It’s been widely reported that for her wedding to Saif Ali Khan, actor Kareena Kapoor will wear his mother Sharmila Tagore’s wedding outfit. The original set consisting of a traditional kurta, dupatta and farshi paijama was gifted to Tagore by her mother-in-law, Begum Sajida Sultan of Bhopal, who wore it at her wedding in 1939.

“Kareena will be wearing the original dupatta, while the kurta and farshi paijama are being recreated for her,” reveals designer Ritu Kumar who has been given the task of readying Kareena’s bridal outfit. “The original dupatta was in good condition, but the fabric was a little old and we had to re-line it. The whole process took us about four to six months. The new pieces also had to be made exactly like the older ones, with intricate embroidery. It’s a time consuming process and requires highly skilled labour.”

Master craftsmen from Bengal were put to work on the bridal outfit. “It’s made with gold Benaras fabric, with a dupatta of rust and gold tissue, contrasted with green satin gota at the hem. The knee-length kurta has a decorative zardozi border,” she says. A few older craftspeople, who understood the stitches and their use on three-dimensional surfaces, were put to work on the clothes. Soon-to-be married: Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan The designer has also worked on outfits for Saif’s sisters Soha and Saba. “For Soha, I’ve made an outfit in peach, and one in white with a red paijama. Saba will wear one in gold, and one in white and metallic shades,” she reveals.