Twenty-six years ago today, Sushmita Sen brought home India’s very first Miss Universe crown. And while that was a moment unlike any other for the entire nation, she has kept us equally enthralled with her career and life trajectory since then. We state the obvious when we say, Sushmita is a star unlike any other we have ever seen, and today is all about celebrating the woman that she has been all this while.
From opting for the unconventional mode of motherhood, adopting her daughters Alisah and Renee to struggling with Addison’s disease for almost half a decade, this one is truly an example in strength, courage, and perseverance. She keeps making us proud and so is the case with her loved ones and those around her.
Sushmita’s boyfriend, Rohman Shawl took to Instagram earlier today to mark the day and express admiration for his lady love. He posted a picture of Sushmita from the 1994 pageant and captioned it, “26 years My Jaaan 😍😍💃🏻💃🏻 How proud you made all of Us & still continue to do so !!❤️❤️❤️❤️”
Here’s the post:
As Sushmita completes 26 awesome years of the big win, we cannot help but notice how she continues to look as stylish and gorgeous to date as she did in the pictures from the pageant days. True to her self, Sushmita once said that she doesn’t think much about fashion. Thus, much of her style is an extension of her own personality and is strictly based on silhouettes, cuts, and colours that she truly likes. It is all about individualistic classics for Sushmita and that’s exactly why we love her style! Here’s to ten times she had truly smitten us with her impeccable style!
The DIY Gown
In a moment of absolute humility, Sushmita shared on the hit show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai that the gown that she wore for her Miss India finale was actually stitched by a local masterji who was working out of a garage and the fabric for the same was actually sourced from Sarojini Nagar, a flea market in Delhi.
“We did not have so much money to afford designer gowns on stage; we were supposed to wear four different costumes. We were middle-class people and we knew our restrictions. My mother said, ‘So what? They are not going to look at your clothes, they are going to look at you.’ So we went to shop at Sarojini Nagar market. Downstairs, in the garage, there was a local tailor who made petticoats. We gave him the material and told him, ‘This will come on TV, so do a good job.’ He made my winning gown out of that fabric, and my mother made a rose out of the remaining fabric,” she shared.
The Ivory Miss Universe Gown
Fittingly enough for her persona, Sushmita played the role of a model in Biwi No.1 and did full justice to the same with her impeccable style and attire. Right from her flattering velvet gown to black layered dress from the song Chunari Chunari, each of the looks from the film started a trend of its own and still remains fresh in our memories.
The Dilbar Song
Loved Nora Faatehi in the song Dilber Dilber? Well, watch Sushmita’s version that she did way back in 1999 for her film Sirf Tum and you’d know who’s the OG Dilbar queen! In the song, Sushmita opted for two iconic looks, both of which continue to inspire fashion to date. You can see inflections of her bohemian red dhoti look in Nora’s version of the song. But here’s a bigger one: Kareena Kapoor’s Chammak Challo saree that created great ripples seems to be inspired by Sushmita’s black dhoti-saree look from the song. The similarity is uncanny and you’d have to watch it to know what we are talking about.
Each One Of Her Main Hoon Na Sarees
It has been more than 15 years since Sushmita left us absolutely smitten with her delicate sarees from Main Hoon Na and it still remains the epitome of all the Bollywood professor looks to date. Also, there’s is no forgetting the ethereal ivory saree form the Tumhe Jo Maine Socha song and black knotted blouse from the Tumse Milke Dilka Jo Haal song, right?
Here’s one just to refresh your memory:
The Ombre Saree From Just Chill Song
So Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan were a real-life couple back when Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya got released in 2005. But, Sushmita took away all the limelight because of her ombre peach-orange saree from the Just Chill song. I so wanted to wear it back then, I so wanted to wear it right now!
Every Time She Went Bong
Sushmita takes great pride in her Bengali heritage and always kept us absolutely smitten with her traditionally Bengali looks. From her Durga Puja Korvais to luxurious silk drapes, each one of Sushmita’s Bengali bell looks are A+ without an iota of doubt.
Her Love For Black
From delicate sarees to elaborate tulle skirts, Sushmita’s love for black is not much of a hidden fact. The infatuation can be seen easily translating from silver screens to her real life.
Her Pastel Lehengas!
While Sushmita likes her sarees dipped in bright, juicy colours, it seems like she prefers more subtle and subdued hues when it comes to her festive wear, especially lehengas. Just last year she was spotted in a gorgeous ivory lehenga at a Jaipur wedding and to say that she looked breathtakingly beautiful would be an understatement.
That Picture Perfect Red Anarkali Look
Our heads keep going back to the time when Sushmita pulled a #NoMakeup look in her red Neeta Lulla anarkali, which turned out to be as picture-perfect as it could get. Why so gorgeous!
A+ Athleisure
A self-confessed fitness freak, Sushmita loves her family workout sessions more than anything else in the world. And she has the most envy-inducing athleisure imaginable. From her perfect yoga pants to all the sports bras and cover-ups, we love it!
Rest assured, Sushmita’s fashion sense is just like her: one of her kind! All the more reason to love her, right?
Featured Image: Instagram
