Malavika Mumbaistan: She wore an…

Long before Indian beauties began popping out of the woodwork, winning international beauty pageants at an alarming rate in the ‘90s, there was Reita Faria, the

Long before Indian beauties began popping out of the woodwork, winning international beauty pageants at an alarming rate in the ‘90s, there was Reita Faria, the first Indian to have been crowned Miss World, way back in 1966. The statuesque Goan, captured the world’s imagination and made headlines, not only because she was the first Asian to have won an international beauty pageant, but also because she had broken all stereotypes by walking off with the contest’s most demanding title earlier that day, its swimsuit round (she also had won its evening wear round, sashaying with great charm in a saree). What Faria’s win meant to a pre-liberalisation India might be difficult to envisage for today’s young people, suffice it is to say that it was an iconic moment for Indians at that time. No surprises then that Goa’s other icon, Wendell Rodricks, who is busy setting up his ambitious Moda Goa Museum and Research Centre in Colvale, a paean to his heritage, was thrilled when he received a call this week from the elegant lady, now a happily-married doctor and grand-mum to five kids in Dublin. “I think I am going to faint in delirium. Just got off the phone with Reita Faria in Dublin. The gracious, generous lady is donating the swimsuit and shoes, when she became the first Asian to win Miss World and the sashes of Miss Bombay, Miss India and Miss World to the Moda Goa Museum and Research Centre,” he posted on social media. For the record, the Moda Museum, a labour of love for the designer, already has a collection of over 800 artefacts, stretches from 7th century AD till present date, which includes statues, objects, furniture, photographs and of course, costumes, jewellery and accessories. But something tells us that Goa’s golden-girl Reita Faria’s swimsuit and shoes and sash are going to be one of its star attractions!

Reita Faria (HT Photo)

True Lies
It is true that more than half of what’s on social media is blatant self-aggrandisement. “I ate this. I travelled here. I know so and so”, etc, is par for the course. After all, what else is it, but an exercise in chiselling away at one’s social profile to present the best view to the world at large. But of course, there are those who have mastered the art by taking it to a whole new level. As this upwardly-mobile social influenza (sic) has discovered. Unlike the crasser of his peers, not for him, the blatant bragging of the arrivistes, no sir, that’s left to the amateurs. His is a much more subtle and sophisticated approach. Our friend drops names and places in sotto voice. Last week saw him broadcast an upcoming visit of his to the Hamptons by artfully weaving it nonchalantly into one of the conversations he was engaging in online as an aside, as in: ‘Ok, gtg. Let’s catch up when I’m back from the Hamptons.”
As our Oolong Tea-Serving Hostess Friend, an expert in such matters, would say: “Well played”.

WTSWTM
WTS
“The top BJP leadership had planned the attack on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal as an attempt to eliminate him from working for the people.”
- Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to reporters, yesterday

WTM
“Chilly attack?! Sorry, I mentioned elimination because I had been informed that it was a chilling attack. This is what happens when people add mirch-masala.”

The Kanjeevaram Conundrum

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh (PTI)

Yesterday, when fashion writer and editor of Voice of Fashion, Shefali Vasudev, outed the fact that the ethereal Kanjeevaram saree, that had been one of the best part of the bride’s attire at the recent headline-grabbing Deepika-Ranveer nuptials, hadn’t in fact been created by celebrated-designer Sabyasachi (he’d designed the rest of the wedding trousseau including the bride’s stunning jewellery though), but instead, had been a present to the bride from her mother, hand-picked from Angadi Galleria, a well-known store, those familiar with the online fashion portal Diet Sabya would recognise the inherent irony in the situation:

The popular Diet Sabya took its name from its western counterpart Diet Prada, and like it, had made a success out of calling out the rampant plagiarism and taking of undue credit in the Indian fashion universe that’s prevalent in India. Sabya’s name had been used in the title because as everyone knows, being the undisputed emperor of Indian haute couture, he was also the most-plagiarised Indian designer himself (the story goes that no sooner do pictures of his latest creation hit the scene than thousands of smaller copy cats get to work, spinning them out on an industrial scale for less than half the price). The fact that he himself had been called out now was the irony. “Actually, it’s not really Sabya’s fault,” said an industry veteran. “Everyone just assumed that he’d designed the saree because he did not state otherwise.”

To his credit though, once the matter had been brought to his notice, the designer, known to be very particular about giving credit where it is due, was quick to acknowledge the store as the source for the saree on his official website. But, not before the inevitable fur had flown and a couple of wags had quipped, ‘Sabya sach nahin bola’.