Neva

Bottle green is a colour that only works in a heavy cloth, and this is pure raw silk at eighty grams — thick enough to hang straight from the shoulder without a lining fighting it. The shirt is left almost plain on purpose, with hand embellishment kept to the neckline and the cuffs, so the depth of the green does the work.

The sharara beneath it flares wide and finishes in a ruffle, which is where the outfit gets its movement; the shirt stays still and the bottom does not. A sheer organza dupatta, embroidered along its borders, sits over the top without adding weight.

Three pieces, and restrained enough to wear to a dinner as readily as to a mehndi — which is unusual for something this deep in colour.