After much hype and anticipation, Bollywood A-lister Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her appearance at the Dubai World Cup on Saturday, raising the glamour stakes to an all-time high.
The Longines brand ambassador, who made a quick appearance to present the Most Elegant Lady prize to Carolyn Coe, proved that equestrian action and entertainment can blend seamlessly.
"I have been to Dubai before, but this is my first time to this event and it has been an absolute pleasure," said Rai Bachchan at the presentation ceremony, held in the style stakes arena on Apron Views.
"This is obviously a glamorous event where everybody has come out in their finest," she adds.
But unlike the majority, she wasn't sporting a little frock or an elaborate hat. The mother of the four-month-old Aaradhya who has the world's best designers at her service, opted for a traditional red kalidar by Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
And though she did not have a pram in tow, the actress — who has massively scaled down her public appearances since the birth of her child — chose to go with a rather practical pair of flat golden sandals. Though eyebrows may be raised at her racing day garment, she told tabloid! she was having a "wonderful" time.
"It's been an exciting day and yes, I am travelling with my baby," she said before she was whisked away from the Jaguar Style Stakes stage.
Meanwhile, it wasn't just the clothes that were the talking point. For Coe — hand-picked by style spotters chosen by Longines — the opportunity to meet the former beauty queen was the best surprise of all.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when she [Rai Bachchan] walked up on stage — it was unbelievable. She is so gracious," said Coe breathlessly.
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Sabyasachi: Reflecting her happy place
Aishwarya's face is her fortune," declared Indian couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who dressed Rai Bachchan for her debut Dubai World Cup appearance. The Kolkata-born designer wore his belief on his sleeve as he swathed her in a red kalidar, a panelled variation on the Indian anarkali tunic. Barring the scarlet shade, the swaddling — replete with a glittering tulle dupatta (long scarf) — would have made a nun proud.
With not a hint of flesh on display, we asked Mukherjee if he had taken the racing day fashion rule-book a bit too seriously.
"I did that look deliberately, because when a woman's body is completely covered, you look at her body through the eyes of your imagination. That's a much more potent sexuality," said Mukherjee in an exclusive interview with tabloid! yesterday.
In the past, the former beauty queen, who's a permanent fixture on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, has been scrutinised for her fashion choices.
"Aishwarya has the most beautiful face. If I were to dress her up again, I would make sure that her clothes are simple," said Mukherjee.
We give you the excerpts from the interview from a man who dubs himself an "Indian designer with an Indian point of view".
Tell us more about the outfit that you created for Aishwarya for the Dubai World Cup?
It's a part of my spring-summer collection. This summer I am using lots of lightweight fabrics and with Aishwarya I wanted to keep it easy-breezy. Personally, I think she has always been so beautiful and sometimes too much beauty creates a bit of distance. But post-pregnancy, she is looking her loveliest best and is identifiable. And I chose red, because I wanted to give her a colour that was strong but yet keep the rest minimal. Red symbolises the happy phase that she's currently in.
What was it like designing for a star who has recently given birth?
I am not a size zero fan and I don't know why people are so hung up on sizes — internationally or in India. Aishwarya looks very beautiful now and there is a naturalness to her beauty that is endearing. So we just gave her a lot of volume but we kept the fabric very drape-like. And I have always believed that if you have put on a little bit of weight, too much effort to conceal it does not really work.
What was it like dressing the most beautiful woman in the world?
Aishwarya and I go a long way back with Guzaarish and other films. I treat her as a woman first rather than an icon. Sometimes when a man designs for a woman they go to two extremes. Either they dress her up as a virgin or they dress her up as a whore. But with us, we try to keep it as natural as possible. Right now she has a certain glow and she is in a happy place in her life. My dress reflected that.
Why did you choose an ethnic Indian look at a global event such as the Dubai World Cup?
Right now, luxury is treated by the distance of culture and not the distance of money. Whenever Indian women go for international events — be it Cannes or to the Oscars — we have always advocated Indian clothes. It gives you a unique advantage point. The world looks at you with different eyes and not stare at you as a point of subjugation. There's so much in our clothing culture, it's a shame if we can't exploit that in our international platform.
Was it nerve-wracking to dress a woman who is scrutinised severely for her clothes?
When I start work with an actress, I don't [think] about her reputation regarding clothes before entering our stables. When I met Vidya Balan, people were criticising her for her clothes. But I went up to her and told her that she is a very beautiful woman who was being unnecessarily criticised. She then told me she like saris. The trick to making a person look beautiful is to make clothes depending on who they are. People might say that Aishwarya looks great in Western clothing, but I think she looks the best in Indian clothes. She is not a girl, she is a woman. I personally think that she has elegance and class in abundance. And if I keep that in mind, we can't go wrong.
