A sari collection inspired by Kangana Ranaut’s airport looks

If I took a bite out of a cake (preferably the red velvet one from Love & Cheesecake) every time someone mentioned ‘celebrity airport looks’, I’d be so big I’d probably have to be rolled down the aisle - assuming that I’ve managed to squeeze my way through the airplane door first. Although I’m glad that we’ve moved on from the Y2K milieu’s obsession with wearing Juicy Couture’s velvet sweat sets to a flight (remember Paris Hilton perpetually dressed in powder pink tracksuits?), the idea of taking comfort out of travel by dressing in 6-inch Jimmy Choos and skinny fit denim – so what if they belong to 7 For All Mankind – to a long-haul flight that’s going to dehydrate my skin and make running my hand through my hair feel like a tangible interaction with Harry Potter’s broom already, feels like a bad idea.

Having said that, if there is a celebrity whose idiosyncratic style makes dressing for consuming an unappetizing plate of pre-cooked flight food feel worth it, it’s Kangana Ranaut.

And it’s got nothing to do with the fact that she and I share a mutual affection for Tom Ford (although, it certainly counts).

Sure, a lot of Indian designers – Amit Agarwal, Sabyasachi, and Sanjay Garg, to name a few - are doing their bit in reviving the age-old garment and bringing it to the fore. Thanks to their muses, saris (or at least their pre-stitched variants) are now becoming a red carpet staple, too.

But, Kangana Ranaut is heralding a new cause altogether. Armed with dandy Lady Dior bags and loafers (sometimes even a Burberry trench coat), the trend-savant actress is making saris – especially the handloom kind that makes my grandmother wonder, “So my wardrobe is fashion now?” – a street style mainstay.

If the actor’s airport fashion has been your stylespiration of late and you, too, are looking for ways to dip your toes into the casual sari trend furthered by her, there’s a bevy of saris that we’ve handpicked from the labyrinth of our stockpile that you could try.

Style tip: If an appropriate blouse is a no-show in your wardrobe, we hear that pairing your favourite Nirvana/Metallica t-shirt with these saris is pretty much how all the ‘It’ girls are wearing it these days.