Sonam Kapoor stepped out on Wednesday evening for a jewellery showcase in a black anarkali, pairing it with a hand-embroidered Shanti Banaras dupatta and jewellery from Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas Jewellers. And while Sonam and Rhea Kapoor are hardly strangers to maximalist fashion, this look felt surprisingly restrained by their usual standards.The black ensemble gave the intricate dupatta plenty of room to stand out. Created on a tussar georgette base, the Shanti Banaras piece draws from the visual language of traditional Pichwai art. Its black canvas is covered with delicate hand-embroidered motifs, making the dupatta look almost like a painting brought to life.Fine resham threads have been used to create the motifs, while kasab highlights the finer details. It’s the kind of piece that doesn’t really need much else around it.And Sonam let it do the talking. Her layered, diamond-studded necklace from Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas Jewellers added the glamour, while statement earrings completed the look. Her sleek, centre-parted hair kept things polished without competing with the jewellery or the embroidery.Styled by Rhea Kapoor and Manisha Melwani, the look worked precisely because it didn’t try to do too much. A black base, one spectacular dupatta and bold jewellery were enough to make an impact.For Sonam, whose fashion choices have long mixed Indian craftsmanship with a more modern point of view, the appearance felt very much in character. But compared with some of the more elaborate looks she and Rhea have put together over the years, this one was almost understated.The appearance also comes a few months after Sonam and husband Anand Ahuja welcomed their second son, Rudralokh Kapoor Ahuja, in March. The couple are already parents to their elder son, Vayu, and later shared the story behind their younger son’s Vedic-inspired name.Even with the demands of being a mother of two, Sonam clearly hasn’t lost her instinct for fashion. If anything, this outing showed that she doesn’t always need layers of drama to make an impression. Sometimes, a little restraint does the job just as well.
