How the wardrobe of a foreign diplomat visiting India is planned

Sophie Trudeau chose a turmeric Anita Dongre kurta for a visit to Sabarmati Ashram

India isn't the land of colour for nothing. It carries the power to inspire a man who otherwise tends to pick blue-grey suits (although with red chequered socks), to wear a Benarasi sherwani. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, of the dimples and tousled hair fame, fell a few notches in the ladies' esteem when he, wife Sophie and kids Xavier, Hadrien and Ella-Grace chose to turn up for function after function during their India visit last fortnight, in elaborate Indian wear, that New York Times called fit for a "Maharaja and his court".

The Trudeaus, in ethnic wear, with Shah Rukh Khan at a Bollywood meet-and-greet night. Pics/AFP, PTI

BBC Asia's headline read: Justin Trudeau's 'Bollywood' wardrobe amuses Indians. This, was said about the sherwani and rouge mojris he chose to wear for a Bollywood meet-and-greet function held at Colaba's Taj Mahal hotel. Interestingly, his guests, Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan Akhtar and Aamir Khan stuck to black and blue, mostly suits.

Nadir Patel, Jennifer Graham, Anita and Yash Dongre at the latter's store launch in Delhi. Graham was instrumental in Mrs Trudeau picking Dongre outfits for her India visit

Sandeep Khosla, one half of the couturier designer duo Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, said Trudeau's look that night brought back memories of an ad for Manyavar, an ethnic menswear label. "Embarrassing, and completely tone deaf. Who's advising him?" wondered Sanjay Garg, when we made him a call. "It's obviously not anyone in tune with the India of today," said the Delhi-based designer famed for giving the Benarasi saree modern heft.

Sophie Trudeau went for this Abraham & Thakore jacket (as seen on the runway) when she addressed students of Sophia College for Women. Pic/Atul Kamble

To answer Garg's question, Trudeau was counselled on his India wardrobe by advisors within the Canadian consulate. While American and British politicians tend to appoint stylists who work in tandem with their diary managers to procure local designerwear, this was not the case with the Trudeaus.

Unlike her husband, though, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau didn't embrace outdated bridalwear. She oscillated between Western ensemble and carefully picked pieces of homegrown designer labels. And for that, she has Jennifer Graham to thank. Wife to Nadir Patel, High Commissioner of Canada in India, she turned to Abraham & Thakore, and Anita Dongre to help Mrs Trudeau dress Indian.

"Jennifer is eager and engaged with Indian fashion. She was keen that Mrs Trudeau showcase Indian textiles. Preparations began a month before their visit, and we were asked to send the look-book of our current collection," says David Abraham. He, along with Rakesh Thakore and Kevin Nigli are behind Abraham & Thakore (A&T), a 25-year-old brand inspired by the idea of reinventing traditional ikat, jamdani and fine cottons to suit contemporary taste. Mrs Trudeau chose a black-and-white block printed knee-length jacket from their Spring/Summer 2018 collection, and teamed it with a slip dress from her own closet when she addressed students at Sophia Bhabha Hall in the city on February 20. For a dinner reception held in New Delhi later, she wore a scarlet pom-pom saree dress by Rashmi Varma. The Montreal-born designer, currently based in India, posted a snap with Mrs Trudeau on Instagram, accompanied by a "special thank you to Jennifer Graham" footnote.

"In my understanding, foreign politicians have limited information about Indian designers. Apart from advisors within the government, they also look at previous high profile appearances. And you can't miss 2016's biggest newsflash - the Duchess of Cambridge swinging a cricket bat in a printed georgette Gulrukh dress by Anita Dongre," says an industry insider. Kate Middleton brought attention to Team Dongre once again in February last year when she wore a pair of uncut diamonds and pearl drop earrings from the designer's Pink City label at a reception dinner marking the UK-India Year of Culture at Buckingham Palace. Queen Mathilde of Belgium wore a printed tunic dress by the Mumbai designer during her visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan last November, followed by Mrs Trudeau who picked a turmeric-hued, hand-woven Chanderi mul kurta trimmed with pearl work, when the family visited Sabarmati Ashram and Akshardham Temple on February 19.

The glaring pattern quickly distills into an observation: could Dongre have cracked the code to being the go-to designer for dignitaries visiting India? "Come on, there's no code to crack!" Dongre, says between uneasy laughter, known originally for her ready-to-wear. "My designs are feminine, elegant, comfortable, and bear a strong Indian signature. I'm thrilled to make clothes for the everyday woman, who doesn't want to fuss over dressing up," she adds.

It's perhaps this that may have attracted Mrs Trudeau. A&T, Varma and Dongre's signature off-the-rack styles define indigenous simplicity. "For political bigwigs, it's about using clothes to send across a message that they can wear what the average woman does, and still look great. Sticking to safe silhouettes also reduces the chances of a fashion boo-boo," says a leading stylist requesting not to be named.

We've learned that Middleton's PA-turned-stylist Natasha Archer as well as a Canadian embassy member had directly approached the designer's store. In the case of the latter, Nadir Patel and Jennifer Graham had hosted the launch of the designer's flagship store launch in New Delhi, that saw the likes of Brigitte Öppinger-Walchshofe, Ambassador of Austria to India, attend last year.

Dongre's reputation of being the queen of Indian high street along with a presence in New York has a lot to do with first impressions. "Take a look at her product range. From prêt to handcrafted ensembles to a bridal line, she offers everything. Dongre has little competition in the Indian designer high-street market. There was Ritu Kumar, but that was before her prêt line, Label, became mass," the insider argues.

Unlike, Bollywood, where the star gets to keep the clothes, without having to pay for them, protocol demands politicians and diplomats pay for their clothing (Mrs Trudeau, we have learned, paid approximately R20,000 for the turmeric kurta) and dealings are subject to confidentiality. And, it's hara-kiri to accept freebies, or wear expensive brands. (The A&T jacket carried a pocket-friendly tag of R10,900). "A designer has to be significantly networked in diplomatic circles to make in-roads. We'd love to crack the code since dressing a diplomat or head of state guarantees global fame [for a brand], but we've never been approached… perhaps because our clothes are steeply priced?" Khosla deliberates.

He is right. A global powerhouse wearing your clothes can do wonders for a brand. Zardozi Couture, a Canadian label, took credit on Instagram for Mrs Trudeau's nude coloured saree finished off with a maang teeka for the Bollywood reception. It wasn't long before someone jumped in to post: jhoot ki bhi hadd hai yar. Kahi bhi shuru apna ad dena (sic). When we reached out to Zardozi Couture, we received an Insta reply, asking to send across queries. We did, but never heard from them. Zip-it diplomatic protocol?

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