Long before the term “quiet luxury” became the trendiest fashion phrase on the internet, Maharani Gayatri Devi had already mastered the art of appearing so. Dressing in her trademark chiffon sarees, pearls, structured dresses, and her distinctive understated style of royal dressing, this Jaipur royal became one of the biggest style icons of India. Her ensembles were never about showing off one’s social standing but were about making elegant appearances with no effort at all. Many decades later, these defining fashion trends associated with Gayatri Devi still inspire designers and fashion enthusiasts. Let’s know more about it.
It was clear that Gayatri Devi was not regarding the saree as merely traditional wear of that fashion era after she introduced sunglasses with her drapes. Before minimalism became a trend on Instagram, Gayatri Devi was already promoting the idea of less embellishment, less texture, and more impact in fashion. She often chose soft colours like pale pink, powder blue, ivory, and other light pastel shades for her saree wardrobe. Such colours worked really well with chiffon fabrics, as they highlighted the sheer and fluid quality of the fabric rather than clashing with it. The restraint here was conscious and sophisticated. Gayatri Devi has been pictured in her sarees wearing a long string of pearls. Many publications mentioned pearls and emeralds as the staple of her wardrobe, while other descriptions of her personal style focus on her use of chiffon and pearl necklaces. Her signature style proved that sometimes less is more, as contemporary fashion still tips its hat to this idea of wearing a single piece of notable jewellery rather than layering multiple pieces at once, and she did it first. Her timeless sarees paired with oversized or cat-eye sunglasses gave a touch of cosmopolitan charm to her look. It is possible to see a shot of her in a floral chiffon saree together with Jackie Kennedy, where her cat-eye sunglasses gave a new touch of modern glamour to the stylish look.