I have so far never looked to buy a designer saree ... shopping at Sambalpuri Bastralaya, Vashi is always a leisurely affair. One of those afternoons the salesman at the counter proudly showed this saree number 12 of #100Sareepact to me and quietly said "designer saree madam, Mrs.Obama ko design kiya na Bhibu...." Sambalpuri wants to go global, and trendy and has started including designer sarees among its collection and who better than their own Bibhu Mohapatra to start with. That is how I became a proud owner of a designer saree, by Bibhu Mohapatra, one of Michelle Obama's designers. Paired it with an Sambalpuri ikat which is not showing well in this photo and very Mughal, for it had their typical jalil design ear rings picked up from one of those shops at Janpath, New Delhi. Strangely, I wore this for a ballet show, and got photographed just outside the auditorium by my friend Sutapa, who endorsed the "designer" status of the saree. 


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