Sara Ali Khan’s heirloom lehenga made from vintage brocade sarees reminds of Priyanka Chopra’s reworked Banarasi gown

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai is an experience unto itself and understandably, all stops need to be pulled out sartorially when paying a visit to Bappa. Sara Ali Khan has excelled in this regard. She recently arrived at the Ambani Ganapati Puja, decked out in a flurry of colours. What looked like a maximal, extravagant specimen of luxe festive wear, actually turned out to be a meticulously-crafted ode to vintage textile and craftsmanship. Sara Ali Khan’s latest appearance featured her in an heirloom lehenga crafted of vintage brocade sarees; Priyanka Chopra’s NMACC look from 2023 featured her in a couture gown crafted of a vintage Banarasi brocade saree(Photos: Instagram/mayyurgirotracouture, priyankachopra) Mayyur Girotra’s Heirloom lehenga, modelled Sara, was not a random burst of inspiration. It represents the end result of years of conscious crafting. How, you ask? The multi-coloured panels adding festive cheer to every twirl of the lehenga, have actually been crafted out of a set of vintage brocade sarees, 50 to 60 years old, collected the designer over the years — truly, a long spanning effort. While we are all for sartorial innovation, the traditional route is timeless and this one-of-a-kind lehenga is a specimen of the same. Incidentally, this heirloom lehenga, can’t help but take one on a mini time travel journey, back to 2023’s NMACC weekend. Priyanka Chopra Jonas was back in the city, and she made it known. She showed up to the star-studded night dressed in custom Amit Aggarwal. The designer crafted a colourful and risqué couture gown out of a 60-year old vintage Banarasi brocade saree made using silver threads and a gold electroplating on khadi silk. The vision was brought to life in Varanasi across a period of 6 months. The holographic bustier the reimagined saree stood paired with served as the link between the traditional past and the ever-changing present. Incidentally, both Sara as well as Priyanka were styled Ami Patel. Styl to the stars, Ami’s eye for innovation honouring tradition is definitely worth a mention. “Every Banarasi saree has a story” and Kriti Sanon’s look for day 2 of the NMACC gala, ended in some gown and cape, courtesy of designer Monisha Jaising. The beautiful thing about creativity is, is that while two inspirations can often end up treading dangerously similar territories, how either shape up is entirely dependent on the creator. So while Kriti’s reworked Banarasi brocade couture gown was rather similar to PC’s colourful template, the final cut and output were largely different. Kriti’s couture gown, the central showpiece of Monisha’s Banaras Tales series, featured a cut out bodice, a hip-high slit and an off-the-shoulder’s cape. The high-seated bubble braid and smoky eyes, screamed (desi) Lara Croft. The NMACC was also witness to a subtle but impactful fashion moment, served everyone’s favourite Stree, Shraddha Kapoor. The actor played muse to Manish Malhotra who reworked a lush red Paithani saree to fusion fashion perfection. Styled Namrata Deepak, Shraddha’s ensemble featured a jumpsuit with a one-shouldered sweetheart neckline. The Paithani took center stage across her bust, crossing over to fall into a dramatic floral-lined trail. Which of these reimagined saree silhouettes is your favourite?