How Dolly Jain went from a housewife to celebrity saree draper for Ambanis, PeeCee, Deepika
Jain usually charges between Rs 35,000 and Rs 2 lakh for an event.
By Rachita Prasad, ET Bureau | Updated:
Agencies
Meet Dolly Jain, a professional saree and dupatta draper, who has a long list of celebrity clients.
What’s common to the wedding outfits of Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Isha Ambani? If your guess is the designer, then you are wrong. It is the lady who draped their elaborate outfits on their special day.Meet Dolly Jain, a professional saree and dupatta draper based in Kolkata. Her clientele includes top celebrities and designers.
“Earlier girls would go to their mother or aunts to drape a saree (or) people would call beauticians from local parlours…but now they realise that a professional draper can add so much value to their appearance,” Jain told ET. She can drape a saree in just 18.5 seconds and has made it to Limca Book of Records for draping a saree in 125 different ways. Later, she increased that number to a 325 for other records.
Recently, she draped Union textiles minister Smriti Irani who was “scared” of messing up a Kanjeevaram saree and, therefore, asked for help.
“I try to incorporate the designer’s vision and the bride’s wish, but the bride is priority,” Jain said. “Each bride is different. Deepika likes her pallu long, open and resting on her arm, Priyanka likes a lose drape, while Isha likes her sarees and dupattas pinned and well-fitted for a neat look.”
Jain was a homemaker who used to get compliments for the way she wore her sarees. So she started helping people drape sarees and teaching them the skill.
“I was helping a bride at a wedding with a very heavy dupatta and Sandeep Khosla of the designer duo ‘Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla’ saw my work. He was so impressed that he started recommending me to celebrities,” Jain said. “But it was when I was draping a saree on Sridevi and when she said that I had magic fingers and should convert this very niche work into a full-fledged profession, that the idea first hit me.”
“I would go anywhere to drape anyone. Each woman was a learning for me, because her structure and taste were different and even the textile was different,” she said. “They say making a woman happy is tough, and I did that every time. I practice draping sarees on a mannequin every day in the morning for the last 15 years, just as a singer does ‘riyaaz’.”
She declined to reveal what she charged the celebrities for the wedding, citing the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that she signs with her clients. But she said she usually charges between Rs 35,000 and Rs 2 lakh.
A typical beauty parlour in Mumbai would charge onwards of Rs 500 for saree draping, but it is often an add-on service done by the skin experts or junior beauticians.
“Weddings are the main source of business for us,” Jain said. “Celebrity jobs and photoshoots do not pay as much; they give me visibility and photo-opportunity with stars, which helps my brand though.”
Indian wedding, often cited as a recession proof industry, has a robust growth rate of 25-30% annually.
Experts said the cost of luxury wedding ranges from Rs 2 crore to Rs 25 crore, and the number of such weddings is increasing every year.
The profession comes with its own challenges, from handling stressed brides to managing complicated outfits.
Jain recalls the time when she was draping a bride at a destination wedding in Ko Samui, Thailand, and realised that the lehenga would be short if the bride wore heels that she planned to wear to match the tall groom. Some quick thinking and she used a borrowed kanjeevaram to make small pleats and made the bride wear it below her lehenga so that the gold pleats added a layer to the lehenga and increased the length.
When she went to drape former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa some years ago, the latter’s security would not allow Jain to carry her belongings inside the premises, and objected to the huge numbers of safety pins she carried. “I had to tell them I need it for her saree, I can’t possibly murder someone with safety pins!” The actual draping was less dramatic as ‘Amma’ opted for a “traditional and safe” style for her heavy saree.
Jain has the backing of several designers. “If you want out outfits to look prettier and make you look slimmer, Dolly is the girl to go for draping. I work a lot with her,” ace designer Manish Malhotra said in a video shared by Jain on social media.
Jain is booked almost two-three months in advance. “I try not to say no to any bride who comes to me because it’s her special day,” she said. In case the bride’s budget cannot afford her services, she plans the look and delegates someone from her team of 25 girls.
Jain’s mission in life is to popularise saree among the younger generations.
“Saree draping is an Indian art which is getting lost,” she said. “I want to convert the next generation who has never been taught how to wear a saree into regular saree wearing people. I tell them to bring whatever they have, and teach them how to rock a saree even with canvas shoes or their favourite Gucci belt.”
Saree, the most recognisable Indian garment for women, is seeing a resurgence among women with initiatives such as ‘The Sari Project’ spearheaded by Malika Verma Kashyap, founder of creative agency Border & Fall, and top designers promoting sarees, especially handlooms.
Jain wants to educate people and make the art of draping a saree more accessible.
For that, she is working on a book that will feature different styles of saree draping. “My book will feature 365 different ways of saree draping, one for each day of the year. There is no reason not to wear a saree,” she said. Social media is helping her popularise saree and teach draping. It also works as a good marketing tool for her. A tattoo on Jain’s forearm reads, “I am six yards ahead of my time.”
Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal got married in a traditional ceremony at the former's Altamount Road residence, 'Antilia', after 8 months of courtship. The 33-year-old Piramal scion proposed to the 27-year-old Reliance heiress in Mahabaleshwar, earlier this year.
Many top industrialists, politicians, sports personalities and Bollywood stars arrived at the Ambani residence to be a part of the high-profile wedding.
Here's a look at who all headlined the event.
What’s common to the wedding outfits of Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Isha Ambani? If your guess is the designer, then you are wrong. It is the lady who draped their elaborate outfits on their special day.Meet Dolly Jain, a professional saree and dupatta draper based in Kolkata. Her clientele includes top celebrities and designers.
“Earlier girls would go to their mother or aunts to drape a saree (or) people would call beauticians from local parlours…but now they realise that a professional draper can add so much value to their appearance,” Jain told ET. She can drape a saree in just 18.5 seconds and has made it to Limca Book of Records for draping a saree in 125 different ways. Later, she increased that number to a 325 for other records.
Recently, she draped Union textiles minister Smriti Irani who was “scared” of messing up a Kanjeevaram saree and, therefore, asked for help.
“I try to incorporate the designer’s vision and the bride’s wish, but the bride is priority,” Jain said. “Each bride is different. Deepika likes her pallu long, open and resting on her arm, Priyanka likes a lose drape, while Isha likes her sarees and dupattas pinned and well-fitted for a neat look.”
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's intimate Lake Como wedding was just what bridal dreams are made of. Hosted over a period of three days, with only close family and friends in attendance, the festivities began with a mehendi function, followed by the couple taking their vows in two separate ceremonies - a Konkani and a Sindhi one - over the next two days as a mark of respect to their lineage.
The pictures from their wedding, that have gone viral, show the 'Padmaavat' actors looking oh-so-in-love and acing the bridal fashion game.
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The celebrity wedding wave of 2018 has been well-storied, and may have given many single people wedding goals, but Jain’s story will give career goals to people who want to convert their passion into career.Jain was a homemaker who used to get compliments for the way she wore her sarees. So she started helping people drape sarees and teaching them the skill.
“I was helping a bride at a wedding with a very heavy dupatta and Sandeep Khosla of the designer duo ‘Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla’ saw my work. He was so impressed that he started recommending me to celebrities,” Jain said. “But it was when I was draping a saree on Sridevi and when she said that I had magic fingers and should convert this very niche work into a full-fledged profession, that the idea first hit me.”
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But her 15-year professional journey is not all serendipity.“I would go anywhere to drape anyone. Each woman was a learning for me, because her structure and taste were different and even the textile was different,” she said. “They say making a woman happy is tough, and I did that every time. I practice draping sarees on a mannequin every day in the morning for the last 15 years, just as a singer does ‘riyaaz’.”
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Jain has many tricks up her sleeves — from using hair straightening iron to fix the pleats of a saree to sewing a comb on the pallu to fix it on the head to prevent it from falling.She declined to reveal what she charged the celebrities for the wedding, citing the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that she signs with her clients. But she said she usually charges between Rs 35,000 and Rs 2 lakh.
A typical beauty parlour in Mumbai would charge onwards of Rs 500 for saree draping, but it is often an add-on service done by the skin experts or junior beauticians.
“Weddings are the main source of business for us,” Jain said. “Celebrity jobs and photoshoots do not pay as much; they give me visibility and photo-opportunity with stars, which helps my brand though.”
Indian wedding, often cited as a recession proof industry, has a robust growth rate of 25-30% annually.
Experts said the cost of luxury wedding ranges from Rs 2 crore to Rs 25 crore, and the number of such weddings is increasing every year.
The profession comes with its own challenges, from handling stressed brides to managing complicated outfits.
Jain recalls the time when she was draping a bride at a destination wedding in Ko Samui, Thailand, and realised that the lehenga would be short if the bride wore heels that she planned to wear to match the tall groom. Some quick thinking and she used a borrowed kanjeevaram to make small pleats and made the bride wear it below her lehenga so that the gold pleats added a layer to the lehenga and increased the length.
When she went to drape former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa some years ago, the latter’s security would not allow Jain to carry her belongings inside the premises, and objected to the huge numbers of safety pins she carried. “I had to tell them I need it for her saree, I can’t possibly murder someone with safety pins!” The actual draping was less dramatic as ‘Amma’ opted for a “traditional and safe” style for her heavy saree.
Jain has the backing of several designers. “If you want out outfits to look prettier and make you look slimmer, Dolly is the girl to go for draping. I work a lot with her,” ace designer Manish Malhotra said in a video shared by Jain on social media.
Jain is booked almost two-three months in advance. “I try not to say no to any bride who comes to me because it’s her special day,” she said. In case the bride’s budget cannot afford her services, she plans the look and delegates someone from her team of 25 girls.
Jain’s mission in life is to popularise saree among the younger generations.
“Saree draping is an Indian art which is getting lost,” she said. “I want to convert the next generation who has never been taught how to wear a saree into regular saree wearing people. I tell them to bring whatever they have, and teach them how to rock a saree even with canvas shoes or their favourite Gucci belt.”
Saree, the most recognisable Indian garment for women, is seeing a resurgence among women with initiatives such as ‘The Sari Project’ spearheaded by Malika Verma Kashyap, founder of creative agency Border & Fall, and top designers promoting sarees, especially handlooms.
Jain wants to educate people and make the art of draping a saree more accessible.
For that, she is working on a book that will feature different styles of saree draping. “My book will feature 365 different ways of saree draping, one for each day of the year. There is no reason not to wear a saree,” she said. Social media is helping her popularise saree and teach draping. It also works as a good marketing tool for her. A tattoo on Jain’s forearm reads, “I am six yards ahead of my time.”
Many top industrialists, politicians, sports personalities and Bollywood stars arrived at the Ambani residence to be a part of the high-profile wedding.
Here's a look at who all headlined the event.
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2018's most-lavish Indian celeb weddings
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