Katy Perry adds Ayesha Khurram to her wardrobe

The package sent to Perry also included a silver necklace with crystal embellishment by Gaurav Gupta.

KARACHI:


If you can’t make out who that gorgeous lady in the picture is, here’s a snippet of news that will put a smile on your face: singer Katy Perry just got her hands on an Ayesha Khurram kurta!


The chiffon kurta is one of Khurram’s most popular items – the Marilyn Monroe pop-art design (inspired by Andy Warhol) which is part of her figurative art collection.

This picture was first posted on Twitter by leading Indian stylist and fashion icon Pernia Qureshi, the owner of webstore Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, where this kurta was stocked. With her e-commerce venture,www.perniaspopupshop.com, Qureshi makes India’s premier designers accessible to a global clientele. Khurram is the only Pakistani designer on the online store along with Qureshi’s own creations as well as those of established Indian designers like Ritu Kumar.

How it happened

Contrary to local reports that this kurta was purchased by Katy Perry herself, we learnt that this piece was sent as a gift to the celebrity. “Katy and I have a mutual friend and she has also been to my house for dinner,” Qureshi tells The Express Tribune. “Our friend was in India so I thought it would be a nice gesture to send her a gift.”

Qureshi revealed that along with this Khurram creation, the package sent to Perry included a silver chain necklace with crystal embellishment designed by Gaurav Gupta. “Both the items are eccentric unique pieces,” said Qureshi, when asked why she picked these two designs among others on her webstore. “I thought they would go perfectly with Katy’s style persona.”

And how right she was! Perry, whose style sense is ever-evolving, looked quite pleased as she held up the present. “Katy was touched by the gesture and loved both the pieces,” said Qureshi. The Marilyn kurta on Qureshi’s website now bears the fuchsia pink font: SOLD OUT!

A feather in Khurram’s hat

Khurram, a Lahore-based designer who has been designing clothes for the last eight years, is not quite sure how it all had happened, but was ecstatic when she saw the photograph. “I am thrilled! I never expected anything like this to happen,” said Khurram, whose first flagship store opened last year in Lahore. “I still can’t believe it.”

Khurram explained that Qureshi had approached her when she visited Pakistan and ordered 100 outfits which she then exhibited on her webstore. “The Marilyn kurta has been very successful in Pakistan, Dubai and the US,” said Khurram, adding that she designed it six months ago and around 40 pieces of it have been sold.


“This is great publicity for me – I mean there is actually a photograph of Katy Perry holding my design!” she exclaimed.

While the outfit (with a slip) is priced at $394 (Rs37,000) on Qureshi’s website, Khurram sells it for Rs12,000 in Pakistan.

“Ayesha Khurram is pretty popular and doing well on Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, not only in India but internationally,” Qureshi told The Express Tribune.

Congratulations to Khurram for making it into the closet of the eccentric (and super sexy) Katy Perry – we can’t wait to see the kurta on her!

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Marilyn Monroe converse

Nike came out with the Nike Air Max 90s — which have Marilyn Monroe’s face on them — as an ode to the famous pop-art painting by Andy Warhol. The Monroe Air Max 90s boast the Warhol painting in vibrant colours around the entire midsole aganist the white body of the sneaker. The black laces and mesh portions of the sneaker highlight the strip of pop art painting.

Marilyn Monroe red date juice

The video version of this print ad of red date extract, put out by the Hanbo Food Company, shows Marilyn Monroe flouncing around her frilly bedroom in a pink bathrobe. The advertisers are implying that Monroe was so pretty because she used to put red date extract in her tea. The idea is to make Chinese girls believe that red date tea will suddenly transform them into a blonde and buxom woman.

Marilyn Monroe telephone

This phone has a scale replica of Marilyn Monroe on it. The replica is portraying one of her most memorable scenes from the 1955 movie, The Seven Year Itch. This nostalgic collector’s keepsake was introduced in 1999 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of this classic movie. With an incoming call, or with use of the demonstration button, Monroe sings “I Want To Be Loved By You”.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2012.

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