The Switch: An Investment Banker’s Guide to Boho Chic | Verve Magazine
India's premier luxury lifestyle women's magazine
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February 08, 2016

The Switch: An Investment Banker’s Guide to Boho Chic

Text by Wyanet Vaz

Anjali Patel Mehta shares a helpful handbook on switching jobs, fashion handles to follow, stores to visit and staples to own

Culture shock is…hearing that a former investment banker has designed a pret line. Inspiration is knowing that the possibilities could be endless. Even with no formal training in design, Anjali Patel Mehta, the former Goldman Sachs and Deutsche bank employee, created breezy, wearable silhouettes for the globetrotter. “Unlike most designers, the journey has been accidental for me. As the daughter of an artist, I was keen to study architecture when I was younger and always appreciated great design, so after a decade in banking and living between New York and Mumbai, what started as a passion to create wearable fashion for the urban woman has taken form through my label, Verandah.” Foraying into custom resort wedding wardrobes and breathable clothes, Anjali is trying to fill the void with a super functional indie label.

With travel as her inspiration, we quiz the young designer on her favourite stores, cities and shopping destinations.

Fashion to you is… “A personal sense of style, comfort and aesthetic. Fashion to me is an extension of one’s personality. It’s an effective expression to convey your mood. Personally, I love classic pieces but am partial to fuss-free bohemian separates.”

What’s in the name Verandah? “I started the label almost four years ago, I toyed with the idea of an indie label – with a touch of boho, relaxed and laid back sense of fashion. With five friends sitting in my verandah, the label struck. Travel friendly, a storyline, comfortable, fuss-free, relaxed, a touch of boho luxe are what come to mind when I think of days spent on our verandah.”

3 must-haves in your wardrobe… “Soft Verandah staples, Birkenstocks and Aviators.”

People you follow on social media… “Anna Dello Russo for her fearless sense of fashion, Chiara Ferrangani, The Blonde Salad; Rocky Barnes, for her eternal sunshine; Tulavintage; Olivier Rousteing, Gucci, Frame, Stella McCartney and Susie Bubble.”

Cities you shop in… “New York, Paris, Milan, Mykonos, Istanbul, Barcelona, Bangkok, Delhi, Mumbai and Goa.”

Favourite stores… “Anne Fontaine for her classic white shirts, boutiques in Soho in New York, Bloomingdale’s for a good mix of denim and high street labels, Massimo Dutti, Luisa Beach in Mykonos, boutiques in Nisantasi in Istanbul, Jatujak in Bangkok, Good Earth and Bungalow 8 in Mumbai, and The Shop by Nana Ki in Goa.”

Duty-free airports to splurge at… “Milan.”

Favourite designers… “Matthew Williamson, The Olsen Twins, Peter Pilotto, Anamika Khanna.”

An over-rated fashion statement… “Wearing too many labels.”

You wouldn’t be caught dead wearing… “An ill-fitting pair of jeans.”

Most-memorable treasures… “My grandfather’s silver cigar box gifted by Lord Mountbatten, a vintage Japanese kimono and accessories from my mother, artworks and textiles collected over time (including my kid’s art).

Your latest splurge… “A golf set.”

Upcoming projects… “Custom resort wedding wardrobes, holiday capsule collection, blogger collaborations, trunk shows in Mumbai and Delhi, launching in Singapore with Gnossem, summer-resort 2016 RTW, swimwear design.”

Check out her collection here: 

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