Walk into my wardrobe with Nayantara

This is one of my favorite ‘Walk into my wardrobe’ posts so far . Love everything about Nayantara’s sense of style – from her jewelry to the saris. The dancer looks so graceful in everything she wears – when I spotted her on Instagram – I knew she had to be a part of our blog .

Over to you Nayantara –

I am a professional Kathak dancer and teacher. I was born and brought up in Pune, where I learnt Kathak under Guru Yogini Gandhi, but I spend a lot of time in New Delhi to train under the legendary Kathak maestro – Pandit Birju Maharajji. Delhi feels like a second home for me – I love the city for its abundance of art and culture, the variety of good food (Prince Paan chaat and Lajpat Nagar Chhole bhature make me weak at the knees), and the irresistible ‘desi’ shopping! I’m also hugely into nutrition, health and fitness (I used to run my own food and health blog), photography (I probably would have been a photographer if I weren’t a dancer) and animals (I am a certified pet groomer and ran my own pet salon for a while! The things I have tried while I was confused about what I wanted to pursue in my life!)

With my husband Dhruv at our friends’ wedding in Pune. I can’t remember where I bought this saree, but it was part of my wedding trousseau. Dhruv was never a kurta kinda guy, but after marrying a classical dancer I guess that had to change a little Personally I think kurtas look great on him!

 

 

Tussar silk saree given to me by my mother. Her work involved a lot of travelling, and she never came back empty handed. Her way of sight seeing was to buy the local handloom sarees from each place she visited. This one is from Jabalpur.

Cotton anarkali – the same green one in the picture earlier

 Silver toe rings – gifts from my aunt Renu atha

Striking a Kathak pose at Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi. Cotton kurta from Vishnu, one of my favourite stores in Khan Market, New Delhi.

My aesthetic sensibility has been molded by two of the most important women in my life – my mother and my guru, Yogini didi. Due to the nature of my work, I am in Indian wear everyday. I love wearing sarees and have a weakness for Indian jewellery. I have never bothered to wear what is “in” and “trendy”, only what suits my tall and rather curvy frame. I am not a big spender and don’t care at all for designer wear. Most of the jewellery I wear is from road side stalls, my favorites being Colaba Causeway in Mumbai and Khan market in Delhi. My personal sense of style is a unique blend of modern with traditional, just like me! I have always been known for my “split personality” – I listen to Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia as well as Incubus; I can wear a traditional saree and put my hair in bun, and later come home and change into a mini dress and high heels for a party. And my sense of style, from the way I dress to the kind of interior decor I like for my home, reflects that multifaceted nature of mine.

Artificial silver jewellery – Necklace, earrings and ring were all gifted to me (by three different people) and I bought the bracelet from Westside. The silk kurta is from Westside too. (I shop at Westside a lot!)

Artificial Kundan jewellery from Jaipur. Being a Kathak dancer, I can’t have enough dance jewellery! This was backstage before Nayantara’s interview and performance on a TV show in Singapore

A saree I bought while on vacation in Jaipur. It is made from bamboo pulp. I love the vibrant colours and the contrasting Warli design.

With my friend and Bharatanatyam dancer, Vaishnavi Anand, in Singapore at a Bharatanatyam concert by the Kalakshetra troupe

Artificial Kundan jewellery from Lucknow, the best place to buy Kathak costume jewellery! This pair is a bit impractical to wear for stage performances, but I had to buy it anyway!

Wrap around silk skirt was a gift from my mother – she bought it in Thailand. The three-tiered necklace is from Primark in London. Mirrorwork chappals from Colaba Causeway, Mumbai. This photograph was shot by Munsif Molu and was featured in Marie Claire magazine for street style. Perfectly represents my love for Indo-western fashion.