Jan. 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not wear what some described as “self-belief” on his sleeves alone. He wears it all over himself.

On the Hyderabad House lawns on Sunday, Modi turned out in a dark bandhgala embroidered with his own name – vertically and countless times.

The golden stripes in the fitted wool jacket and trousers that Modi wore during bilateral talks with US President Barack Obama on Sunday were not stripes at all. Close-up photographs revealed the words “Narendra Damodardas Modi” repeatedly embroidered into the fabric. Damodardas was Modi’s father.

Sources indicated that the cloth for the suit was handpicked by the Prime Minister from an array of gifts that he received from admirers from across the world to wear during the American President’s visit. The name embroidered on the cloth is suggested by the person who places the order. It is not clear who placed this particular order.

The fabric was sent to his favourite tailors, the Ahmedabad-based Jade Blue, for stitching. The outfitters delivered it a week ago, just in time for a final fitting.

“We were told that the fabric was a gift from Italy, but we don’t know which company produced it and who gifted it to him. It was stitched by my brother, Bipin Chauhan,” said Jitendra Chauhan, the proprietor of Jade Blue.

While Modi’s self-stripe is the talk of the town, the idea is far from original. Similar style was associated with ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

In the 1990s, English fabric manufacturers Holland & Sherry introduced the selection. Such pinstripe suits were worn by former Argentina President Carlos Menem and boxer Evander Holyfield. The boxer had suits that read “Evander Holyfield, The Champ”, “The Champ one more time” and “Three-Time Champ”, according to the Fortune magazine.

“The Prime Minister is very shaukeen (fond of the finer things) and he has a mind of his own. He is a master in deciding what to wear for which occasion,” said Bipin Chauhan.

One thing I learned very early on in life is clothes should never be fun. There is always an attempt to jazz up a pinstripe…. “Here’s to a prime minister who will always have a 100% approval rating…. At the very least, from himself,’ tweeted buzzfeed, an American digital news media website.

and don’t trust them an inch “This personalised textile is the in thing. International brands are doing it.”

Old-school tailors like O.P. Grover, who has stitched suits for two US Presidents – George Bush and Bill Clinton- from his Khan Market shop here in Delhi, is not surprised.

“His (Modi’s) tastes are different, what can we say?” he asked. “The Nehru jacket has become Modi jacket, now this suit might also be called Modi suit,” said Grover.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150128/jsp/nation/story_10394.jsp#.VMjZf8Zn9BU