As told to Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 13, 2020)

Diana and I have been friends since college. Back then, she used to go for outfits that were Boho-chic—long pretty skirts, apply winged eyeliner, leave her hair open and look gorgeous without even trying. She was into classics even back then while I was going through an experimental phase. Over the years, she kept pinging me from time to time asking for my opinion on her outfits. Then, one day, out of the blue, she asked me to style her for an event. I told her not to tag me with styling credits in those pictures lest people assume I was a professional and start approaching me for work. I laugh now because today, this is my bread and butter and I owe my career to Diana.

She had tried many stylists before me, but none of them did justice to her looks or helped her create signature style. Since I knew her well, she didn’t set down any rules for me. Earlier, I used to give her clothes that resonated with her choices, but over time, I have started introducing elements here and there, like curls and contoured make-up that highlights her lips. I want to bring out her sexy side.

Styling Diana has been one of the best decisions of my life. She is like my life-sized Barbie doll. Every time we’ve a trial session, it’s like playing dress up. I keep archiving looks and then we meet to discuss what works and what won’t—that’s my favourite part. Her style can be summed up in four words—minimal, classic, elegant and effortless. She prefers monochromes, neutrals, colour-on-colour and some florals. Her signature look would be a crisp white shirt with smartly-cut black leather trousers. But now, she will take it a notch up and go for exaggerated sleeves or a starchy top.

As far as experimenting goes, she was a model and is a good clothes-horse, so it’s easy to convince her to try new things and then work it. Sometimes she will point out that a particular outfit won’t be apt for a certain occasion and I have to concur. She avoids wearing very revealing clothes, so, if there’s bare skin on top then cover up the bottom and vice-versa.

Our Cannes experience was amazing, though it was difficult carting the red carpet outfit from India. We had four outfit changes, back to back. Most looks were planned, but some events came up at the last minute and I had to shop from visiting designers. Thank God we made heads turn, and because it was Diana, it happened pretty effortlessly.



1. SIX YARDS OF WHITE: This customised look was one of our most loved on the Cannes red carpet. We wanted to do a contemporary representation of the saree at the French Riviera and this white made it a special night.

2. IMPRINTED ON YOUR MIND: A long floral trench with a self-print belt is a classic look. But the fact that we went with print instead of a single solid colour brightened up a gloomy press day at Cannes.

3. SUIT AND SEXY: Who doesn’t love a well-tailored, structured suit? This one was strong and yet so feminine, with the bralette on one side. Diana loved how sexy it looked without being too radical.



4. THE POWER OF THREE: This three-piece set was stylish and comfortable. I loved the mix of prints, checks with brocade flowers. Heels and pearl hair accessories made it fun.

5. BLACK AND CHUNK OF GOLD: A black saree with an embroidered belt was simple yet impactful. I paired it with chunky gold bangles and huge studs.

6. BLOUSE AWAY: We let the blouse do all the talking; it was so fancy that we didn’t want to complicate it with any more elements. Red looks good on Diana.