Six yards of magic: Meet drape artist Dolly Jain, and her quest to make saree an everyday style statement

If you saw Natasha Poonawalla ’s Met Gala look, and thought that it must have been a task to get her into that tulle saree and the Schiaparelli Bustier, then you thought right. If you saw Alia Bhatt’s wedding look, and wished that you could also wear a saree like that, or crooned over Katrina ’s bridal lehenga draping, then let me tell you that there is one person behind all this magic, and that is Dolly Jain, a draping artist who has a world record to her name, with 325 ways to drape a saree. A force to reckon with, Jain has turned her passion into profession and is making saree an everyday statement, one drape at a time. Firstpost spoke to her about sarees, draping, and everything in between. Excerpts from the interview are as follows. You kind of pioneered saree draping as an artistic expression, as well as a profession. When you started out, did you ever know or believe that your passion would turn into a profession, and that too like this? Not at all, I’d never thought that something like this would happen. My only thought was that I loved sarees, but then again if I am being honest, then in the very beginning I hated sarees. I got married into a family, where I only had to wear sarees, and it used to take me at least 45 minutes every morning, so I was actually miserable and really wished that my mother-in-law would let me wear kurtas, because it’s so much more practical and easy. However, I failed to convince her, but by the time I could persuade her, I actually fell in love with sarees. So that’s a little background, but coming to draping sarees, the thing was that when I started doing that, I noticed that there was a severe vacuum where women of all age groups had kind of stopped wearing sarees, and had begun opting for gowns, so I thought to myself that you know if these women are going to tell everyone that the latter is more comfortable then how we are going to promote or encourage young girls to wear sarees. So that was kind of a trigger, and I took it up as a challenge to you know put this beautiful Indian garment on a global map. So on the quest to do that, it kind of transformed into a profession, but yes it happened all so organically, that I didn’t even realise. What do you think about young women wearing sarees? Is there still a vacuum? I’ll disagree there, I don’t think there’s a vacuum. In fact, I can see a huge comeback of sarees. Girls are willingly wearing sarees, because they realise that there’s nothing that will flaunt their body or make them look sensuous, sexy and outstanding other than a saree. Saree is the only garment with which you can experiment in so many ways. You can wear it with denim, with a skirt, or with an underskirt, there are just so many variations to it. There’s also the beauty of having them passed down from your grandmother or your mother, because you purchase a saree from the market or from a designer, then you know that it’s not the only piece. However, when you have them as heirlooms, they become special and different. However, a vacuum is still there in the sense that it is not being worn on a daily basis, for occasions and events, they have started wearing sarees, so it’s a step further no doubt. You recently draped Alia Bhatt for her wedding? How did that happen? When it comes to Alia, I got a call from the designer and the stylist saying that there’s a big wedding and we need you to block your dates. Also, because it’s a high-profile event, everyone’s been made to sign an NDA, so no one really tells you that you know it’s so and so’s wedding, so I just had to block my dates for this ‘big wedding’ and of course, Neetuji called to book me for the wedding, so that’s when I kind of came to know it was Alia’s wedding, and that it was on this date.

How was Alia as a bride, what was your experience? Alia made a beautiful bride, she was sweet, bright and super confident. She knew exactly what kind of look she wanted, so she was quite easy like that. I love brides who are clear on what they want because it makes the make-up artist, hair artist, and drape artist’s job easier because there’s no confusion around. I loved draping Alia for the wedding, and it was a lovely opportunity. Also, with her three of my favourite things fell in place. First was of course Alia, then there was the organza saree, because I love draping organza, and last was the ivory colour palette . You draped Natasha Poonawalla for the Met Gala, the biggest event in the fashion world. How was that? What were your initial thoughts when you realised that you’re going to the Met? I’ve been following the Met Gala since forever now, and the only thing that I used to feel bad about was that whenever I saw an Indian representing us there, they were always dressed in a gown. It killed me every time to see our Indian stars on the Met Carpet not wearing a saree, because there’s so much that our country has, and Met Gala is a monumental platform for us to showcase our heritage and culture in terms of fashion, so seeing a gown every time, instead of what could have been a saree, was just plain heartbreaking.

When I came to know that I was draping Natasha and that she was wearing a saree, I cannot tell you the joy I felt. Everything just felt as if it was meant to be, and it was perfect. Natasha was looking stunning, and she embodied the definition of style and glamour. If you want to see the drama saree can bring, then Natasha’s Met look was it. It was a 6.25-meter saree, and we left a long trail behind to make it more and more dramatic, and everyone who saw it, instantly went for wow, because if you can do so much with a saree, then why go for anything else? That said, for me the Met Gala was the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, it made everything better. You’ve dressed a lot of celebrity brides, from Deepika to Priyanka, to Katrina to now Alia. What’s the one difference between celebrity brides and next-door brides, because essentially they are all brides, but I am sure there is some difference between the two? Yes, for sure. The main thing I feel that is different is the mindset. Celebrities have a picture-perfect look that they want, and that clarity is there in the vision, so they just have to replicate that. They are also very comfortable with the hoohah of the dressing and styling because it’s an important facet of their profession. However, when I am dressing other brides, the issue is that they aren’t very confident and clear about what they are searching for. Their reference point is the wedding looks of celebrity brides, so for instance, if I did Katrina’s wedding then, these other brides will purchase a Sabya lehenga, and tell me that I want to look like Katrina. Now that’s the problem, you can not look like somebody, you can follow them, refer them, but you cannot say that this is what I want, because you have your own personality, and that’s what is seen in the end. There is also the logistical difference, because celebrities will have a stylist, a designer, and another team of more than 20 people at their beck and call, these other brides will not have it, which is completely fine, because what’s important is that you’re you on your wedding day, because it’s special. You’ve done draping for weddings, for photoshoots, for red carpets, but if you had to pick one, what would be the thing that you enjoy doing the most? I think it’ll always be the photoshoots, because for weddings there’s a fixed draping that you have to do, and you can’t go around experimenting there. Of course, weddings are special in their own way because, in whatever little way, you’re a part of someone’s special day, so that way yes weddings are nice, but I enjoy photoshoots the most, because there you have the liberty to do whatever that you want to with that six yards of fabric. You can have fun, and create magic from that, because there’s no one telling you that this is what I want, and all.

Artist does their best when they are given a blank canvas and left alone to do what they want with it, so for me my models are my canvas and sarees are the paint and brush.

You know, we’re living in a time where people are consciously breaking gender norms. Saree is obviously seen as a garment that women wear, or is feminine in nature, but since we’re discussing gender-neutrality, what do you think about men draping sarees? See, I’ve read so many books from back in the day when saree was still the staple garment. Saree was never ever mentioned as a garment for females. The first time anyone was said to have worn a saree, it was actually a man, because they used to wear it as a dhoti, to cover their lower body, and the rest of the fabric would either go over their shoulders, or across their arms. Maharajas, and royal men used to wear saree as regular garment, so it is actually not a garment that’s specifically for women if we go back in time. It was only when these royals had to fight battles and go to war, that they handed over the saree to women, and thus they began wearing it. With time, the notion that saree is only for females has grown and stayed, but if we are too truly read into it, then saree is in fact one of the most gender-neutral garments because it’s just six yards of fabric. Talking about modern-day, I love draping sarees on men, and I’ve done a few, which have been incredible. I am actually coming up with a sarees for men series because I feel especially on the wedding day, we give so much attention to what the bride is wearing, that the groom’s wardrobe is totally pushed into a corner, so maybe with sarees and stuff, even they can kind of embrace the glam. Takshi Mehta is a freelance journalist and writer. She firmly believes that we are what we stand up for, and thus you’ll always find her wielding a pen. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram