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At the stroke of 1 a.m. when the world sleeps, Dolly Jain wakes up to drape a sari. “I have a mannequin at my place which is always ready in a blouse and petticoat. And, at weird hours, (“I don’t work during the usual hours that people work”) I take a fabric and start draping. Suppose, the drape falls well, I take a picture and that’s a new drape,” exults the celebrity sari draper. At Singhanias store on Road No. 1, Banjara Hills, it is a unique showcase by Dolly Jain, who sits pretty in her stunning pink sari accentuated with jewellery. “We have got models here and we will be showcasing how draping it differently can uplift a sari,” she points out.

Isn’t it an unusual profession to be a sari draper? “It is unusual only because everyone takes a sari for granted,” states Dolly. When she got married, a sari was the only outfit she was allowed to wear! “I said ‘ok. If this is the only outfit I have to wear then let me wear it in a stylish way. And, I am a complete cotton person. I have never worn georgette, crepe, chiffon, silk or blends. I like to wear only handloom,” she recalls. Dolly has been a sari draper for almost a decade and says it is not her profession which is difficult but convincing youngsters to wear sari is a challenge. “It is tough to tell the young generation that sari draping is an art. A major section of young girls have completely stopped wearing saris. We should give them a different drape style so that they are encouraged to wear saris,” she says and adds, “Don’t tell them ‘You have to wear a sari over a petticoat.’ Give them options of wearing it over jeans, leggings or let them wear it over a long skirt and cropped top. The moment you tell them that you have to wear a blouse and petticoat, they say ‘no’,” she says with a smile.

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Dolly gives credits to her celebrity clients for understanding the art of draping. “Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Diya Mirza and Lara Dutta and young actresses like Sonam Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor have all been thorough professionals, who understand the value of art,” she avers.

Any favourites among her clients? “Each client is different so is draping because of their figure, their tastes and the kind of skin they want to show. Not everybody is comfortable with the amount of skin that is showed,” she shares. Besides being part of the 100-sari pact, Dolly is also a judge of ‘Dare to drape’ on the social media. “When youngsters say ‘Why a sari’ I ask them, “Why not a sari? Maharani Laxmi Bai fought a battle wearing a sari. Are you going to fight a battle? It is all in the head. Sari is the only silhouette which gives the wearer a liberty to look the way you want to look,” she concludes.

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