When the stars saunter down the red carpet at the Karbonn Mobiles 17th Annual Star Screen Awards this week, fashion watchers will be sure to stay tuned to find out what Bollywood is now wearing. In a country that dresses like its favourite stars do, observing the sartorial choices of the film industry is a good way to stay on trend and fashionably relevant. And the annual Star Screen Awards, by virtue of being the very first awards ceremony of the year, brings these style icons out in droves, dressed in their very best.
Regular observer of the Star Screen Awards? red carpet must have noticed how the style sensibilities have evolved over the years. Where once silk and chiffon saris were de riguer for the ladies, now at least the younger lot seems to be veering towards more western silhouettes and is opting for flowing gowns and chic little cocktail dresses. Katrina Kaif, for instance, for the past two years, has been spotted in lovely gowns ? for the 2009 awards, she wore a red Jenny Packham gown, while in 2010, she turned up in a golden Tarun Tahiliani. Other actresses who seem to favour gowns are Priyanka Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Bipasha Basu, Prachi Desai and Asin. Trendsetting star wives, Twinkle Khanna and Suzanne Roshan too have been spotted on the red carpet in western outfits.
That?s not to say that Indian outfits have been completely phased out. The Bachchan family?s ladies ? Aishwarya Rai and Jaya ? are always clad in traditional outfits. Jaya usually favours saris by long-time friends and designers, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. Daughter-in-law Aishwarya also wore an Abu-Sandeep creation in 2009, while for the 2010 awards ceremony she came clad in a sari designed by another of her favourite designers, Manish Malhotra. Vidya Balan, winner of the Best Actress trophy and Nandita Das, winner of the Ramnath Goenka Award last year, are two other actress, who also prefer the elegance of saris.
As for the men, it?s the well-cut designer suit that?s become the order of the day. It could be the traditional black, as worn by Shah Rukh Khan during his hosting stint at the 2010 awards, or something edgier, like the crushed, grey suit worn by Prateik. Very few of the film industry men turn up in Indian wear. One prominent example is Javed Akhtar, who came dressed in a dapper kurta and Nehru jacket to receive his Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.