The whole world sat and took notice of Natasha Poonawalla making an iconic entrance at this year's Met Gala in a custom-made Sabyasachi sari teamed with a metallic bustier from Schiaparelli. Natasha's look was styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania and she undoubtedly did a fabulous job of adhering to the Met Gala's 'Gilded Glamour' theme. But for all those of us who thought that pairing a metallic bustier with a sari was hot off the fire, Celebrated Indian couturier Suneet Varma was the first one to do a metal bustier and sari combo exactly 30 years ago!
Calling Varma's creation way ahead of its time won't be wrong. The golden metallic bustier styled with a sari was from his first collection in 1992. It was unveiled at a show at the Oberoi's Delhi and Mumbai. The design was an ode to Suneet Varma's favorite painting 'The Birth Of Venus' by Italian artist Sandro Botticelli.
Met Gala brings in a record $17.4 million, the museum says
Suneet's bustier and sari look was modeled by previous year's supermodels, Shyamolie Verma and Mehr Jesia. The pictures were beautifully captured by eminent photographer Prabuddha Dasgupta, whose photographs were no less than a work of art. The models were asked to pose like the painting that inspired Varma.
Over the years, this sari with a metal bustier look has been seen on so many muses of Suneet Varma, from actor Sonam K Ahuja to supermodel Sonalika Sahay.
"I feel delighted that Schiaparelli's bustier worn by Natasha Ponawalla reminded fashion connoisseurs of my breastplates and bustiers which I did almost 30 years ago. Schiaparelli's body of work since the 1930s has been very eclectic and their garments are a work of art. She took ideas from everyday objects and glamourized them. The designer had also worked closely with 19th-century artist Salvatore Galli. She was into that period when fashion was given a new vision," says designer Suneet Varma.
Varma calls himself a surrealist and a lot of his inspiration comes from artwork just like Schiaparelli. "Over the years, I have always taken art as my inspiration. I have done my thesis on the history of art and that's where all my inspiration comes from. I was the first one to also do a corset with saris. I read a lot about corsetry. When I start a collection there are two things I always think about. First is the sari, because for me it is an open canvas and I can do all sorts of things with it. The second thing is the blouse and for me, it is something more exciting and sexy. It could be 3D embroidery, a bustier, a corset, or a breastplate," he adds.
Talking about Natasha Poonawalla's global domination, Suneet says, "After Parmeshwar Godrej, she is probably India's only global socialite and fashion icon. There is something about her that makes the clothes look so spectacular. I was happy to see her wearing a Schiaparelli because the brand has not only reinvented itself but has also been one of my favorite designers since I was a student in college."
