Princess Karam of Kapurthala, muse behind Schiaparelli saree collection and named among world’s most beautiful women

Princess Karam of Kapurthala inspired Schiaparelli's 1935 collection. Known for her stunning style, she was a fashion icon of the 1920s and 30s.

Indian heritage and fashion have long inspired the international luxury fashion houses to create masterpieces. Maharani Sita Devi of Kapurthala, also known as Princess Karam, was one such inspiration.

Dressed in sarees, stunning gowns and opulent jewels, Princess Karam was known as the Pearl of India in the fashion circles of Paris, New York, and London during the 1920s and 30s. In fact, Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian couturier who founded the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, was so dazzled by her beauty that she designed a collection inspired by her Indian sarees.

Princess Karam of Kapurthala and Schiaparelli

Princess Karam of Kapurthala, who was also named one of Vogue's World's Most Beautiful Women, became a muse for Elsa Schiaparelli during the summer of 1934, when she arrived in Paris in a saree, according to Vogue.

Later, in 1935, Schiaparelli did a collection of evening gowns titled ‘Stop, Look and Listen’, made with draped fabrics that circled the body. The entire collection was constructed around Princess Karam's personal style. Years later, Isha Ambani wore a Schiaparelli saree designed by the house's creative director, Daniel Roseberry.

On being the source for Schiaparelli's design, Princess Karam had then said, “I was thrilled to see that some of the dressmakers were actually inspired for their new models this year by some of the sarees I wore in the summer of 1934.”

Princess Karam: An icon

Princess Karam created ripples in the fashion community with her impeccable style. At 19, she was named the ‘secular goddess’ by Vogue, and at 22, Look Magazine named her one of the five best-dressed women in the world.

She was even mentioned in Vogue Paris’ April 1935 issue as the catalyst of the season’s grand couture, with a picture of her dressed in a Schiaparelli taffeta coat threaded with gold, silk gloves, and a headdress.

Her personal collection would range from French couture pieces by Madeleine Vionnet, Jeanne Paquin, Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lavin, Mainbocher, and Madame Gres, complemented by Cartier and Boucheron jewels.