Meet the sari-draper styling Bollywood brides, from Alia Bhatt to Deepika Padukone

Dolly Jain, a stylist to the stars, has come up with 365 ways to wear a sari and holds a Guinness World Record for draping one in 18.5 seconds

Dolly Jain has draped saris for celebrities on red carpets and on their wedding days, including all the following looks. Photo: Dolly Jain

Deepika Padukone on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet in May 2022. Photo: @dolly.jain / Twitter

Natasha Poonawalla at the Met Gala in May 2022. Photo: @dolly.jain / Twitter

Katrina Kaif during her wedding to Vicky Kaushal in December 2011. Photo: @dolly.jain / Twitter

Katrina Kaif during her mehendi ceremony in December 2011.

Katrina Kaif during her pheras ceremony in December 2011. Photo: Instagram / katrinakaif

Alia Bhatt during her wedding to Ranbir Kapoor in April 2022. Photo: Pallav Paliwal for The National

Neetu Kapoor at Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's wedding in April 2022. Photo: @dolly.jain / Twitter

South Indian superstar Nayanthara during her wedding to filmmaker Vignesh Shivan in June 2022. Photo: @dolly.jain / Twitter

Deepika Padukone at her wedding to Ranveer Singh in November 2018. Photo: @dolly.jain / Twitter

“I am six yards ahead of my time.” So reads a tattoo on Dolly Jain’s forearm.

When she started a career as a sari-draper 17 years ago, people thought Jain had no future. But today, she has taken the six-yard traditional Indian garment to another level with her innovative techniques.

She has come up with 365 ways to drape a sari and holds the Guinness World Record for draping one in 18.5 seconds. Jain has also worked with women from India’s top business families and the leading ladies of Bollywood, from Helen, Hema Malini, Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit Nene to Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

Scroll through the gallery above to see some of Dolly Jain's most famous stylings

Dolly Jain, left, with Deepika Padukone, one of her favourite celebrity clients. Photo: Dolly Jain

Padukone was one of Jain’s many celebrity brides, a list that also includes Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nayanthara.

The artist was also responsible for styling Padukone’s Cannes look and Natasha Poonawalla’s elaborate Met Gala outfit.

Her work has taken her to the UAE, as well as Oman, New York, Paris and Singapore, for weddings, events and fashion shows.

Jain says her outside-of-the-box profession is solely based on passion and came about organically. Raised in Bengaluru, Jain moved to Kolkata after marrying into a traditional Marwari household. “I was married into a family where I was only allowed to wear a sari. This became a blessing in disguise as I was so passionate about draping my sari differently, I converted it into a career,” she says.

Most people around her used to wear saris in the traditional way, she says, with pleats and tucked in at the waist. Not being fond of saris to start with, Jain decided she would at least experiment with drapes. Many of her friends and relatives began to praise the way she carried herself.

Spurred on by this appreciation, Jain conducted a workshop for the neighbourhood women, one of whom invited Jain to hold a similar workshop in her home city of Raipur, which she recalls as the start of her journey.

Jain began experimenting with evermore different drapes on a mannequin, and learnt the regional styles of states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Orissa. She then melded modern silhouettes with traditional drapes, becoming more innovative as time went by.

Her first professional assignment required her to style 80 women of all shapes and sizes for a wedding party.

While wearing a sari was natural for women a few decades ago, it is now a novelty. Many young women are not well versed with the art of draping, and go to a salon or have a beautician drape it for them for special occasions.

Many also think the sari impairs their mobility and is cumbersome as they go about their daily work, so Jain has reinvented the outfit to suit the next generation, pairing it with short and long skirts, jeans and palazzos instead of a traditional petticoat.

Jain credits social media for popularising the sari in recent times, thanks to celebrity-endorsed DIY draping videos.

“If you want outfits to look prettier and make you look slimmer, Dolly is the girl to go for draping. I work a lot with her,” says designer Manish Malhotra in a video Jain has shared on social media.

In a post on Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s wedding day, the groom’s mother, actress Neetu Kapoor — who wore an Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla sari — said: “Dolly, you are outstanding. I didn't even know there was something like this there. I feel like a princess.”

Jain predicts saris will make a huge comeback. “The sari will become the next thing for young Indian girls as they can experiment with it in so many ways, and wear it with a belt or [trainers]. When youngsters want all eyes on them, they opt for a sari as they have understood the value and power of the different types of drapes, and also because they can invest in something that can be passed on.”

Her personal favourite sari is a 150-year-old handmade silk piece with silverwork, which was passed on by her grandmother (who, in turn, got it from her mother-in-law). “It’s very precious to me, very well kept, and something I would like to bequeath to my daughter. More than the actual value, the sari has a lot of associated emotions.”

Jain ensures her drapes are suited to the location, body type and personality of the wearer, as well as the type of fabric, be it silk, chiffon or organza. “There's a drape for every personality, every occasion and every mood. I have visualised them all,” she says.

Next Jain is bringing out a coffee-table book featuring her 365 ways of draping a sari, one for each day of the year, in order to give everyone a reason to wear it. “You can now pick up a sari and drape it differently with a crop top, skirt or other garment of your choice, so you can no longer complain about not having something to wear.”

A history of saris on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet — in pictures

The sari has made many appearances on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet over the years. From left, Shabana Azmi in 1976, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 2002, and Deepika Padukone in 2022. Photos: Getty and AFP

Jury member Deepika Padukone on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival 2022 wearing a Sabyasachi sari. Getty

Designer Sabyasachi said Deepika Padukone's sari 'celebrates heritage Indian crafts and techniques through a modern lens'. Getty

Deepika Padukone makes her first appearance at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. EPA

At Cannes in 2010, Deepika Padukone wore a sari by Indian designer Rohit Bal. Getty

Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari in an ivory Sabyasachi sari at Cannes 2022. Photo: Instagram / sabyasachiofficial

At Cannes in 2002, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan presented her film 'Devdas', which also starred Shah Rukh Khan and was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She wore a yellow sari by designer Neeta Lulla. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at a Cannes Film Festival event in 2004 dressed in a silk sari. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attends a showing of 'Dogville' at Cannes in 2003 wearing a Neeta Lulla sari. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a Sabyasachi sari at Cannes 2010 in the company of her husband Abhishek Bachchan. Getty

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at a charity event dressed in a gold Tarun Tahiliani sari during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Abaca Press

Sonam Kapoor in a polka dot sari by designer Masaba Gupta at Cannes 2011. Getty Images

Sonam Kapoor in an Anamika Khanna sari and jacket at Cannes Film Festival in 2013. Getty

Sonam Kapoor in an Anamika Khanna sari at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. Reuters

Sonam Kapoor in a sewn sari by Rimzim Dadu at Cannes in 2016. Photo: Instagram / rheakapoor

Sonam Kapoor in a Masaba Gupta custom cropped trouser sari at Cannes 2017. Photo: Instagram / rheakapoor

Kangana Ranaut appears at Cannes Film Festival 2018 in a Sabyasachi hand-dyed sari. Photo: Instagram / sabyasachiofficial

Kangana Ranaut in a Falguni and Shane PeacocK corset paired with a Kanjeevaram sari by Madhurya Creations at Cannes in 2018. Photo: Instagram / kanganaranaut

Jury member Nandita Das appears in a red sari by Anuradha Vakil at the opening ceremony of the 58th Cannes Film Festival in 2005. Photo: Abaca Press

Actress and director Nandita Das graced the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017 in a peach silk sari while promoting her film 'Manto'. Getty

Sharmila Tagore attending the opening ceremony of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, in May 2009. Reuters

Sharmila Tagore was a jury member at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in 2009. Photo: Abaca Press

Bipasha Basu wears a Gaurav Gupta sari at the 60th Cannes Film Festival in 2007. PA

Vidya Balan asked Sabyasachi to take care of her entire wardrobe as she performed jury duty at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Nicolas Briquet

Vidya Balan wears a Sabyasachi sari paired with a Chanel bag for the 66th Cannes Film Festival in May 2013. Photo: Filmagic

Jury member Vidya Balan in a sari by designer Sabyasachi at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Reuters

Rasika Dugal in a pastel sari by Raw Mango at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. EPA

In 1976, Shabana Azmi becomes one of the first actresses to wear a sari to the Cannes Film Festival. Getty