Shobhita Dhulipala is on top of every best-dressed list of fictional list characters right now — or at least, Tara Khanna, the character she plays in Amazon Prime Original series, Made in Heaven , is. And she has costume designer Poornamrita Singh to thank for it.
The show’s outfits have drawn a lot of attention, not just on social media, but also in the retail sector. Cashing in on the hype, Amazon Fashion too has a dedicated space on their shopping platform, featuring wedding styles and luxury beauty from the show, and home decor inspired by the sets. The Indian equivalents of Fashion Nova are already hard at work, replicating Tara’s cocktail sari and printed blue top.
Having worked with series directors Zoya Akhtar ( Dil Dhadakne Do, Gully Boy ), Alankrita Shrivastava ( Turning 30 ) and Reema Kagti ( Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. ) on earlier projects, Singh knew what would be required of her. For The Hindu , she explains what went into creating each distinct look. The common thread, she says: “I didn’t want the clothing to overpower or overshadow the character or what they were saying.”
“After I read the script, I always have questions — I extract every bit of information, about their background, where they come from, who their friends are, what is their financial status, what can they afford, are they in school/college/working, their whole life journey.”
“I never thought of which brands to specifically use. I made a story, colour and mood board for each character,” says Poornamrita. For Sobhita Dhulipala’s Tara Khanna, her wardrobe changed as she moved from middle class to elite, and weddings to business meetings. “I picked a lot of (Sanjay Garg’s) Raw Mango saris, as well as JADE by Monica and Karishma and Galang Gabaan,” she says. For contemporary wear, it was 431-88 by Shweta Kapur and Péro.
Poornamrita says, “I used a lot of real jewellery from Jaipur Jewels, so that it looked authentic,” including in this iconic scene of Tara in bathtub full of gold, gems and pearls. She also used a lot of small brands: “Phuljhadi hand-makes their jewellery, and it has an easy vibe that went perfectly with the sangeet in episode two. Nimai was another favourite,” she adds. For handbags, she picked from Love to Bag in Delhi’s Shahpur Jat.
The cultural background of each family and character was a major factor in pinning down the designer. For the Sikh wedding in episode two, Poornamrita used Delhi-based label Dabiri Couture. “They were happy to make a few tweaks to fit my vision,” she says. Others who sported the brand include Neena Gupta, Shobita, Dalai as the bride and Manjot Singh as the groom (in photo).
For the more opulent wedding scenes, it was nothing less than Sabyasachi, for lehengas, sherwanis and the jewellery. For the Rajput wedding in episode seven, she styled Dhairya Karwa in Raghavendra Rathore. “His styles are structured, simple, beautiful and flattering,” says Poornamrita.
For Jim Sarbh’s smooth sartorial style as Adil Khanna, the rich industrialist, she chose bespoke luxury menswear from the likes of Mumbai-based Herringbone & Sui.
Poornamrita Singh says, “I got into styling by chance, while working for a production house called Genesis. Starting off with ad films, I found that I had a knack for it.” For now, she's on vacation after being hard at work on the sets of Made in Heaven for close to six months!