Wedding anniversary, karva chauth, Diwali—every occasion is now a fashion-fuelled opportunity for star couples to add to their sheen
On November 14 2018, actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh got married in a picturesque (and much publicised) ceremony in Italy’s Lake Como. Yesterday, the couple clocked in a year of being together. Quite the event, celebrated by the media and the Instagram universe with relish.
While the celebrations were humble—blessings were sought at the Tirumala Tirupati temple in Chittoor, followed by Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar—the Instagram fairytale of the sartorially-charged, perfectly preened star couple continued to unravel.
Padukone, who juggles shooting American magazine covers, advocating mental health and building a career in Bollywood, has successfully used the tool of style, shringar and Sabyasachi to connect with her audience. At the Tirupati temple, dressed in a vermilion red and gold sari and heavy-set jewellery, Padukone and Singh—the latter in a gilded bandhgala—added to the Insta-album of the perfectly-costumed couple. The look was followed by the gurudwara outing in a berry salwar kameez for the missus and a floral kurta and jacket set for Singh. All clothing credits—Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
Photo: sabyasachiofficial/instagram
Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone at Harmandir Sahib.
Social Media has seeped into every sartorial nook and clothing cranny of celebrations, adding to the myth of the perfect celebrity life. And, the tool is effectively used by the celebrity couple to create a saleable narrative of a traditional Indian husband-wife. Often inspiring an aspirational idea of the existence of cinematic romance.
Photo: priyankachopra/instagram
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas.
In terms of their visual allure, the Bollywood couple garners the same attention as any other. However, the smorgasbord of festivities and celebrations inherent in the Indian way of life has cracked open an entire universe of couture and camera clicks. Last month, Priyanka Chopra Jonas celebrated Karva Chauth with husband Nick Jonas in a silken red sari, paired with a matching stack of bangles. What she also wore was the tag of a globally-recognised star, unafraid to carry the weightlessness of tradition on her pallu. Fashion, followers, matrimony and message—Jonas ticked all the right boxes.
Actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli have also established the pair-perfect image with their style updates at every expected occasion. Last month, the glitter and gleam of Diwali was mirrored by Sharma in her elaborate lehnga set and dazzling jewels by Sabyasachi, and Kohli stood like a style equal besides her. Photographs were clicked with a carefully tailored backdrop, all colour corrected and edited. The celebrity-celebration-clothing nexus, as strong as ever.
Photo: sabyasachiofficial/instagram
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma pictured on Diwali.
And, it’s not only the celebrity couple that’s a part of the celebration mafia. The hairstylist, clothing designer, beauty artist, photographer, event manager—everyone gets a promotional excuse.
Selling stardom is not new, social media is not new. But marking each occasion with a sharply-tailored narrative, with clothes as an instrument of managing relationships is an experience now playing in theaters on your phone.