for Women PicAtul KambleTo answer Gargs question Trudeau was counselled on his India wardrobe by advisors within the Canadian consulate While American and British politicians tend to appoint stylists who work in tandem with their diary managers to procure local designerwear this was not the case with the TrudeausUnlike her husband though Sophie Greacutegoire Trudeau didnt embrace outdated bridalwear She oscillated between Western ensemble and carefully picked pieces of homegrown designer labels And for that she has Jennifer Graham to thank Wife to Nadir Patel High Commissioner of Canada in India she turned to Abraham amp Thakore and Anita Dongre to help Mrs Trudeau dress IndianJennifer is eager and engaged with Indian fashion She was keen that Mrs Trudeau showcase Indian textiles Preparations began a month before their visit and we were asked to send the lookbook of our current collection says David Abraham He along with Rakesh Thakore and Kevin Nigli are behind Abraham amp Thakore AampT a 25yearold brand inspired by the idea of reinventing traditional ikat jamdani and fine cottons to suit contemporary taste Mrs Trudeau chose a blackandwhite block printed kneelength jacket from their SpringSummer 2018 collection and teamed it with a slip dress from her own closet when she addressed students at Sophia Bhabha Hall in the city on February 20 For a dinner reception held in New Delhi later she wore a scarlet pompom saree dress by Rashmi Varma The Montrealborn designer currently based in India posted a snap with Mrs Trudeau on Instagram accompanied by a special thank you to Jennifer Graham footnoteIn my understanding foreign politicians have limited information about Indian designers Apart from advisors within the government they also look at previous high profile appearances And you cant miss 2016s biggest newsflash mdash the Duchess of Cambridge swinging a cricket bat in a printed georgette Gulrukh dress by Anita Dongre says an industry insider Kate Middleton brought attention to Team Dongre once again in February last year when she wore a pair of uncut diamonds and pearl drop earrings from the designers Pink City label at a reception dinner marking the UKIndia Year of Culture at Buckingham Palace Queen Mathilde of Belgium wore a printed tunic dress by the Mumbai designer during her visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan last November followed by Mrs Trudeau who picked a turmerichued handwoven Chanderi mul kurta trimmed with pearl work when the family visited Sabarmati Ashram and Akshardham Temple on February 19The glaring pattern quickly distills into an observation could Dongre have cracked the code to being the goto designer for dignitaries visiting India Come on theres no code to crack Dongre says between uneasy laughter known originally for her readytowear My designs are feminine elegant comfortable and bear a strong Indian signature Im thrilled to make clothes for the everyday woman who doesnt want to fuss over dressing up she addsIts perhaps this that may have attracted Mrs Trudeau AampT Varma and Dongres signature offtherack styles define indigenous simplicity For political bigwigs its about using clothes to send across a message that they can wear what the average woman does and still look great Sticking to safe silhouettes also reduces the chances of a fashion booboo says a leading stylist requesting not to be namedWeve learned that Middletons PAturnedstylist Natasha Archer as well as a Canadian embassy member had directly approached the designers store In the case of the latter Nadir Patel and Jennifer Graham had hosted the launch of the designers flagship store launch in New Delhi that saw the likes of Brigitte OumlppingerWalchshofe Ambassador of Austria to India attend last yearDongres reputation of being the queen of Indian high street along with a presence in New York has a lot to do with first impressions Take a look at her product range From precirct to handcrafted ensembles to a bridal line she offers everything Dongre has little competition in the Indian designer highstreet market There was Ritu Kumar but that was before her precirct line Label became mass the insider arguesUnlike Bollywood where the star gets to keep the clothes without having to pay for them protocol demands politicians and diplomats pay for their clothing Mrs Trudeau we have learned paid approximately R20000 for the turmeric kurta and dealings are subject to confidentiality And its harakiri to accept freebies or wear expensive brands The AampT jacket carried a pocketfriendly tag of R10900 A designer has to be significantly networked in diplomatic circles to make inroads Wed love to crack the code since dressing a diplomat or head of state guarantees global fame for a brand but weve never been approachedhellip perhaps because our clothes are steeply priced Khosla deliberatesHe is right A global powerhouse wearing your clothes can do wonders for a brand Zardozi Couture a Canadian label took credit on Instagram for Mrs Trudeaus nude coloured saree finished off with a maang teeka for the Bollywood reception It wasnt long before someone jumped in to post jhoot ki bhi hadd hai yar Kahi bhi shuru apna ad dena sic When we reached out to Zardozi Couture we received an Insta reply asking to send across queries We did but never heard from them Zipit diplomatic protocolCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates