Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s much-anticipated Cannes appearance –– her 14th year –– started with a Sabyasachi ready-to-wear look –– printed jumpsuit and matching jacket. In the sea of sequins and dramatic gowns, she stood out. Her look was far from trying-too-hard, make-up just right –– eyeliner and red mouth –– a simple blowout and that perfect poise.

What took the look from “wow” to “whoa” was that she didn’t feel the need (or pressure) to accessorise with international luxury labels. And just like that she might have single-handedly paved the way for the royal Bengal tiger shoulder bag and belt (also Sabyasachi) to become a cult classic.

Sabya speak: 

Aishwarya has worn a few of my couture saris at Cannes (in picture) but we haven’t done anything easy breezy for her. For this event, since it was not a typical red carpet appearance, I wanted to give her something more casual and hence the ready-to-wear jumpsuit. The look was from my resort collection Big Love and the print she wore is great for summer and has a south of France vibe. I knew Ash would look perfect in the ivory –– the colour merging into her porcelain skin and the red flowers popping out. What makes me really happy is that she wore the look exactly how it was meant to be –– casually –– and that she wore the brand head to toe –– down to the bag, shoes and belt. I like that she scrunched up the churi sleeves to make the look more easy.

I think the baby (Aaradhya) has done wonderful things for Aishwarya and she looks so happy, confident and radiant. She is more comfortable in her skin. She’s more accepting of herself and she’s ageing so gracefully and with so much dignity. Even when she was at her fattest best she decided not to hide and showed up at Cannes. The country ripped her apart for her weight and she didn’t care. Instead, she learnt how to laugh at herself along with the others.

For her red carpet outing Aishwarya picked her trusted label Elie Saab. Her emerald green gown was spangled with sequins and sheer panels. The outfit was nothing to write home about but her make-up saved the day. The matching eye pencil and the bold mouth will be Pinterested for many parties to come.

Shradha Agarwal