When it comes to occasionwear, Shanaya Kapoor consistently returns to pieces designed to last. Her latest pick, an Anita Dongre look, from the couturier’s Vaana Spring Summer 2025 collection, draws from traditional craft without being weighed down by it.
Featuring a strappy blouse and a billowing skirt, the ensemble’s silk base lends a diaphanousness that mirrors Kapoor’s pared-back approach to ceremonial dressing. Set against a distinctive meadow greenish-yellow, the lehenga immediately stands apart for its nature-inspired hue. Motifs take centre stage in the look, in sync with Dongre’s signature design language.
The hand-painted Pichhwai artwork unfolds across the lehenga like a living landscape, populated with blooming florals, foliage, wildlife and fluttering birds. The blouse reflects the same story and is further elevated with intricate surface techniques. A delicate organza dupatta brings the ensemble together, offering a gentler counterpoint to the richly detailed lehenga.
The ensemble draws its soul from the art of Pichhwai painting, a 400-year-old craft that originated in Rajasthan in the 16th century. Traditionally created as devotional backdrops depicting tales of Shrinathji, Pichhwai paintings were also deeply inspired by the rhythms of nature, from seasons to flora and fauna. In the lehenga, this heritage is reinterpreted with each motif meticulously hand-painted by skilled artisans and delicately enhanced with sequins. The lehenga took close to 90 days to create, a timeline that honours the patience and attention this craft demands. The piece is animated by an in-house master painter, whose deep-rooted Pichhwai lineage informs every brushstroke. As the designer shared, this lehenga is part of the House of Anita Dongre’s larger effort to ensure that art forms like Pichhwai continue to thrive within a contemporary language.
