I’m guessing you read my exclusive interview with Homi Adajania (the director of Cocktail) now I bring you a one-on-one with his better half and Fashion Director of Vogue India who has styled the film! Read on for a complete fashion Cocktail and your questions answered too! FYI The film releases on July 13, 2012 xoxo
MissMalini: Hi Anaita! I’m excited to see Cocktail as much for the fashion as for the film knowing you’ve styled it! How would you describe the fashion in the film?
Anaita Shroff Adajania: The fashion in the film is very believable to me, the characters dress how I think they would dress had they been real people. It’s cool, unfussy, put together, sexy and contagious I hope!
MM: You have an interesting approach to styling since you come from a place of high fashion yourself, I loved everything you did in Dhoom as well, how much of the Voguette in you do you think can and does come through when styling a Bollywood movie?
ASA: I think there’s a lot of me in everything I do, as Fashion Director Vogue, I get to forecast trends, style aspirational fashion shoots and covers. I travel to fashion weeks around the world so that I can do my job well. In movies its about the character, not always someone that follows fashion, but they need to dress, so am sure the wealth of fashion awareness seeps in!
MM: Can you describe each of the personality/looks you created for Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan and Diana Penty?
ASA: Veronica has a natural flair for fashion. She’s very comfortable with her sexuality and the attention she gets, which she enjoys! she dresses according to her mood, sexy, girlie, goth.. and loves the effect she has on people. She seamlessly mixes her Chanel, Dior, and Tods with high street brands like Top Shop, Zara and Diesel and other insider fashion brands like Mawi, Anya Hindmarche and All Saints. She has the right bag, the right shoes, the right jewellery, with the right attitude. She flips through a Vogue and identifies what she likes and what she doesn’t. She doesn’t do trends blindly. For example, the way she stacks bracelets on her wrist will include a cuff by Hermes mixed with silver jewellery from Amrapali and others she just picks up when something catches her eye. She experiments with her hair, by London stylist Mira Parmar sometimes sporting the open bed-head look and at other times in a braid, with an exaggerated bow. While her make up smoulders with every look under the expert Anil Chinnapa’s magic brush!
ASA: Gautam is this confident, cocky guy from Delhi who doesn’t care about how he dresses, clothes are just functional to him. He probably never shops, lets the women in his life buy him stuff (lovers and mummy!) At work, he wears a jacket (because he has to) with his worn-in jeans, worn-in boots, a skinny tie, he never irons his clothes. After-hours, he is a very casual dresser, a lived-in tee, s simple or aged jacket. He invests in classics – a Burberry trench and work bag, a Fior jacket, a JLC (Jaeger-LeCoultre) watch.. thats it.
ASA: Meera comes from a middle-class family in Delhi. Donning kurtis and Patiala embroidery with a subtle stitched-by-her local-tailor look. In London, she wants to fit in, she hates sticking out, because she doesn’t want undue attention. She layers shirts, paper thin cardis, vests, wide-legged jeans, or chinos in a simple yet creative way with narrow belts and flat sandals. Being conservative, her dresses are full-length. She’s not attempting to be a statement, but ends up creating a cool, casual look. Her hairstyles have that quirk, be it a braid or a sweet clip. Everything she wears is easy and fuss-free, there’s an effortless chic quality about her.
MM: How much input do the actors have when it comes to styling and their look in the film? Do they get to say “I don’t like it!”
ASA: I have to say that I am so so lucky that the actors I work with have faith in me and my team, they know that I would never “chalao” anything, it only goes through if I actually believe it looks good. In Cocktail I was spoilt with the most professional actors. It was more the director who said “I don’t like it!”
MM: I know Deepika gets to be a bit of a wild child in this movie so her clothes reflect that too, how did you pick her look, any real-life wild child inspirations?
ASA: I always tend to do a bit of role-play in my head, what would I choose if I had her body and was 20 years younger! No honestly, I work with a team of really cool cats, so we all sit together and brainstorm, but yes definitely influenced by Kate Moss and Blake Lively, and loads of people on the streets while travelling.
MM: Who personally do you think dresses the best in Bollywood? Male and Female.
ASA: I love what I do MissMalini, and would like to maintain my roster of stars that I style!!!
MM: What is it like to style a Bollywood movie that happens over a year, do trends change mid film, how do you decide what’ll keep till the release?
ASA: I never follow trends blindly for a film, but do what works for the character. Having said that, its been over a decade since I have been forecasting trends, so I trust my instinct.
MM: Which designers/stores do you typical source most of your clothes from?
ASA: I love high street shopping, it’s so dynamic and works well for my style of putting together looks, and then I garnish with luxury brands wherever relavant for the character. Deepika’s character Veronica follows the same mantra.
MM: The monsoon is upon us, what would you say is the perfect look – stylish but suitable for a day out in Mumbai during the monsoon?
ASA: Gum boots, a great waterproof trench and a manly black umbrella.
(PS. Check out MissMalini’s monsoon shopping guide here.)
MM: One Bollywood celebrity you would LOVE to style.
ASA: I haven’t had the pleasure of styling Mr. Amitabh Bachchan yet.
MM: What’s it like working with your husband? 🙂
ASA: Honestly, it was really challenging, as he is a perfectionist, but was so much fun shooting and having our family around too.
MM: And a few Facebook & Twitter Qs!
ASA: For me all 3 are so different, that I enjoyed the challenge all round.
ASA: Mostly high street brands in Mumbai and London, it’s about showing your personal style through the way you dress.
ASA: Personally Deepika has a very cool, clean sense of style. Everything suits her, and with her the less fuss the better. Her amazing face and body make the simplest clothes look stellar.
ASA: Race 2, Krrish 3, Dhoom 3, tons of great covers and shoots in Vogue.
ASA: I’m all for a trench like raincoat so that you can wear anything you like underneath. Chanel Dick Tracey!
More Cocktail!
Bollywood Trailer: Cocktail. You Like?
Song Promo: ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’ from Cocktail.
Saif Ali Khan’s Rockstar Act in ‘Yaariyan’ From Cocktail.
Exclusive Interview: 10 Mins with Cocktail Director Homi Adajania!