The nightingale in white has commenced her eternal journey towards heaven. Her heavenly chimes will be missed sorely by all the music lovers in the world. The thought of this end of an era in music world puts a solemn silence in the orchestra of our hearts. When we close our eyes to remember her, to pay tribute to Lata Mangeshkar, her divine sobriety and classic iconic looks in white attire and minimal adornment enchants us as powerfully as her unearthly blissful voice engulfs our hearts.
White saree, red bindi and her beautiful smile- that is all she needed to look so graceful. The simplicity, innocence and decency in her whole appearance have always placed in the holy pulpit of our hearts. Even at 92, her voice has been as melodious and magical as ever. She sang numerous legendary songs in as many as 36 languages such as Hindi, Bangla and Marathi. This nightingale in white has been the undisputed queen of Bollywood music and earned enormous fame all over the world.
Divine in white
The appeal of white is somewhat eternally divine. There is an unexplainable sacred, pure and angelic essence to Lata' s presence in white, simple bordered saree with the anchal always wrapped around her shoulders. Her wardrobe has always been dominated by white, off-whites and beiges. The borders or anchals of her sarees were never too overpowering or showy. She always preferred natural fabric, be it cotton or silk.
Even the pashmina shawls or stoles that accompanied her sarees during winter were tastefully embroidered on whitish ground. When asked about her avoidance of bright or dark colours, she opened up about it at the Bollywood Hungama in 2013. She said that once she wore a bright colourful saree and her chorus singers so rudely reacted and made fun of it that then and there she swore to wear nothing but white in future. But as a matter of fact, her white attire perfectly amalgamates with her soft, graceful and pure appearance and represents her true personality as a whole. Famous Indian celebrity stylist Isha Bansali also agrees and states that to the Times of India. The way she has always defied common culture and beautifully pulled off her distinctive iconic look for decades is absolutely commendable and also rare.
Love for diamonds and pearls
Nobody has ever seen Lata Mangeshkar in heavy or extravagant jewellery. But even though she never talked too much about it, she used to be very passionate about diamonds and pearls. Talking to the Telegraph in 2005, she shared a very special memory of hers related to diamonds. In 1947, with the money she got as her first income, Lata bought gold jewellery for her mother. And for herself, she specially got a ruby and diamond ring custom made for Rs 700. The ring had her initials engraved on it and she lovingly preserves as one of her most prized possessions. Renowned Jewellery designer Archana Agarwal told the Times of India that Lata has always been very careful and conscious about her style, attire and look.
She actually worked with a jewellery giant in India and designed a range of diamond jewellery and the whole collection was named after her. After music, diamonds has been her second love as she used to say sometimes. She had a huge collection of beautiful diamond ear studs and rings. Apart from her passion for diamonds, Lata used to be very fond of pearls as well. A simple string of pearls round her neck, flower-shaped or single pearl studs in her ears was all she needed to enhance her unaltered beauty. The way she celebrated diamonds and pearls through the simplicity in her look is not replicable in any possible way.
Unique minimalist look
About eight years ago, in a conversation with the Hindustan Times, Lata Mangeshkar was remembering how strict and conservative their traditional household was. In her teenage she was told off by her father for wearing a fashionable puff sleeved dress. He wanted his daughters would concentrate on their art rather than appearance. Again, Lata always said that she was never attracted to fashion and skimpy clothing were not her cup of tea at all. She always preferred not to wear makeup and a bindi with two tidy braids completed her look.
She had been at the epitome of success and fame for decades. She used to be the undisputed queen of Bollywood music industry. One would expect that she would become an eye-catching fashion diva too. Nevertheless she never went with the flow and remained very down to earth, simple and minimalistic in her own style. Her angelic smile, just the right jewellery,light or preferably always white sarees, red bindi and two neatly done braids –this eternally beautiful image the Lata Mangeshkar will always remain alive in numerous hearts for many, many years to come. She will be shining like a full moon in our memories - the nightingale in white.