How does the heritage of Jaipur influence personal style?

In our third edition of ‘Can a City Influence your Style?’ we take a look at how the ‘Pink City’ influences the personal style of those residing there

Is our sense of style shaped by the place we live in? How you dress is more often than not influenced by the culture of the place you call home. Look around you, and you’ll find people of all genders following a similar style aesthetic. Our new series, ‘Can a City Influence your Style?’ is dedicated to understanding the style language that runs across places.

The heritage city

For a city that dates back to the 18th century, and ruled by the Rajput maharajas of the time, it is bound to be steeped in opulence and an abundance of history. This historical richness also extends to the style of the people living there. “I do see a reflection of our heritage and history in the way people dress here, especially during festivals where you’ll see most women wearing colourful leheriyas,” says Chef Tejaswi Chandela, founder of Dzurt Patisserie and co-founder of All Things Chocolates. “Jaipur is a city with a deep-rooted history; you often see people wearing traditional clothing here. I’m a Rajput and we wear poshaks for  weddings, whereas men usually wear bandhgalas and achkans with safas on their head,” she says.

Compared to Goa and Bengaluru, both of which have a more or less relaxed and casual vibe, a city like Jaipur is a portal to history, and is reflected in the clothing choices of most locals. Arshia Bhargava, co-founder of Rias Jaipur—a clothing brand based in the ‘Pink City’—agrees that Jaipur is not as liberal as Goa. “While you can wear crop tops and bralettes in Goa, Jaipur is a little traditional. You’ll find most people wearing kurtas while the locals are dressed in traditional sarees,” she says. Bhargava’s brand, founded in 2017, focuses on two ancient crafts of India—bagru and hand-block printing—which are transferred onto handwoven fabrics. “As a young brand, we want to stay true to our heritage but also give it a twist. We use the same hand-block techniques but for a younger crowd, with dresses, shirts and co-ord sets, among other pieces of clothing.”

Aavriti Jain, founder of Dhora jewellery, believes that you can either dress up or down in Jaipur, depending on your personal style. “Because I work with factory craftspersons, I feel more comfortable walking around in a salwar kameez. But I guess it's also to do with how safe you feel in a city, apart from practical reasons such as comfort and climate,” says Jain, who grew up in Jaipur and now shuffles between the city and Mumbai. Her jewellery label, too, draws inspiration from the city. “Whenever I want to design a collection, I come back home. Bombay is great for marketing, PR and sales, but when it comes to sitting down and feeling inspired, it’s Jaipur that inspires originality,” says Jain.

Not just a ‘pink city’

The story goes that in 1876, when the Prince of Wales was visiting India on tour, Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur decided to paint the entire city in pink as the colour symbolises hospitality. Today, the city is known for its vibrant colours that most of its residents have imbued in their wardrobes, too, including Noelle Kadar, an art consultant, who has been in and out of Rajasthan for over two decades, before setting up base in Jaipur almost seven years ago. “I'm from New York, so my colour palette of comfort has been neutrals and blacks. But I definitely wear a lot more colour now after living in Jaipur,” she says. “When I first moved here, I was sensitive about fitting in and I didn't wear a lot of the clothes that I’d usually wear while in other cities. And then I befriended a few girlfriends in Jaipur who made me realise that I live here now and if I want to wear my clothes, I should wear my clothes. When I travel for work now, I primarily wear clothes by Indian designers and most of them are from Jaipur. I wore a jacket by the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation (PDKF) all spring in New York, and I got a compliment or two every time I wore it,” she adds.

The city’s abundant use of colours  is attributed to its dry environment, as Bhargava points out. “The concept of how colours came here was because of the dry environment of the city, which made people gravitate towards bright hues,” she says. “If you go into the villages, you will see women dressed in neon colours of yellow and pink because they associate them with happiness. We don't have the kind of rains that a place like Kerala would get, which would make the atmosphere pleasant and nice. Here, in Jaipur, it is dry and hot so people create this sort of vision of happiness through the colourful clothing they wear,” she says. 

But there’s more to the city than just a striking rainbow of colours; it is also synonymous with the craft of hand-block printing. “If you go to a market in Jaipur, you’ll find all the locals wearing similar block-printed clothing,” says Bhargava, who has spent much of her childhood and adult life in Jaipur, having been born and brought up there. “My style used to be very laid-back and traditional. I used to wear a lot of kurtas and anarkalis. Now I’ve moved to more breezy, anti-fit clothing, and I stick to cotton in shibori or block prints,” she adds.

Jain, too, claims her wardrobe is filled with block-printed clothing. “My friends and I love to wear block prints, especially  short kurtas during summer when wearing jeans is out of the question. I’ve seen many men look super comfortable in block-printed shirts here too,” she says. Chandela agrees with Jain. “In summer, I can’t think of wearing anything else but a really good block-printed cotton kurta, which is typical of Jaipur—it’s almost as though it’s the city’s signature style,” she says, whose go-to shops in Jaipur are Rukhmani, Tokree, Anokhi and Cottons. “I can be relaxed in Jaipur and as close to my personality as possible because the city feels authentic. There’s no pressure to conform to certain clothing. You can be who you are,” adds Chandela.

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