PRINCESS DIARIES
VIEW
REIGN ON Clockwise from top left: Princess Diya Kumari with the designers; a wooden card deck with a matching box and hand fan were among the items shown at Royal Fables by Palace Atelier, City Palace, Jaipur; the Royal Fables setup at Incredible India Week; Thai actress Pang Kwan Kao Svetavimala in Indian bridal couture by the couple
STYLE
PRINCESS DIARIES Known for majestic designs, Rimple and Harpreet Narula extend their regal repertoire—dressing royal DIYA KUMARI in Bangkok. By CASEY HYNES
T
The theatricality and opulence of royalty have been recurring elements in the design vocabulary of Delhi-based Rimple and Harpreet Narula. So, when Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur travelled to Bangkok with the Royal Fables exhibition as part of the Incredible India Week, it seemed fitting that the husband-wife design team would dress and capture her in a shoot.
THE EVENT
Founded by Anshu Khanna in 2010, Royal Fables is a consortium of royals dedicated to preserving and promoting the arts and crafts of their native states. Several princesses presented works in the exhibition’s latest edition at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon—their
236 VOGUE INDIA NOVEMBER 2013 www.vogue.in
wares included handwoven saris sewn with real silver from Mandawa, necklaces with precious gemstones set in the pattern of the Navaratna from Kharwa, hand-blocked prints from Jaipur and miniature paintings from Kishangarh that present a modern take on classic Hindu themes.
THE LOOK
For the occasion, Princess Diya wore a pink-and-fuchsia sari custom-designed for her by the Narulas. “Pink is a very strong Indian colour and, at the same time, pink and fuchsia are strongly Thai as well,” Harpreet said of the sari embroidered with floral jal and antique zardosi. “That colour is magic on you,” Rimple told Princess Diya before the shoot.
THE SHOOT
The shoot with the princess took place high above the city, on the 64th floor of the Lebua, with Harpreet Narula getting behind the lens. And what’s a shoot without some drama? Bangkok didn’t disappoint: the city traffic ensured that the Royal Fables team gave up taxis and motorbiked their way to the Lebua to make it in time for the sunset photo op.
THE CELEBRATIONS
Afterwards, the princess hosted a multi-course dinner at Lebua’s Sirocco restaurant. As pink champagne flowed freely, she spoke of the importance of preserving traditional Indian arts. “Royal Fables is a brilliant concept,” Princess Diya said. “[The royals involved] are in a position—because of who they are and the families they come from—to take the crafts of their particular area forward. They are all doing something fantastic.” ■
REIGN ON Clockwise from top left: Princess Diya Kumari with the designers; a wooden card deck with a matching box and hand fan were among the items shown at Royal Fables by Palace Atelier, City Palace, Jaipur; the Royal Fables setup at Incredible India Week; Thai actress Pang Kwan Kao Svetavimala in Indian bridal couture by the couple
STYLE
PRINCESS DIARIES Known for majestic designs, Rimple and Harpreet Narula extend their regal repertoire—dressing royal DIYA KUMARI in Bangkok. By CASEY HYNES
T
The theatricality and opulence of royalty have been recurring elements in the design vocabulary of Delhi-based Rimple and Harpreet Narula. So, when Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur travelled to Bangkok with the Royal Fables exhibition as part of the Incredible India Week, it seemed fitting that the husband-wife design team would dress and capture her in a shoot.
THE EVENT
Founded by Anshu Khanna in 2010, Royal Fables is a consortium of royals dedicated to preserving and promoting the arts and crafts of their native states. Several princesses presented works in the exhibition’s latest edition at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon—their
236 VOGUE INDIA NOVEMBER 2013 www.vogue.in
wares included handwoven saris sewn with real silver from Mandawa, necklaces with precious gemstones set in the pattern of the Navaratna from Kharwa, hand-blocked prints from Jaipur and miniature paintings from Kishangarh that present a modern take on classic Hindu themes.
THE LOOK
For the occasion, Princess Diya wore a pink-and-fuchsia sari custom-designed for her by the Narulas. “Pink is a very strong Indian colour and, at the same time, pink and fuchsia are strongly Thai as well,” Harpreet said of the sari embroidered with floral jal and antique zardosi. “That colour is magic on you,” Rimple told Princess Diya before the shoot.
THE SHOOT
The shoot with the princess took place high above the city, on the 64th floor of the Lebua, with Harpreet Narula getting behind the lens. And what’s a shoot without some drama? Bangkok didn’t disappoint: the city traffic ensured that the Royal Fables team gave up taxis and motorbiked their way to the Lebua to make it in time for the sunset photo op.
THE CELEBRATIONS
Afterwards, the princess hosted a multi-course dinner at Lebua’s Sirocco restaurant. As pink champagne flowed freely, she spoke of the importance of preserving traditional Indian arts. “Royal Fables is a brilliant concept,” Princess Diya said. “[The royals involved] are in a position—because of who they are and the families they come from—to take the crafts of their particular area forward. They are all doing something fantastic.” ■
