Style in six yards

Sari soiree Shaina believes the sari is timeless

Fashion is as fickle as the stock market. But this style-setter from Mumbai is a steadfast campaigner for the sari. Shaina N.C., the designer-politician-workaholic is dead beat after a long day at work, but game for a chat on India’s haute heri tage, her sari fixation and why politics means so much to her.

“I don’t believe in trends. I’m focussed about giving the sari its prime place on the fashion radar. It’s part of our heritage. All it needs is an urban versatility to turn on the hip young crowd.”

Miffed at Bollywood stars attending global red carpet events with contoured gowns that reveal miles of cleavage, she says, “I can’t understand why we take to Western attire when we have such a rich clothes tradition to take forward. Why can’t our so-called cultural ambassadors wear saris instead of gowns to international film awards? There’s nothing that matches the fine drape and slinky silhouette of a well-made sari. Sadly, it takes a Jemima Khan or Elizabeth Hurley in those six yards for us to go ‘Wow’.”

“Please... follow trends only if they suit you. Style is about individuality, not compliance. Fashion forecasts are a waste of time. Saris don’t get dated.”

Determined to make the sari a style staple, Shaina creates lines in dreamy fabrics with intricate detailing. “The challenge lies in not making it boring or overly conservative — but an attire that smacks of attitude and style.” She adds fancy blouses to give the sari its edge. “It’s not a blanket, it’s a sari. The silhouette must make you look slim and camouflage those child-bearing hips.”

Talk about her “passion” — politics, and Shaina smiles, “It isn’t easy juggling a flourishing design career and a demanding political agenda. But I’m a workaholic. And I’m unbelievably focussed about what I’m doing. Sometimes, my obsession for work scares me!”

A fiery speaker since her school days (“I could address a thousand-strong gathering without batting an eyelid”) Shaina knew she had it in her to become a politician. A political science graduate, she recalls her dad — Nana Chudasama, former sheriff of Mumbai — being one of her early influences.

“Looking back, I wonder how I got into design because politics was foremost on my mind. I discovered my flair for design only when I helped out my mom who founded Mumbai’s premier boutique Golden Thimble. And, surprisingly, I ended up studying fashion at New York. Now, I feel blessed. Politics is not a livelihood for me,” says the young spokesperson for BJP in Mumbai.

Quiz her about her glam image complementing her political pursuits, and she rues, “To be honest, people wonder how a designer can make a good politician. It hasn’t really helped. But yes, name-wise, there is instant recall value.”

Shaina is involved with a host of NGOs in Mumbai, and has worked on beautifying paediatric wards in government hospitals, distributing free saplings, and working closely with cancer support groups and spastic children.

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