Jaipur royal Sawai Padmanabh Singh busts the biggest myth about royal fashion: ‘Don’t know what people watch on TV'

It's easy to imagine royals spending their days in regal ensembles inside palaces. But Jaipur royal Sawai Padmanabh Singh says reality is far less extravagant.

For many, royalty is synonymous with elaborate sherwanis, sparkling jewels, and impeccably dressed palace life. The image of royals lounging around in regal attire has long become a popular fantasy, thanks to period dramas and Bollywood. However, Jaipur royal Sawai Padmanabh Singh is here to set the record straight and asserts that the reality is far more relatable.

On royal fashion

The polo player, entrepreneur and style icon says the idea that royals spend their days dressed in extravagant outfits couldn't be further from the truth.

"Absolutely not true," he tells us with a laugh when asked if palace life resembles what people see on screen.

"At least in our family, we live a very simple life. Not just in fashion, but in everything we do. We wear very, very simple clothes. If we particularly talk about fashion, we wear very simple clothes,” adds Padmanabh Singh, who leads the historic Jaipur Polo Team.

It's easy to imagine royals spending their days in embroidered achkans and regal ensembles inside sprawling palaces. But Padmanabh Singh says reality is far less extravagant.

While simplicity defines his everyday wardrobe, Padmanabh Singh's fashion philosophy runs much deeper than looking well dressed. Every outfit, he says, is an opportunity to celebrate Rajasthan's rich craft heritage.

“My fashion, just like my beliefs and my feelings, is very much rooted in Jaipur and in Rajasthan. I like to wear a lot of silhouettes, designs and fabrics that are sourced locally, made by people who have been practicing those trades for generations, and it gives me a lot of pride to wear that,” he shares.

Whether he's attending a gala in France, a fundraiser in Italy or a wedding in the UK, the 27-year-old prefers to wear creations that tell the story of his home.

"It makes me proud of where I come from. It also doubles up as an occasion for you to really be an ambassador for where you come from and introduce people to your roots. So, my fashion is very much rooted in Jaipur. And in that context, I use my fashion as my attempt to represent or be an ambassador for my culture and my people,” says Sawai Padmanabh Singh, who made his Met Gala debut this year with his sister Princess Gauravi Kumari.

The five wardrobe essentials

If you're curious about what's inside one of India's most stylish royals' wardrobe, his list is surprisingly practical.

“Well, jutis are a must in my wardrobe, then a bandhgala,” he says, adding that the third must-have in his wardrobe is a white 'farmer's shirt', which is one of his favourites.

“I always like to have well-fitted trousers. They come in handy, and are something which you can wear when you go out for dinner or for a formal occasion, or pair with a bandhgala for formal events… Lastly, carry and have a good cologne. Because it is important to smell good,” he says while wrapping up.