In Madhurya

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As she was exiting the airport, Kangana was photographed in a custom woven sari by Madhurya. With matching ribbons in her braided hair, she rounded out her look with a bag and pair of striking orange heels, both from Miu Miu.

Love how effortlessly she wears her saris, and for that she’ll always get props. But someone please explain those schoolgirl ribbons to us, really. She might have been going for ‘playful’ but it came off as costume-y/gimmicky.

Kangana Ranaut Photographed At The Airport

Kangana Ranaut Photographed At The Airport

Photo Credit: Viral Bhayani

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54 Comments

    • There are still schools in our country where sarees and ribbons are de riguer uniforms for girls, and it may not be their choice but that is just how it is. Even if that dress code is not fashion forward according to you or P&P, reducing that to Halloween costume mockery because of a misplaced sense of entitlement is simply out of line! Also, your comment is outright derisive and classiest that makes a mockery of all those who attend schools that are so called paathshalas.

      Also how do you decide between “going for ‘playful’ but it came off as costume-y/gimmicky” in this look vs “Loved seeing the two having a bit of fun before the second round of receptions” on the Nth wedding post of Ranvir and Deepika? Is dressing up beyond the tried and tested fun if its dressing up like Freida Kahlo and gimmicky if there are ribbons and pig tails/braids like desi school girls?

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      • Jeez Louise woman! I have nothing against paathshalas and girls dressing up in prescribed school uniforms. Ms. Ranaut on the other hand takes something perfectly normal in India and makes it an airport look for pure want of attention. Furthermore, the ribbon and braids look is usually with a pink or blue salwar kameez and white dupatta and not a saree as you state. (I have nothing against her saree here as well) I guess Ms. Ranaut went for the schoolgirl look but then decided to take on the ‘adhyapika’ veshbhusha. (As an aside, Freida Kahlo with her style of dress and hair was actually making a statement against European culture imposed on Latinoamerica) Lastly, if you think I don’t have choice words for a recently married couple, have a look at my comments on their posts. I think equated one of the groom’s airport looks with Ponds Talcum Powder. P.S. I have spell check OCD – its spelled as ‘classist’, not ‘classiest’.

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        • @Suvaqua24: There are schools (paathshalas, if you will) in India where girls’ uniforms consist of sarees with hair tied in ribbons all the way up to grade 12, particularly in rural India. Now a saree-worn-with- braids-and-ribbons may not be your cup of tea but calling it a Halloween costume clearly sounds like negative stereotyping and making a mockery of those “paathshala” folks and their school uniforms. Maybe you did not mean to sound derisive and classist*, but that’s how biases work.
          Why should a very close-to-home reality of under-privileged folks become a negative stereotype while Frida Kahlo’s outfit becomes aspirational style statement, because she is an international figure? Or is it our inherent class consciousness?

          *Damn autocorrect (!), point taken about classist.

          The rest of my comment in the separate paragraph was not directed at you specifically but at others including P&P, who were called out for copping out and decided to reverse the course in this Kangana Ranaut post with derision and harsh words that are rarely ever used in posts for Kareena, Alia, Deepika, Sonam etc. Maybe we can chalk that up to the pressure of social media credentials from celebrities with major SM following and sponsors (who wants to antagonize anybody like anonymous Diet Sabya?) whereas Ms Ranaut has zero social media presence!

          @Sana: exactly what you said! Well put!!

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          • @Naina: “Now a saree-worn-with- braids-and-ribbons may not be your cup of tea but calling it a Halloween costume clearly sounds like negative stereotyping and making a mockery of those “paathshala” folks and their school uniforms. Maybe you did not mean to sound derisive and classist*, but that’s how biases work.” I had to put that statement in quotes so that I could respond to the specific segment. The braids and ribbons also are used in urban “paathshalas” as you know and as I had stated previously, this is not a comment on the school kids or their uniforms. My use of the terms paathshalas or adhyapika too was simply my style of writing. I sometimes interject Hindi words into my sentences so a puritanical writer of the English language I am not. The point about the Halloween costume, in my opinion, is simply that Ms. Ranaut has appropriated a uniform to appear poker-faced and tight-lipped for an airport procession, thus reducing as I stated previously, something perfectly normal and seen everyday in Indian society to a costume level. That is what I find ridiculous.
            Below is the response to the second statement:
            “Why should a very close-to-home reality of under-privileged folks become a negative stereotype while Frida Kahlo’s outfit becomes aspirational style statement, because she is an international figure? Or is it our inherent class consciousness?”
            I mentioned the “paathshala” look in the original comment. The “underprivileged folks becoming a negative stereotype” is purely your inference. As I said, many girls in urban paathshalas too wear the same braids so this was not a comment related to class. Lastly, please let Ms. Kahlo rest in peace (since you did involve her in this conversation). My comment was simply providing a historical context to the reason for her sartorial sense of style. Atleast, Ms. Kahlo was not planning her looks for when she flew from Mexico City to Paris.

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            • Its funny how people have a problem with kangana wearing schoolgirl braids but no one seems to have a problem with a frida kahlo costume at a wedding which costs crores. Frida Kahlo was a socialist. Dressing up as frida kahlo at a big fat wedding is nothing but mockery of kahlo.

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          • Wow this escalated fast. I think the issue here that many of us have with Kangana is NOT about the school girl hairstyle look but about Kangana making it look gimmicky (and not just the hairdo Alone, the color of the ribbon, those silly glasses all adds up!). When one dresses up, especially in ways that are evocative of very specific cohort, there is also usually a context in which the same look might come out looking fun versus looking gimmicky.

            I assume the op here simply meant that when she brought up Halloween and did not mean as a slight or offence to the entire cohort!

            Frida inspired hair piece on Deepika May have worked for some people in the context that she was wearing it in. Had she worn it For an airport look, to paraphrase you, it may not have been seen aspirational but also equally gimmicky.

            I guess what I am trying to say is context plays an important role in how generally things are viewed, consciously or subconsciously.

            And at the same time everyone has a different pov and some people may not have found kangana’s look gimmicky and liked it and that’s fine.

            I am not sure what about the original comment triggered you to take such extreme offence and you went ahead and attacked her and others for being classist. It sounds like you are attributing a lot of intentions (just from the word Halloween) that were not necessarily implied in the original post. It’s ok to put across your pov but it’s not necessarily ok to attack someone based on your assumptions of what that person might have meant.

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          • The comment simply mentioned ‘Halloween’. If you dress up like someone else – whether a school girl, a farmer or something that you are not isn’t it a costume? You can say its not a costume but inspired look. That is debatable and a valid discussion on this fashion site. I don’t know why this became a sense of entitlement or classist statement.
            Am sure some or many people will like this look. Everyone has a preference. The reader just said what they felt when they saw this look. I think its unfair to judge them for what we think they may have been thinking – know?

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          • you said it @Merriam!

            @Suvaqua24 : cos of your spell-check OCD, I assume you are a grammar stickler too? Funny you didn’t proofread, but having said that I wonder why you find it important to correct someone’s spelling that too of a foreign language, that my dear is classsssist ( puritanical writer of the English language I am not either!)

            Kanagana, as an Indian is wearing something, that (she could have possibly seen as a school-going kid) Indians still wear is not appropriation, whereas an Indian wearing a non-Indian socialist look is definitely cultural appropriation.
            How is dressing up in western clothes to an airport is not appropriation or gimmicky or costumey, but wearing your own country clothes is? SMH

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      • Fabulous explanation.. appreciated. At times we speak of something in a humorous taste and give away the actual meaning of it, not realising that situation is somebody’s life and everyday reality which may not be a choice but it turns mockery for someone else who enjoys certain privileges, only unaware how something basic even is lacking.

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      • I agree with ya all. Actually in my school we have saree for 11th and 12 th grade. And I have tied my hair exactly like that most of my school life. My mom convinced me it was the best thing for the hair :-). MAybe it is a good option for bad hair days:-).
        I am okay with her trying hard looks from back in the day. Retro cannot only be western glamour. This is our retro. Tried Atleast.

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        • @SHM; I so want to hug you right now for saying this. My mom used to tell me the same thing about hair and used to tie it in braids, which my history teacher used to agree with! It’s a different story that I rebelled too much. School days and old memories!! :P :)

          There are old photographs of close female relatives in my family from their school years in the 1960s, 70s and 80s (some 90s too). Depending on age, their uniforms were dresses/skirts/salwar kameez/sarees and with pigtails/braids+ribbons because in those days having a long hair was far more common and considered fashionable than salon groomed short hairstyles. Kangana Ranaut’s hair is done exactly that way. She actually is one of the few present day actresses who has that old world charm, so I enjoyed this retro styling. A throwback if you will to Guddi, etc. films. And who is to say that this cannot be worn at the airport or it belongs to schools exclusively?

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      • Naina, there are/were and will be Halloween parties where people dress like school students and teachers. Chill. Nothing derogatory or offensive.

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      • If there’s anyone making a mockery of school uniform, ribbons, students, teachers etc, then it’s Kangana. An everyday look, and part of many many people’s life… she decided to sport it as an airport “look” just to grab attention and eyeballs. Let’s not be under any false impression that she is doing a huge service to the teachers and such. Just shows that these celebrities would go to any length to garner attention. Nothing wrong with that per se. That’s their professional requirement to stay in limelight.

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      • possible.. but kangana couldn’t get that right either. anyways, dont know her intent. costumed at an airport? the shoes, pig tails…?? bag is ok, thats she’s seen with often. had all this not been part of the look, the saree and old world puff blouse would have looked really sweet.

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  1. She needs to attend more social events so that all her fashion desires and experiments are not fulfilled through the airport ‘look.’ I am tired of constantly seeing her at the airport and Kareena at the gym. its like only one Bollywood star travels and only one works out!!

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  2. calm down people, she’s obviously going for a look — and without those pink ribbons it wouldn’t have been complete.
    NOW you can diss it.

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  3. Kareena and Kangana unfortunately take them take themselves too seriously and they end up trying too hard! Which is such a shame both are women who can be effortless and stylish and can carry things well. I guess things get to people’s head and they start being less organic! Then they end up with opposite (read disastrous) result that they would get if they let their natural style sense shine!
    Rant over!

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  4. Well, I read that ribbons were a trend for this year and were making a come back but how it is to be worn in this day and age is where the difference lies apparently. For instance, fashion waist pack were a huge deal this year…it certainly did not have the look and feel of those waist packs from 90’s but those who dared to wear it, did so keeping in mind how to make it look acceptable and trendy.
    So whilst Kangana has tried to make a style statement with the ribbons, I would have loved to see the ribbons braided into a nice long french braid as opposed to how she has chosen to wear it because it looks dated. A long braid would have gone well with the saree. Well I’m no fashion expert but this is my own 2 cents.

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  5. I read somewhere she was going in for Nargis’s look! Whatever it is, she can’t pull it off and comes across as gimmicky and trying way too hard. Wouldn’t people like it if she had worn a ponytail or something normal and everyday? Why try so very hard and falling flat?

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  6. Kangana should just relax a bit.

    And that goes for some other commenters here as well. Had someone compared her to a schoolgirl, it would have been OK – but the minute the word *paathshala* is used, our patriotic/desi spirit wakes up in full force and we start waging war? And FYI… Halloween costumes aren’t derogatory. People dress up as folks from all professions to celebrities to fictional characters to animals. It’s just an expression of creativity and fun. Not everything needs to be taken so seriously u know!

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  7. OMG women visiting this site have zero sense of humor it seems .Kangana looks ridiculous with those ribbons.She is trying to make a style statement and failed.I dont understand how and why schoolgirls and pathshaala and halloween came into the picture.Take a DEEP BREATH and calm down women.

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  8. Experimenting with looks involves risk but it may or may not work all the time. In Kangana’s case, though most of her experiments work, this ribbon one seemed to be too out of place..
    On an aside, I recall ‘airport looks-with sari and big sunglasses’-being mentioned by Karan Johar (without Kangana’s name being explicitly taken) on his talk show.. Does seem like her signature look has become a synonym for ‘airport look’

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  9. One of the best things about leaving school is not having to wear your hair in a mandated way. I didn’t mind my uniform but this hairstyle was a totally different story . In our school this was how every girl had to tie her hair even if her hair was barely shoulder-length(which mine was). Everyday it used to be a hassle just to get my hair done in such plaits and tie a ribbon like Ms.Kangana has done here. The first time I looked at these pics , I thanked the Lord heavens that I finally graduated out of school .

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  10. Totally disconnected look. If she was aiming for old-school cool with those ribboned pigtails, then she should have ditched the orange designer high heeled shoes. Even the attempt at gimmicks falls flat.

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  11. There is a slight chance it would have worked if she had a fun youthful childlike persona which she doesn’t, that’s why it looks gimmicky.i dont see why you guys gotta bring another actress into the picture whilst commenting on another. Don’t make this a turf war.

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  12. IMO this look would have looked completely different if she had ditched the sunglasses.
    It would have still been quirky with the ribbons, but you lost the freshness and innocence when you added the glasses.

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  13. I see the room is divided so I’ll throw in my 2 cents – after seeing slinky and tacky (Kareena and surprisingly even Freida) this made me smile, so I’m on the side of “love it”. Yes, it’s try-hard but only Kangana would try something like this. Love the way the saree is draped, the puff blouse is cute (to me) and the beribboned braids are so fun!
    Maybe she was trying to re-live her school days (grew up in the hills I think)? I grew up in Mumbai and this was part of our dress uniform.

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  14. I wonder how Kangana does it..with this look she sure has everyone talking about her, positive or negative. She got the publicity she wanted :)

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  15. I think with all these raging comments, Kangana got the attention she was asking for. Why should anyone fight if celebs want attention and they are trying to prove a point? Haven’t you heard of the proverb, ‘when two people fight, the one wins’?

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    • My sentiments exactly! Between the looong comments, and grammar| spelling corrections, and the endless outsaying of each other, I think Kangana is laughing her guts out at having achieved what she set out to do! :D

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