Ritu's reward

Fashion designer Ritu Beri was recently awarded one of France’s highest civilian honour. The function was held at the residence of the French Ambassador, Jerome Bonnafant, and the chief guest was Home Minister P Chidambaram. In his speech, the minister observed he had limited understanding of fashion as the clothes he normally wore did not require a designer. But he pointed out that it was wonderful to see a young woman from India storming the European fashion capital. Chidambaram wore a grey lounge suit; Beri was dressed in a sleek black dress. Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, who was ambassador to France when Beri made her debut there, praised the designer’s feats, and so did Shobhaa De.