Pooja Hegde brought native craft to the heart of New York as the guest of honour at the city’s India Day Parade celebrations in a look that placed heritage at the centre of her look. The actor chose a gossamer mustard yellow sari from Anita Dongre, an appropriate choice for the occasion given her widely reported place in Indian fashion history as the first designer to launch a flagship couture store in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood—a feat she accomplished back in 2018.
The diaphanous sari’s surface is inundated with delicate botanical and avian motifs. Called the Nisarga sari, the silk sari forms a part of the designer’s Crafts of India 2025 collection where she paid obeisance to the Pichwai style of paintings—the Rajasthan-born art form that has become her signature over the years—among others. “For the Nisarga sari, the artisans turn toward nature itself as the ultimate protagonist: forests, mangroves, the living world in its most unhurried state,” says Dongre, sharing how each motif is hand illustrated by master artisans who have inherited this knowledge generationally. These handmade designs are further elevated with zari embroidery and sequins embellishments that also add subtle glamour to it.
Hegde wore the sari with a translucent mint green dupatta finished with scallop detailing, pearl embroidery and sequins. A choli featuring a sweetheart neckline complements the sari. “The choli is a structured Banarasi piece woven in Varanasi,” shares Dongre. The tailored silhouette is also feminine while the weave adds a rich surface to the blouse. According to the designer, the look took master artisans over 40 days to put together.
For accessories, Hegde chose a choker from Hyderabad-based jewellery designer Sheetal Zaveri featuring a delicate row of gold chains and suspended green gemstones. She paired it with matching earrings, bangles and rings from Surabhi Didwania and Tribe Amrapali. Her cropped bob was styled in soft beach curls, while a wash of gold eyeshadow, peach lipstick and a gold bindi completed the look.
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