Ash lets the sari do the talking

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s first Cannes outing post her baby was a much-awaited one. After she donned an Angelo Katsapis outfit, she wore an Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla gorgeous off-white georgette chikan sari and teamed it with a silk embroidered zardosi blouse when she attended a gala dinner. While designers feel the critics should be gentle to the new mommy, they don’t deny that her look is not her best.
“Although the designers had taken ample care to cover up the baby flab, style-wise it’s a thumbs down from me,” says Paras Bairoliya of Geisha Designs. “The workmanship on the sari and the blouse is fabulous. Individually they are two beautiful pieces. But when combined together, they failed to gel well for her. Instead of doing any good to her, the long blouse is highlighting her problem areas,” he explains.
Designer Payal Jain believes Aishwarya definitely made a right choice by wearing a sari as Western outfits would have failed to conceal her flab. She adds, “However, the blouse is so unflattering. The yoke is adding volume to her bust and her arms are looking bulky. Aishwarya is a beautiful woman with a lot of sex appeal. But this attire is adding age to her. It’s a de-glam look for a stunner like her. Her makeup is another disappointment, as is her hair.”
Nida Mahmood feels instead of hiding the baby flab, her outfit is accentuating it by cutting the body with contrasting colours, textures, fabrics and her look is a bit like borrowed from Thai airlines. But designer Shantanu Mehra speaks in defence of the actor. He says, “To me, it’s a confused look. I am also not convinced with the way the sari has been draped and teamed with that jacket blouse. However, it’s not fair to judge her on the basis of clothes she picks. She is a beautiful woman with the most beautiful face.”
Rina Dhaka seconds, “It’s not the best but it’s not her worst either. Her ensemble is simple, unpretentious and graceful. She is looking pretty to me. She is not a super young mom and she has managed to pull it off elegantly. This is the best a six-month old baby’s mom asked to walk the red carpet could do.”