By Hindustan Times
Sonam Kapoor often is the poster girl of Indian fashion. However the actor has a mini army of favor experts who keep her prior to the pack. Excluding sister Rhea Kapoor, Sonam also enlists the assistance of stylists Tania Ghavri and Pernia Qureshi.
“I first got to work with Sonam after assisting Pernia on Aisha (2009),” recalls Ghavri, who also manages to maintain Kareena Kapoor looking elegant at the red carpet. Her celebrity portfolio increased as her work was showcased, and now includes Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, Nargis Fakhri and Jacqueline Fernandez.
Like Ghavri, who admits that building trust with the notoriously fickle Bollywood troupe is the one solution to break into the business, stylist Nitasha Gaurav only managed to strike out on her own after establishing a rapport with the celebs in her former job as stylist with a way magazine. “The celebrity’s image could be very important, because styling is a sort of branding. What they're seen wearing influences the audience’s perception of them,” explains Nitasha, who has styled Bipasha Basu and Kiran Rao.
Shopping and playing dress up for a living seems like fun, but it surely comes with its own share of pitfalls. One of the most big styling no-nos is with the intention that a star client isn’t seen within the same high fashion gown that was spotted on a rival star.
“Actors are inclined to feel the necessity to be exclusive,” explains Ghavri. “So we talk to the logo if the dress was worn before booking an outfit. I also check popular fashion websites.”
The ever-expanding fashion police is another downside. But as Gaurav puts it, “You don’t always get to do what you want, since the celebrity has his or her own opinion too. But many of the blunders happen when they’re involved in doing their very own thing.”
Fashion all-stars
These are a few of today’s hottest designers that stars turn to of their hour of need:
French label Paule Ka creates simple, elegant evening gowns which are shipped to India all of the way from Paris.
Stella McCartney is a brand new favourite who was completely unknown in Bollywood even until two years ago.
Christian Dior, the primary name in expensive gowns, has always been at the A-lister`s speed dial.
Masaba Gupta’s funky prints and Gaurav Gupta’s structured saris are rising in popularity in celebrityville.
Dress like a man
Bollywood’s leading ladies don’t have the entire fun. As stylist and designer Kunal Rawal reveals, John Abraham, Akshay Kumar and Abhay Deol also pay good money to seem good. He says, “Guys are more relaxed. And so they all have good bodies, to allow them to carry off most international trends. Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo are very talked-about. Often, I WILL BE ABLE TO lead them to custom suits, which they prefer because they know it’s considered one of a kind.”
