Tarun Tahiliani On What Priyanka Chopra’s InStyle Cover Means For Indian Fashion

Having successfully crossed the threshold from Bollywood to international stardom in Hollywood, Priyanka Chopra has been working on putting Indian fashion on the global map. This month, the multi-hyphenate can be found on the cover of InStyle, dressed in the finest that the world of Indian couture has to offer. For the June 2019 issue of the magazine, she sets the mercury soaring in a backless sari from Tarun Tahiliani. Flip through the feature, and you'll find her pairing the humble khaki with an exquisite lehenga, and another monochrome cape from the designer. "Only Priyanka Chopra could bring her insouciance that she carries and take the alluring sultry persona from Bajirao Mastani across oceans and lands with the same surefooted agility on the cover of InStyle. Taking the saree global, proud of her identity and the versatility of the saree – a metaphor for her own versatility. The face of India globally," the couturier stated in an Instagram post.

The cover shoot also sees her donning a ruffled sari and bralette from Sabyasachi and a Fendi dress belted with accessories from Anita Dongre. "Priyanka is great in India, and is slowly making Indian fashion accessible in the US. This is what makes her a great ambassador of our culture," comments Tahiliani. He further adds, "They selected pieces from various collections for the photoshoot. The sari is a couture piece, while the embroidered monochrome cape and the Epypt-inspired lehenga are from our spring/summer collection. The pieces were then styled in a cool, modern way. She took classics and gave them an edge, which is very 'Priyanka'."

The shoot was dubbed 'Indian Summer' by the actor herself, and pays an ode to the nuanced sartorial heritage of the country. "Saris are my favourite. My problem is when it comes to Indian fashion, there are always these shiny, sequined, over-the-top Christmas-tree outfits. Those are not the saris I wear. I grew up with my mother wearing saris to the hospital, as a doctor. She'd wear these beautiful ones made of French chiffon with a bindi. That, to me, was a modern woman. And that's what I want to show the world. Indian designers make such incredible clothes that are inspired from beautiful embroidery and patterns," she said in an excerpt from the interview.