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The whole nine yards1

Pulling off the quintessential Indian attire is not everyone's cup of tea. Sonal Ved distills the styles of the top 10 ladies who do it with incredible elan

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Mandira Bedi
Never mind the round of unfaltering jokes about her blouse that were doing rounds when Mandira Bedi hosted the Cricket World Cup in 2003, we must admit that she looked stellar in those noodle-strapped numbers. The look was such a hit that until today you will not spot Bedi adorning a saree sans her spagheti sleeve. Her choice of fabric sways between velveteen silk and sultry chiffons. There is occasionally a stiff cotton, with the blouse pattern remaining constant. Her overall look is glamorous, complete with a gigantic clutch bag or glam earrings, but nothing comes between the camera lens and her true-blue Punjabi shoulders.
Designer Vaishali S: "Mandira's style aims at modernising what's traditional. Her overall look is a contemporary take on the traditional attire."

Konkona Sen Sharma
Crisp cotton sarees that provide respite from Yash Chopra-style drapes is what Konkona's choice of clothing does. The actress stays true to her Bengali girl-next-door image and shows up in stiff fabrics that are either colour-blocked or thick-bordered. While sometimes this can be boring, she makes up with her statement necklace, earrings or even sling bag which are off-beat choices to carry with a saree. In an industry where skin-show is so common, Konkona's saree-look perennially stays put from showing even an inch of her figure.
Designer Sonaakshi Raaj: "Konkona has a beautiful skin colour. She can be a lot more experimental and go for colours such as royal blue, green, blood red. Her choice of fabrics can shift to nets and sheers."

Priyanka Gandhi
Aesthetic sense is a constant among all the Gandhi women. We love Priyanka for her selection of handloom saree pieces (mostly homegrown swadesi) that she teams up with her no-makeup look. As with women in political circles, her choice of colours is pale. There is an occasional bright hued border, which lights up well against her flawless complexion. Since during rallies, Priyanka must be on the go, we seldom see her wearing accessories. Her choice for footwear is invariably flats. We think the simpleton look is a good way to connect with commoners.
Designer Surily Goel: "Priyanka Gandhi is attractive and young. Though I understand that she dresses up as per her political profile, she could definitely choose brighter colours and play with the blouse style. Spice it up yet keep it elegant."

Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa deserves to be on our list mainly because no other piece of garment does justice to her washboard abs better than the sexy saree-blouse combo. Whether it is television show appearances or the red carpet, Shilpa shows up in a saree and steals the show. While most saree-wearers would experiment with their choice of blouses, Mrs Kundra's favourites are teensy pieces that show off her scrubbed-clean back and slim waistline (and rightly so). Her choices of fabric are dream-like — flowly chiffons and georgettes that snugly hug her slender, trophy-like figure.
Designer Surily Goel: "Shetty's body type is meant for the saree. In the latest television show where she played host, she wore all kinds of colours and drapes. From soft to dark hues, stiff to breezy fabrics and everything looked perfect on her."

Kirron Kher
From intricately woven Banarasis to light Lucknowi chikans, Kirron Kher's saree collection would put Paris Hilton's shoe stock to shame. The on-screen matriarch doesn't experiment much with her style, but her sarees are to watch out for in terms of their ethnic appeal and richness. Kher's sarees mostly have an ornately done border, the blouses are low-backed and there is a potli bag for company. There is barely any faux pas with this beauty, thanks to the dimple that always does the trick.
Designer Sonaakshi Raaj: "Kirron Kher can go a little low on accessorising. Adding gajra, jewellery, bright colours, neck piece all at once breaks the look. She can sometimes opt for lighter fabrics and keep it simple for a different look."

Sonam Kapoor
The most sartorially advanced starlet of Bollywood is Sonam Kapoor. From skirts, dresses, pants to gowns, no other actress in contemporary times is a better clothes horse than Anil's daughter. While western prêt and couture is a common choice among the current lot, we love how Sonam manages to push sarees into her red carpet looks time and again. What's even better is the way she drapes her yards differently for every occasion. Whether its adding a jacket on top of her blouse, shortening the length to reveal dainty leggings underneath or carrying psychedelic, abstract prints into the nine yards – Sonam does it all.
Designer Surily Goel: "Sonam should get all the credit for bringing printed sarees in fashion. Apart from the garment, even her hairstyle and jewellery are fashionable. Since she is young, experimenting works for her."

Vidya Balan
If you manage to forgive her for bad fashion choices in the past, Vidya Balan is largely responsible for bringing the saree back in fashion. After receiving brickbats for most of her sartorial choices, Vidya ditched the denims for the drapes and made it her wardrobe staple. Says Balan, "I love the fact that I am a woman and the saree accentuates my femininity. Whether it is my curves or even otherwise. There is the allure, the tease, the grace and the dignity that the drape brings." While the ghooghat-clad avatar at the Cannes Film Festival 2013 was a complete let down, at most other occasions the saree has made her shine. We feel Mrs Balan Kapoor pulls off the garment mainly because of her sexy, curvy Indian figure that lends itself beautifully to the drapes. Add to that Sabya's sharp fashion aesthetic and you have a winner.
Designer Surily Goel: "Vidya breaths sex appeal in anything she wears with her personality. The only hitch is that she gets type-cast too easily. If something works for her, she keeps repeating it. That is not such a good thing. She needs to be more experimental."

Rekha
The queen of Kanjeveram is an epitome of elegance as far as Bollywood is concerned. Rekha is never sported wearing anything apart from her sarees and we think she is largely responsible for keeping the garment in fashion. Her choice of fabric is always stiff. It is interesting to note that when Rekha is not wearing a golden saree, at least one element of her outfit has the shade in some form. Her blouse is always short-sleeved and hairdo varies from buns, open tresses to carelessly curled locks.
Designer Sonaakshi Raaj: "Because she is so well-maintained, she can experiment with concept sarees. Nothing youngish but something contemporary yet classy like the jersey saree."

Usha Uthup
The only person who can pull off a jazz number in a saree with ease is Usha Uthup. The legendary singer is almost-never seen sans her nine yards and her trademark jasmine gajra . "Even if I go to the market in other clothes, people turn and ask 'Didi, apni aaj saree keno poren-ni (why are you not in a saree today)?" she was quoted in an online interview. Her sarees, mostly silk, are filled with gregarious prints and loud colours. She seldom wears soft tones or prints. She chooses blouses with traditional cuts, with sleeves ranging from half to full.
Designer Sonaakshi Raaj: "I feel that Uthup looks good in what she wears, but she seriously needs to cut down on the large prints. Big prints make you look bigger, so do loud colours. So maybe she can stick to sarees in plain colours, dressed with classic borders instead."

Princess Diya Kumari
Porcelain skin, luscious-thick, black hair, breezy chiffon sarees and pearls are what women from the royal families are made of. Jaipur's princess Diya Kumari is no different. The royal, who also dabbles in politics, is mostly seen wearing georgettes, chiffons and silks that are flamboyant and colourful. Our favourite are the leheria-printed ones – a traditional tie-and-dye art form from Rajasthan that reveals two colours in zigzag format. Kumari mainly embellishes her look with elegant heirloom earrings, statement neckpieces and nicely done hair.
Designer Vaishali S: "Since princess Diya Kumari has a royal lineage, everything from her choice of saree to her draping is impeccable. She dresses in a way that the entire look screams of richness."

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