FA SHION
who was working with LVHM insisted I meet with this guy from Dior. So I met him at a coffee shop and he was like you have to work with us. But for me my independence was precious and I was really scared to take up a job. They persuaded me for six months and said I should come to Paris! I went to Paris and saw ( John) Galliano working through the window at the Dior setup – something I hadn’t imagined I would see in my wildest dreams And that was only two years ago...
ANS: It’s been quite a drastic change at Dior – to go from Galliano to someone like Raf Simons. I am dying to see what Simons does at Dior: I don’t even want to use the word ‘minimalist’ anymore but the level at which he thinks, he redefines minimalism. I am a huge fan of his and this year is his first season. If there’s one show that I want to see this year, then it is his.
ON FASHION IN INDIA ANS: The fact that we’re in India is going to be the most positive part… We were pushing the wave but there was none. Now we are far out in the ocean and there’s no shortage of waves. If you can ride the surf then you don’t need to struggle. I say no to more things compared to 20 years ago when we used to look for things to do. A lot of newness has come into everything.
NOV — DEC 2012
KSC: That curve has turned…We all turned that curve in...
RED CARPET ATTIRE KSC: Ashish’s clothes have always been so straight-lined in a way. His thought process is very androgynous. I have always liked that because it’s always been so edgy. For example he’ll make a skirt which looks like a Vivian Westwood silhouette. 20 years ago, nobody was making these clothes and that’s what drew me to him. He was also the first designer who was making western clothes for women in India.
ANS: I have dressed Kalyani for many years! Very few women can carry pants that well. Kalyani carries them off with finesse. That’s what I would like to see her in…
ON BOLLYWOOD KSC: Frieda Pinto has become such an international name now that you forget she’s Indian. I have worked with her and spent a whole day with her at a shoot…Her sense of
'Either you have it
or you don’t.’
KSC
'If you keep editing your wardrobe, it will only get better.' ANS style is very much her own. She really knows her fashion. Either you have it or you don’t. You can be dressed in the best of designer wear and look like a complete wannabe…
ANS: I work with Bollywood very closely. The actresses have usually been models at some point and you’ve dressed all of them… and you have a relationship with them before they become stars. But in terms of a fashion diva it has to be Sonam Kapoor. She is totally in tune with trends, what looks good on her. She’s the ultimate fashion diva.
ON DELHI FASHION KSC: Youngsters today are so cool, so trendy, and they are wearing the right thing because today every newspaper dedicates so much space to fashion. Delhi is the style capital, the fashion capital. Bombay probably has the divas – a few people who dress really well, know their brands, and pair unusual things.
ANS: Moving forward it is all about exposure...10 years ago how many stylish people were there? Today a young person wears what he sees on perhaps, a Dior runway, but does his own interpretation by buying a pair of Pumas. That is fashion; that is style... ON TRENDS & BRANDS KSC: When it comes to clothing, I collect saris. If I see a nice sari – whether it’s from Abraham and Thakore or a Kanjivaram in Nalli (which I still go to). I have been wearing saris since I was very young and I can run a marathon in one.
ANS: I have never been one to follow forecasts. I have always believed that every great designer has to have great intuition. It is about intuitively knowing what the next big thing is. What’s interesting, what’s new: it could be a high street product, it could be a Dior, but it needs to have that twist. You look at the price tag after that. I don’t think most people look at price tags anymore. You won’t be shopping where you are not meant to be.
MUST HAVES FOR MEN ANS: The very first thing is to choose the perfect cloth and that’s where most men lose out. Buy the right things but at the same time chuck out the wrong things. Second – balance your wardrobe. Make sure some of it is trend-worthy and you are comfortable wearing it. Don’t buy just because it happens to be on the cover of GQ because you can’t look like Arjun Rampal. If you keep editing your wardrobe, it will only get better. Less is more.