STYLE | TRENDS
Elevate your everyday basics with exaggerated silhouettes, statement-making tailoring and sharp cuts. Verve picks out four standout shapes – curved shoulders, elongated sleeves, boxy jackets and circular jumpsuits – and styles them on Sucharita Tyagi, the spunky film critic with an adventurous wardrobe, as she reviews her favourite fashion moments from the silver screen…
PHOTOGRAPHED BY FARHAN HUSSAIN, FEAT. ARTISTS
STYLING BY AKANKSHA PANDEY
HAIR AND MAKE-UP BY ESHWAR LOG, EFICIENTE ARTIST MANAGEMENT
TEXT BY RUSHMIKA BANERJEE
CURVED SHOULDERS
Rounding Up
Sculpted jacket, skirt, both by Rimzim Dadu; shoes, from Adidas Originals
How do you decide on your outfits for online videos?
My sartorial choices have evolved a great deal in the last few years. It’s sometimes impossible to believe that I chose to wear what I wore in some of my older videos. Occasionally, yes, I wear outfits that work with the theme of the film, but that’s super rare. My videos are all mid-shot, so it’s important to have something fun going on in the torso area. Here’s a little secret: I am often wearing shorts or just pajamas and flip-flops with fancy shirts!
Have you ever dealt with trolls because of something you have worn?
Yes, a bunch of times. However, I don’t let that kind of trolling bother me ever. I’ve always been quite strong about my choice to wear what I want, to look the way I want. How I dress and present myself to the world changes and evolves, but it has always been my own decision — I plan both the clothes and make-up for my videos myself.
ELONGATED SLEEVES
Long Haul
Shirt, skirt, both from Rajesh Pratap Singh.
Name the most stylish movie that you have seen, a movie in which the style was not on-point and, finally, a character whose wardrobe you could live in forever.
Dil Chahta Hai (2001) is definitely the most stylish movie. And I think the stylists of Thugs of Hindostan (2018) — coincidentally another Aamir Khan-starrer — missed the point entirely. Katrina Kaif’s gold sequined shorts and bra top in pre-independence India just took the cake. As for a character, I really like Rachel Green’s (Jennifer Aniston) wardrobe in Friends (1994-2004).
Your view on the evolution of costume design in Bollywood.…
Cinema has always had a profound impact on me. Before Instagram, ‘fashion education’ for my group of friends came from Hindi movies and other pop culture. Since we couldn’t dress like Britney Spears in Baby One More Time, we settled for Preity Zinta’s long ruffled skirts in Lakshya (2004) or Rani Mukherjee’s short kurtas in Bunty Aur Babli (2005). My mother’s generation remembers Mumtaz’s saris and Dimple Kapadia’s polka-dotted crop tops. Now, as social media has brought style and fashion to my fingertips, I know about not only what movie stars are wearing but also how they are being styled according to their personalities — a whole new world is within reach. Understanding fashion, creating my own sense of it and really getting to appreciate its importance in cinema, has been a real trip. And the more information we have, the more empowering it is for girls and women to try and find a look that works for them. The options are endless, and we are no longer limited by our circumstances.
BOXY JACKETS
Short Cut
Sleeveless jacket, by Samant Chauhan; skirt, from Fendi; shoes, from Adidas Originals.
Which has been your most memorable outfit?
I’m always on the lookout for random, fun T-shirts. I once found a cute one while strolling down Colaba Causeway in Mumbai. It was grey, with a tiny breast pocket and an illustration of popcorn popping out of it. I thought it was appropriate for a movie review and wore it for a video without thinking too much about it. Next thing I knew, a bunch of girls asked where I bought the T-shirt and sent me pictures on Instagram after they found it at the same stall in Colaba. Some even went to Hill Road in Bandra and discovered it there. I guess my point is, clothing brands should give me free clothes or money!
CIRCULAR JUMPSUITS
Shape Shifting
Circular jumpsuit, from Rishta by Arjun Saluja; scarf, from Lovebirds; shoes, from Adidas Originals.
You have a distinct way of styling Indian wear. Where did you pick that up from?
Everything I know about Indian wear comes from my mother. She has a fantastic collection of saris and other clothes, and I’ve grown up admiring her wardrobe. Almost all my sari photos that you see on Instagram are from when I’m in Delhi, because no one has been able to teach me how to drape a sari. I only wear them when my mother is around to do the hard work. All the saris are hers as well.
Which outfit makes you feel the most powerful?
I love pantsuits. Stylist Pallavi Singh (@modaninja) had me wear a Shivani & Joy pantsuit for Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ wedding reception in Mumbai. I felt powerful, comfortable, sexy and so fashionable, all at the same time. Ladies, and I can’t stress this enough, there’s a reason men feel like they own the world. Get yourself a pantsuit and kick some ass while looking fabulous.