Years before Natasha Poonawalla’s Met Gala look caused a stir, Suneet Verma was the first to do a metal bustier and sari combo – Times of India

The whole world sat down and watched as Natasha Poonawalla made an iconic entry at this year’s Met Gala in a custom-made Sabyasachi sari with a metallic bustier from Schiaparelli. Natasha’s look was styled by Anita Shroff Adajania and she undoubtedly did a great job of adhering to the ‘gilded glamour’ theme of the Met Gala. But for all of us who thought pairing a metal bustier with a saree was hotter than fire, we have news – famous Indian couturier Sunit Verma was the first to do a metal bustier and saree combo exactly 30 years ago!

It would not be wrong to call Verma’s creation premature. The golden metallic bustier styled with a saree was from her first collection in 1992. It was unveiled at Oberoi’s shows in Delhi and Mumbai. The design was created by Italian artist Sandro Botticelli for Sunit Verma’s favorite painting ‘The Birth of Venus’.

Suneet’s bustier and sari look was created by the old-fashioned supermodels, Shyamoli Verma and Mehr Jesia. The photographs were beautifully captured by eminent photographer Prabuddha Dasgupta, whose photographs were nothing less than a work of art. The models were asked to pose like the painting that inspired Verma.

Over the years, this sari with a metal bustier look has been seen on many songs of Sunit Verma from actor Sonam K Ahuja to supermodel Sonalika Sahay.

“I’m glad that Schiaparelli’s bustier worn by Natasha Ponavala reminds fashion connoisseurs of my breastplate and bustier that I did almost 30 years ago. Schiaparelli’s work since the 1930s has been very eclectic and her textiles are a great piece of art. There is a work. She took the idea. From everyday items and glamorized them, says designer Sunit Verma. The designer also worked with the 19th century artist Salvatore Galli. She was at a time when fashion was given a new perspective.”

Varma calls himself a surrealist and much of his inspiration comes from the same artwork as Schiaparelli. “Over the years, I have always taken art as my inspiration. I did my thesis on the history of art and that is where all my inspiration comes from. I was the first who did a corset with a saree. I read a lot About corsetry. When I start a collection I always think of two things. The first is the saree, because for me it is an open canvas and I can do all kinds of things with it. The second thing is the blouse. And for me, it’s something more exciting and sexy. It could be 3D embroidery, a bustier, a corset, or a breastplate,” he says.

Talking about Natasha Poonawalla’s global dominance, Sunit says, “After Parmeshwar Godrej, she is probably India’s only global socialite and fashion icon. There is something about her that makes clothing so fabulous. I love her.” Glad to see Schiaparelli wearing it as the brand has not only reinvented itself, but has been one of my favorite designers ever since I was a college student.”