India, May 2 -- When singer Rihanna landed in Mumbai last week, she added a distinctly desi accent to her monochrome Mugler and Alaia looks, styling both with diamond haathphools aka 'palm cuffs' by Manish Malhotra. In one outing, the piece cut through a chartreuse ensemble with high-shine precision; in another, it lifted an all-black look with just enough sparkle. Once confined to ceremonial, bridal fashion, the haathphool, literally 'flower of the hand', is showing up in contemporary fits with sharp tailoring, slip dresses, and even pared-back daywear. Designs are leaning to lighter builds, modular formats, and experimental layouts, and stylists are placing it in unexpected contexts. Now, the haathphool is no longer about ceremonial, occasion dressing....