We can all agree that like the French and their much-vaunted sense of style, the taste of India’s Zoroastrians or Parsis is a high-watermark of chic. The real allure of the Parsi female dress code lies in their sensual if not daring choice of blouses which they carry with bohemian nonchalance, and a certain je ne sais quoi, thinks Ashdeen Lilaowala. The blouse, he says, is usually at the centre of the chaos in most Parsi households before a lagan (wedding). Has it been given to the darji well in time? Will it fit like a glove? Is it glamorous enough but not quite to steal the show from the bride? Oftentimes, the saree is chosen after the blouse.

On one occasion, Lilaowala says one of his Gujarati friends attended a Parsi wedding and recounted feeling overdressed in a pool of confident women of all ages flaunting their stylishly sensual twist on the saree. “The Parsi blouse, in my opinion, is a great equaliser, carried off by women of all ages and body types, a feat worth celebrating... if you ask me,” Lilaowala says, admitting that he is a bit of an old-soul in matters of seduction and glamour.