India, Jan. 31 -- Indian heritage and fashion have long inspired the international luxury fashion houses to create masterpieces. Maharani Sita Devi of Kapurthala, also known as Princess Karam, was one such inspiration.

Dressed in sarees, stunning gowns and opulent jewels, Princess Karam was known as the Pearl of India in the fashion circles of Paris, New York, and London during the 1920s and 30s. In fact, Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian couturier who founded the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, was so dazzled by her beauty that she designed a collection inspired by her Indian sarees.

Princess Karam of Kapurthala, who was also named one of Vogue's World's Most Beautiful Women, became a muse for Elsa Schiaparelli during the summer o...