At the Mumbai screening of his late mother Smita Patil’s film, Manthan, Prateik Babbar made a style statement by wearing a suit made from her Kanjeevaram sarees. Designed by Rahul Vijay, the outfit was highlighted in an Instagram post where Vijay thanked Prateik for the opportunity to create it.
Opening up about the creation process of the outfit, he wrote, “Thank you @_prat for letting me dig into the archives of your late mother, and the very iconic #SmitaPatil. When Prateik called me up asking me to dress him up for the Indian premiere of #Manthan, #SmitaPatil’s first movie that was shown at the recent Cannes Film Festival, I knew I had to bring in elements of Smita Patil’s style into his look”.
"This was challenging since we were working with womenswear pieces and unsure what from Smita Patil’s wardrobe would match Prateik’s style," Rahul Vijay explained. Prateik's aunt helped select two preserved silk Kanjeevaram sarees. Rahul aimed to blend Indian textiles with modern silhouettes, designing the outfit in consultation with Monica Shah of Jade by MK.
They crafted a modern cropped double-breasted tuxedo in plain black silk, pairing it with wide-legged pants made from a pinstriped saree and using the red border of a second saree for the sleeves. Rahul Vijay explained, “We wanted a very modern silhouette while recycling Indian sarees, blending Indian textiles with contemporary design.”
