Nita Ambani went big on jewellery, Radhika on Kanjeevaram at Ganpati celebrations

At Antilia's Ganpati celebrations, Nita Ambani and Radhika Merchant the saas-bahu duo looked abolsutely breathtaking in their traditional avatars.

In Short

• Antilia hosted its annual Ganpati celebration on September 13 in Mumbai
• The Ambani family welcomed Antilia Cha Raja at a grand gathering
• Nita wore an orange-magenta silk saree with a shoulder-wide statement necklace

Like every year, Antilia was dressed up for Ganpati, with the Ambani family coming together to welcome their beloved ‘Antilia Cha Raja’ in Mumbai. The celebration on September 13 was, as expected, a grand family affair, with Bollywood celebrities and guests joining the festivities.

But before the celebrity arrivals became the talking point, the Ambani women had already made a case for festive dressing.

This year, Nita Ambani and Radhika Merchant offered two distinctly different takes on traditional fashion. Nita's look was built around rich colour and statement jewellery, while Radhika's outfit put the spotlight firmly on Indian textile craft and classical dance.

Nita Ambani's jewellery did most of the talking

Nita Ambani chose a rich silk saree in an orange-magenta two-tone, with a contrasting gold border that gave the drape its festive finish. She, of course, layered it with multiple pieces of jewellery, which became the cynosure of all attention, especially the humongous bib-like necklace that went from shoulder to shoulder.

Her ginormous necklace had it all – gold, diamonds, coloured gemstones and pearls. And the necklace detailing is something that honestly needs to be studied; the craftsmanship is absolutely exquisite. It was layers of intricate jewellery detailing that came together in the form of a huge necklace that grabbed all eyeballs. She paired it with two gold and ruby kadas and matching kaan pasha.

The makeup was simple, with a matte finish, and the look was tied together with that braid, complete with a cute little gajra detail tied at the fag end of her braid. The look felt complete with a gold potli.

Radhika Merchant put Kanjeevaram centre stage

Radhika Merchant, who is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, performed at the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi at Antilia. For her performance, she wore a custom Manish Malhotra creation in handwoven Kanjeevaram silk, in a rich jewel-pink shade woven with gold zari. The fabric was further embellished with antique-gold marodi embroidery and zardozi highlights.

The interesting part is the silhouette.

Rather than a conventional six-yard saree, the Kanjeevaram was translated into a pre-stitched skirt silhouette, with the pleats designed to open uniformly and create geometric symmetry as Radhika moved into aramandi, the characteristic half-sitting stance used in Bharatanatyam.

So the construction wasn't merely about making a traditional textile look contemporary. It was designed around movement. That makes the outfit particularly interesting. Kanjeevaram is usually associated with the architectural beauty of the saree — its borders, zari and densely woven motifs. Here, Manish Malhotra took that vocabulary and engineered it for a classical dance performance.

It was an ode to Kanjeevaram and the generations of hands behind the craft, while also drawing a connection between the textile and Indian classical dance. Radhika's look came together with the help of stylist Esther Pinto, makeup artist Loveleen and hair stylist Flavien Heldt.

At the Ganpati celebrations at Antilia, the star-studded guest list included Rekha, Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Kriti Sanon, Kajol, Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal and several others.

- Ends