Earlier this year, Oprah Winfrey asked her 16 million twitter followers to choose between a blue and a velvet dress for her in the then forthcoming show with Beyonce. Tweets flooded, and voila! violet won – making the viewers happy and Winfrey confident.
This move by the talk show queen shows that dressing to please is not just one’s idealism, but a commandment in the media today – a commandment that brings the likes of Sriya and her Tulip D’sign to the forefront in the industry. Having been in an exile from the media for a year now, Sriya is set to plunge back into her comfortable world of glitz and celebs.
Ramya Krishnan’s suave and bold look in the Tamil quiz show ‘Thanga Vettai’ on Sun TV, Oorvashi’s subtle, yet mind-etching attire in the show’s Malayalam version and Radhika’s sophisticated and divine look in the Telugu version of the same show were a visual treat for us. However, for Sriya, these were projects that had her sipping coffee at midnight, discussing the minute details of embroidery and embellishment with her team.
“The show (Thanga Vettai) had an Egyptian set with sphinx and pillars in the background and it was decided by the team that the hosts would wear saris,” says Sriya, who has been in the designing field for over a decade now. “Setting the mood for the show, the director wanted the clothes to portray confidence and professionalism,” she adds. Well, is that it?
Knocking off the hovering hesitation, she chuckles, “Also, to notch up the competition with Jackpot in Vijay TV,” clearly referring to Khushboo’s much talked about blouse designs in the show.
Unlike an exhibition, designing for performers, according to Sriya, requires a holistic approach, which has to keep their performance, looks and comfort level in mind. “While a fair complexion can carry any colour well, people with a darker skin should go for pastel shades,” says Sriya, who believes that a well designed blouse enhances a sari’s look by 80 per cent. “Similarly, people on the heavier side shouldn’t go for the boat neck or closed collared blouses,” she suggests, while showing us a diversified collection of strapless, churi sleeved, halter neck, boat neck, hand painted, embroidery patterned blouses, all priced between Rs 1,500 and Rs 10,000, in her online portal.
However, according to the fashion entrepreneur, the scope of experimenting new designs is constricted when it involves recognised actors, as they want to retain a particular image in the industry. Commenting on their individual picks, she says, “While Suhasini likes to try out bold designs, Radhika is particular about sticking to her style.” Having studied their personal style, it is no wonder that she is also the personal designer for them.
Keeping the celebs well under her web, she plans to let Tulip D’sign branch out to England to start a bridal package in a partnership venture and also to Bangalore for the designer blouse week next month. While Sriya’s soft corner for blouses remains, never hesitate to choose your pick. Be it a theme wedding wear, angelic gowns or party wear with a Mexican touch. She has it all, the star way.