I’ve been married for almost a year and a half now. And this is what happens every time I open my cupboard to choose a sari to wear to a wedding –
I browse through all the saris I own, and reject 90% of them because “it’s chamki” “too plain” “already worn it to the last 6 weddings” or “everyone’s going to be wearing this”.
Sometimes, when I’ve attended too many weddings in a row, I reject ALL the saris in my cupboard, because it gets seriously repetitive – the same style, the same embroidery, the same fabrics. Now I’m not the kind of person who likes to make serious fashion statements at a wedding, so I usually stick to very “typical” kind of saris. The most I do is
play with my love for subtle styles – and I’ll pair a plain sari with a really contrasting shade blouse, and big earrings. Which, if you’ve attended enough weddings, you’ll realise is nothing new.
But occasionally, when I’m really sick of all the typical Indian saris, I wish I had something really fresh and bold. To wear a sari that’s seriously different. Unique. On those rare days when I do want to stand out in a crowd.
Come on, we all have those days. Sparingly, agreed. But we all have them.
And I realise, that I don’t own even a single sari for such a day.
I know, I know. You’ll say “designer wear is what you need, Shinjini!”
To which all I have to say is “I don’t have the budget. Below INR 20,000 please.”
Well, there is ONE designer who is the answer to my stand-out-in-a-crowd-sari prayers.
Masaba Gupta.
Unique styles? Check. Under 20,000? Check.
When I first saw Masaba’s saris, I remember thinking – cool prints, but I’d never have any place to wear it to.
Until now. Once you’ve worn enough typical Indian wear to wedding after wedding, you’ll also reach this stage. Unless you haven’t already. And once you have, Masaba is going to be your go-to designer.
Here’s a guide to wearing Masaba saris:
1. As a wedding guest
Wear it to your friend’s Mehendi, Sangeet or Engagement. It’s perfect if you don’t want to be lost in a sea of sameness. Her prints make you stand out of the crowd, and the pretty shades are a breath of fresh air – especially now that Summer’s almost here!
I also like some of the sky blue saris from her collection, that you can wear to a daytime function.
It’s just fresh. Refreshing. Bold. Unconventional. Pretty. And cool.
2. To a dinner party
As a newlywed, you have the perfect excuse to stand out in a crowd.
You can buy a Masaba sari on IndianRoots.com – have a look to view her entire collection here.
Girls are wearing Masaba saris to their farewells these days! But that’s not the only place where a Masaba sari belongs. You CAN be 22+, married, and still make a fashion statement 🙂 I’d love to add one of these to my sari collection. I don’t own even a single one…yet. My absolute favourite is the first one – the green sari Sonam Kapoor has worn with a cow print blouse. And it’s for INR 15,000 (as most of the above saris are), so I might just get that one for a special occasion!
If you’re getting married soon, definitely add a Masaba sari to your trousseau. You’re going to reign as the newlywed-fashion-queen if you do! Trust me, you’re going to get tired of your Nalli silks and kundan nets, and on the day you’re feeling seriously fashionable, put this on and the quirky prints are bound to get you noticed. You can thank me for the tip later :p
Shinjini Amitabh Chawla 
These are soo different sarees…. i will surely try it :):)
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Wow! I always figured Masaba’s clothing items would be marked with sky-high digits but i am pleasantly surprised! Thanx Shinjini 🙂
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Whoa! Good ones Shinjini! I agree that it gets tiring to see the “same ole same ole” at weddings!!
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Masaba has been my go to person since the past 3 odd years..half of us looked like Masaba Mannequins at my wedding! Her clothes are just absolutely yummy!!
Sabya too has saris under 20K…you just need to dress them up with a piece of statement jewelry
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I like Masaba’s stuff a lot, but I personally feel that this has become an obvious choice if one wants to experiment. What I mean is that it feels like one is just wearing something that is popularly perceived as experimental, real experiment would be when one ‘thinks’ and puts together an ensemble rather than using something in its exact same form. I hope I make some sense 😛
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I like Masaba’s style sensibility- quirky and fun! And yes, I’ve been thinking of adding one of those gorgeous sarees to my saree collection.
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i really don’t think masaba’s style is going to get you to be different from the ”crowd”! it’s already been overdone and you can really find the exact same stuff in karol bagh shops!
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I totally agree!!!! But I think most of her designs have either white or black in them, so that’s a no-no for a newly wed bride for an year
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Though she does a lot of black & white, she also has tons of colour. I’ve got couple of pieces in new-bride-acceptable colours.
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Totally Agreed. Though those kundan/stone sarees look nice while buying, but you get bored from them so soon.. these sarees are quite fun that can be mixed n matched so well and worn with a style.Many heads turning to your side is totally guaranteed 🙂
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ah well, I’d rather use different stuff- like a gorgeous jacket for winter (n printed silk), or various crop tops to saris. Or even drape two saris together to look different. Masaba’s prints, though gorgeous, are done to death. I’d still wear them for dinner/tea/casual meeting with friends, but to a wedding, not happening.
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I love the cow print sari too!
I agree that it is refreshing to move away from the run-of-the-mill blingy saris. I have found that floral print saris (Sabysachi does some, as has been mentioned in the comments above) with a contrast blouse are also appropriate as wedding guest-wear. Ideally, you need a good border to up the ante.
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My personal style is bohemian/minimalist/edgy. So I would definitely wear a Masaba saree to one of my pre-wedding functions or for someone else’s. But there are many more designers that have non-conventional sarees in their collections, so Masaba is not the only option out there. I have a summer wedding to attend this July and I am seriously thinking of going in for a digitally printed sari from Jyotsna Tiwari’s new collection. Nida Mahmood/QuirkBox/Papa Don’t Preach are other brands that have quirky sari options too.
@thedelhibride – I’m interested in knowing what you think about this Jyotsna Tiwari saree..Should i go for it?! – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=612487862168912&set=pb.176733589077677.-2207520000.1397148575.&type=3&theater
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