Sridevi's Sartorial Selection: 2012: Sabyasachi Mukherjee: Manish Malhotra:

Step out in Style: Sridevi

As the svelte and sensational Sridevi started hitting red carpet events in 2012, long before her comeback film English Vinglish released, she was the cynosure of all eyes in many an event, premiere and party. Tanning by the flashbulbs of the ever-ready snaparazzi, her shy, almost reluctant smile graced countless tabloid pages last year. Her sure, steady steps on the red carpet were splendid, Sridevi stood tall and proud, the picture of grace and an example of sheer elegance as she kicked of trends in style and stilettos, without really meaning to. She doesn't have a stylist at the moment, her children are her sounding board before she steps out, and it all looks so effortless and, so very breathtakingly beautiful.

Sri & Sabya

Ever the fashionista, with her preternatural style and impeccable taste, its hard to parse through the multitude of innumerable looks Sridevi graced the year of 2012 with. Correction, of the many events, we counted 43 disparate, distinct and delicious designer diva moments. And we've broken those down to three categories; Sridevi's western picks and Indian - which can be bifurcated into her Manish Malohtra and Sabyasachi Mukherjee (right) selects.

Though man of the moment, Sabyasachi's, ethnic chic made headlines over the last year, particularly as Sridevi walked the catwalk for him and he designed her impeccable look in English Vinglish, Sridevi remained loyal and faithful to the ol' guard of Bollywood fashion, Manish Malhotra. In fact, she opted more for Manish than any other designer in 2012.

Sridevi with Manish Malhotra

Manish Malhotra has consistently said Sridevi is his favorite muse, and she's confidently worn his designer ensembles time and again. With Sabyasachi, its a working relationship that's often a hit, and occasionally, a miss.

When it comes to Sridevi's European or American labels that hang in her, what we presume is, copious wardrobe, well, like her career, its moments of unforgettable yarns, and forgettable yawns.

Western Wear; click to enlarge

Here's a quickie look at the sizzling Sridevi year that was;




Go West: Be it her DVF casuals, or Beppe pantsuits or the figure hugging Herve Legers, Sridevi's western wear was a hodgepodge of comfort and couture. It's hard to pick a favourite look, as its a toss between her uber casual yellow shirt on her first CNN IBN interview, or her Ellie Saab gown at the Apsara Awards back in Jan 2012, Sridevi made it work. And how!

Sabyasachi Mukherjee with Sridevi, click to enlarge.

Sab Ka Sabyasachi: It's hard to believe but less than two years ago, not many among the glitterati had ever had of the multi-syllabic Bengali, Sabysachi Mukherjee. With his proclivity for mixing fabrics, fonts and prints, all of a distinctly ethnic stamp, he brought a very Indian aesthetic to the forefront, shunning the glitz and glam of aspirational Western trends. Instead of looking out, he looked within India for inspiration and Sridevi, a fastidious champion of the sari, found him long before the current crop of wanna-be stars. And its been a match made in fashion-heaven. He made the simple sari, a must-have and an arabesque print, precious. The two defining moments of their incredible collaboration have been the grand premiere of English Vinglish in Toronto and the grand finale of Sabyasachi's show at couture week in Delhi. Capital moments.

Manish Malhotra for Sridevi; click to enlarge.

Muse and Malhotra; It's hard to say who's a bigger fan, Manish of Sridevi, or Sri of Manish's work? Whatever the case may be, Sridevi never shied away from giving Manish a call for a multitude of events. She looked regal in her red ensemble at the Marrakesh Film Festival, flawless at the premiere of Jab Tak Hai Jaan and brought out the moon-lit charms of her Chandni days when she went to Hyderabad in a white lace sari, streaked with shades of red. We can't wait to see more Manish-Sridevi-moments in the coming year!



Words: P. Ramakrishnan