For more than half of the 20th century, Europe was a playground for Indian royalty.  And its women were photographed by Cecil Beaton and Man Ray, snubbed Wallis Simpson, made it to the NYT’s society pages and of course set fashion trends.

Of all the royals, the women of the Cooch-Behar family stand a little apart, partly due to their Brahmo upbringing.  The first of them, Suniti Devi, the daughter of Keshub Chandra Sen, was often photographed by Lafayette in Western costume but she was also an elegant saree wearer.  Here her blouse, decidedly influenced by Victorian fashions, has little details at the neck and the cuffs which add to the blouse but are not overpowering inspite of being paired with a rich saree.  It also helps that her jewellery is minimal.