Indian fashionistas’ thumbs up for Priyanka

NEW DELHI: Even days after her dramatic appearance in the Indian Parliament House wearing a white shirt and stylish black trousers with a broad belt, fashionistas and others can’t stop talking about Priyanka Vadra’s chic attire and how she proved to be a head-turner.

Priyanka walked into the hallowed precincts on July 22 in the company of her husband Robert Vadra to hear her brother Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the crucial trust vote debate.

“Her attire indicates to the people that we are ready for the big leap — in this case the nuclear deal,” fashion designer Anju Modi said.

Dressing in Parliament for Indian women MPs and others has always been restricted to crisp and elegant cotton and silk saris or the salwar-kameez, but Priyanka’s western look in her rare appearance has broken the stereotyped dress sense.

Another designer Rina Dhaka said, “She looked good and it is time for the old school to realise

that it is a new India where you dress freely.”

Appreciating Priyanka’s attire, upcoming designer Charu Parashar said, “We are in the 21st century and we have the freedom to wear whatever we want. Priyanka’s attire was a corporate dress and she was rightly dressed for a formal event.”

Designer Vijay Arora felt Priyanka carried the outfit with grace. “Her dress was the most talked about point. To me, she looked refreshingly good and absolutely stunning. She has also lost a considerable amount of weight,” Arora added.

Rathi Vinay Jha, director general of the Fashion Design Council Of India (FDCI), also gave Priyanka the thumbs up.

“Priyanka’s dress was smart and trendy. But you can’t say women in Parliament are not well dressed. Look at the way Shabana Azmi and Hema Malini carry themselves. They dress smartly too.

“Parliamentarians represent India and 90 to 95 per cent of the Indian population dresses in Indian clothes. So, not all women members of parliament will follow Priyanka but it would be good for a young MP,” Jha maintained.

“If I was to be an MP, I would never have the guts to flaunt it myself,” she quipped, adding she is waiting to see whether Priyanka would wear western outfits if and when she becomes an MP.