MAM
India’s first Femina Miss India and pioneering fashion journalist Meher Castelino dies at 81
MUMBAI: Meher Castelino, a defining force in Indian fashion who moved effortlessly from the runway to the newsroom, has died at the age of 81. The news was confirmed by the Miss India Organisation through an emotional social media statement, marking the passing of one of the industry’s earliest and most influential trailblazers.
“With profound sorrow, we mourn the passing of Meher Castelino, Femina Miss India 1964 and the very first Femina Miss India. A true trailblazer, she opened doors, set standards and laid the foundation for generations of women to dream fearlessly. A pioneer in the truest sense, her legacy lives on through the journeys she made possible and the dreams she helped shape,” the organisation said.
Born in Mumbai, Castelino entered public life soon after graduating from Lawrence School, Lovedale, when she won the inaugural Femina Miss India crown in 1964. She went on to represent India at the Miss Universe and Miss United Nations contests, carving out international space for Indian women at a time when such platforms were still scarce.
Her modelling career was formidable in scale and ambition. Castelino appeared in more than 2,000 live fashion shows, many conceived and directed by her, and worked across export and domestic fashion houses. She also served as fashion editor at Gentleman’s Fashion Quarterly, Flair and Eve’s Weekly, helping shape taste and trends long before fashion became mainstream conversation.
In 1973, she pivoted decisively to writing, publishing her first article in Eve’s Weekly and committing herself full-time to journalism. Over the decades, her byline appeared in nearly 160 national and international publications, earning her recognition as a pioneer of fashion journalism in India. Her work reframed fashion as culture, craft and serious industry.
Castelino’s career took her across Germany, France, Italy, the USA, South Africa, Turkey, the Netherlands and Singapore, where she attended haute couture shows and interviewed global designers, bringing international perspectives to Indian audiences. From 2006, she served as the official fashion writer for Lakmé Fashion Week, chronicling its rise with insight, depth and authority.
A multi-award winner, she also instituted fashion awards and served as an external examiner at Pearl Academy, shaping future generations of designers and communicators.
In an industry quick to forget its beginnings, Meher Castelino remained impossible to overlook. She arrived first, stayed relevant and left a blueprint behind. Long after the lights fade, her voice will continue to echo through Indian fashion’s most confident strides.
MAM
De Beers launches ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ centenary book
Visual retrospective traces 100 years of iconic slogan and cultural impact.
MUMBAI: De Beers just dropped a century’s worth of sparkle between two covers because when a four-word line becomes forever, even the book needs a forever title. De Beers Group has released A Diamond Is Forever: The Making of a Cultural Icon 1926–2026, a landmark visual retrospective celebrating 100 years of shaping the modern perception of natural diamonds. The book traces how the brand transformed diamonds from elite heirlooms into universal symbols of love, commitment and personal achievement, with rare archival material, campaign highlights and cultural commentary.
At its core is the legendary 1947 slogan “A Diamond Is Forever,” penned by N.W. Ayer copywriter Frances Gerety. The four words redefined diamonds as eternal promises, earning the title of the 20th century’s greatest advertising slogan from Advertising Age in 1999. The book explores how this idea and others like the “Two Months’ Salary” guideline and the “Right Hand Ring” influenced social rituals, female independence and consumer behaviour worldwide, including in India, where diamonds shifted from gold-centric traditions to emotionally resonant milestones.
Beyond marketing, it showcases collaborations with artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Raoul Dufy, alongside icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Later campaigns, including the 1990s “Shadows” series set to Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, reinforced diamonds as timeless and unique. The narrative also addresses today’s focus on provenance, sustainability and ethical stewardship, positioning natural diamonds as symbols of both enduring love and responsible luxury.
The book arrives as De Beers marks a century of innovation in luxury marketing, from the Great Depression to the era of conscious consumption, offering a rare window into one of advertising’s most enduring brand stories.
In a world where trends fade fast, De Beers didn’t just sell diamonds, it sold forever, and now it’s bound the proof in pages that will outlast even the hardest carat.
