Amitabh Bachchan

In 2012, Bollywood Fashion, Celebs, Interview

Chic 2012: The Bollywood Fashion Story

Speaking ChicJanuary 2, 2013January 1, 2013Leave a comment

In the movies

Cocktail’s three lead actors’ looks, all styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, were a major part of the pre-release publicity blitz. Everyone wanted to know about Diana Penty’s jumpsuit and Deepika Padukone’s skirt. And no one really asked much about Saif Ali Khan, because he looked too old to be in the movie.

No one cared much about the clothes in Ishaqzaade, though I found the costumes in the movie to be among the most intelligently designed in recent Bollywood history. I can’t imagine Parineeti Chopra’s character without the black waistcoat over a fitted kurta.

The fashion in Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Student of the Year fell flat after high expectations. But where one lacked charm and romance, the latter’s mantra was “Brands, brands, brands” without a sensible story to tell.

On the covers

The surprise fashion mag cover girl find of the year was Kalki Koechlin (Women’s Health in November and Vogue the following month), while editorial favourite Sonam Kapoor appeared in Roberto Cavalli yet again on the cover of Grazia. (Yawn).

On the small screen

Amitabh Bachchan’s jackets and bandhgalas on Kaun Banega Crorepati were superbly elegant and finely tailored by Rohit Bal. Karan Johar donned casual- dressy blazers on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, while Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss wardrobe was confusing (too many colours and styles).

Most people loved Madhuri Dixit’s Jhalak Dikhla Jaa clothes and jewellery, and her stylist made it a point to dress the actor in outfits from various Indian designers. No bodycon dresses for her!

Surprise style icon

Sridevi had been under the fashion watchers’ radar for a while now, but in 2012 she surprised everyone with a new-found, elegant look, wearing Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi. She wowed everyone when she walked for the latter in Delhi, a far cry from her stumbling ramp appearance in an ugly silver-grey gown for Neeta Lulla couple years ago.

Not (yet) an icon

Alia Bhatt may have had a big debut with Student of the Year, and appeared on two covers (Vogue and Grazia), but her personal style quotient was quite blah. The problem? She tried too hard to look cute.

In 2012, Bollywood Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Favourite looks from Yash Chopra films

Speaking ChicOctober 22, 2012October 21, 2012Leave a comment

Yash Chopra (RIP) made the biggest blockbusters over the past five decades, writing unforgettable dialogues, creating iconic characters and teaching us how to fall in love and how to avenge.

And somehow, his films re-wrote fashion too, sparking new trends, keeping women and their darzis quite busy. Here are my favourite looks from films directed by Yash Chopra.

Chandni

A rainy day. A girl in love, looking sensual in a chiffon sari (never mind the weather). This sari later evolved into a shaded one, worn with sleeveless blouses on the snow-clad Swiss Alps.

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

Silsila

Rekha’s flowing hair, dark maroon lips, soulful thickly lined eyes– mesmerizing even today!

Deewar and Trishul

There were some serious business suits in Yash Chopra’s gripping dramas, comprising Sanjeev Kumar’s waistcoats in Trishul and Amitabh Bachchan’s bell bottoms in Deewar and Trishul. Fine tailoring, power dressing redefined!

Veer Zaara

Manish Malhotra’s chikankari work gained popularity with Preity Zinta’s coloured dupattas and semi-patialas. Soon after the movie’s release, every cloth market in India had its own collection of “Veer Zaara suits”.

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

Dil to Pagal Hai

Skinny Karisma Kapoor wore hot shorts and sparked the superfit craze among women so they could flaunt their legs and abs. Madhuri Dixits’s sheer long kurtas worn over short choli-style blouses drove thousands of women to their tailors. (I was too young at the time, but I wanted to dress like Madhuri too!). Now that I’m grown up, I want to wear chiffon saris instead. (Check out the song in the video after the jump- you’ll know what I’m talking about).

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

In Bollywood Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan wear velvet on KBC

Speaking ChicOctober 27, 2011November 5, 2011Leave a comment

Now here’s a Bollywood and TV fashion trend we didn’t see coming: Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan wearing velvet on consecutive episodes of Panchkoti Mahamani Kaun Banega Crorepati!

On Thursday October 20, Shahrukh Khan played KBC with Big B wearing a black velvet waistcoat over a classic white shirt and black trousers, along with his oversized watch and still-cute dimples. We couldn’t help but be charmed with his self-deprecating humour and the ease with which he wore velvet.

The following Monday (October 24), host Amitabh Bachchan appeared in velvet, though wearing it in a completely different way. While the shirt’s yoke had horizontal pleat detailing, the rest of the shirt was completely velvet. Take a look:

FYI, Mr Bachchan’s wardrobe designer for KBC 5 is by Delhi-based designer Rohit Bal.

This is not the first time Amitabh Bachcan has worn velvet on KBC. We spotted him in the premiere of KBC 4 in a velvet suit designed by Vikram Phadnis.

The inevitable question here is: will velvet become a larger trend among men, or will it remain restricted to ramp shows and Bollywood stars?

What do you think of the velvet trend, especially for men?

In 2011, Bollywood Fashion, Celebs, Fashion, Interview, Men, News, trends

Chic Insider: Big B’s Bbuddah… fashion story (by stylist Leepakshi Ellawadi)

Speaking ChicJune 24, 20115 Comments

If you’ve seen Amitabh Bachchan in the promos of the upcoming movie Bbuddah… hoga terra baap, you’ve seen his brand-new look: bold, striking, even quirky. There are bright colours, eye-catching prints and funky accessories (think green glares and yellow scarf).

Leepakshi Ellawadi, a sub-30 Mumbai-based fashion designer is behind the much-talked-about look. Her creativity has come full circle since her days in NIFT Bangalore, where she won the Best Design Collection award for her Hindi film-inspired collection (starring mostly Amitabh Bachchan).

As costume stylist for Big B in Bbuddah…, Leepakshi has come a very long way in a very short time. In an interview with Speaking Chic, Leepakshi narrates the story behind the fashion and costumes of Mr Bachchan in the movie.

Understanding Amitabh Bachchan’s character
The director Puri Jagannadh didn’t tell me the kind of look he wanted for the movie’s lead character. All I got were some CDs with his dialogues and character sketch. Mr Bachchan’s character is an ex-gangster in India for a mission. He’s sarcastic, outlandish and likes to be the centre of attention. Most importantly, he doesn’t believe he’s old, and doesn’t like being called “Bbuddah”.

Peeking into Amitabh Bachchan’s wardrobe
The first-look trial with Mr Bachchan went well. I discovered that he’s experimental and open to new ideas, and was surprised with the range of garments and accessories in his wardrobe. I absolutely loved his pair of tiger-print jeans which is nothing less than a work of art.

Costume concepts
Mr Bachchan and I sat together to discuss every scene of Bbuddah… hoga terra baap. As we evolved the looks, I realised that I needed to strike a balance between the character’s flamboyance and the essence of the scene.

So even though I’ve experimented with colours and prints, I used mix and match, pairing the brights with more subdued tones. We needed to make sure everything’s in sync and nothing clashes. Even the inner linings of jackets are reds and greens. We teamed prints with contrasting shirts. For example, I’ve used a bright turquoise and shirt with a black body.

Shopping with Mr Bachchan
Mr Bachchan and I went shopping for the movie in London for 10 days, my look sheets in hand. He helped me a lot, telling me what he liked, even as people asked him for autographs and pictures.

We shopped at Harrod’s, Armani, Burberry, Tom Ford, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, Gucci and Etro.

About the famous glares—several of them are Mr Bachchan’s personal collection, handmade and handcrafted, and cost around Rs 15-20 lakh each. [Speaking Chic note: OMG, really?] I also used my personal collection of Pucci and Etro scarves that I’ve garnered over the years. and Mr Bachchan’s personal collection of watches in the movie.

Prints galore!

Print-on-print is bang on trend right now, and Mr Bachchan wanted me to make some such pieces. I had some fabric from Chennai lying with me, so I made a piece for him. (He’s wearing that piece in Rang barse in the movie.) The prints are mostly florals and paisleys and “engineered” prints.

The Big B experience
It has been an amazing experience working with Amitabh Bachchan—like living a dream. Early on in the shoot, when I’d knot Mr Bachchan’s scarf, my hands would shake. One day he grabbed my hand and asked why they shook. “It’s you!” I replied.

Thanks to Amitabh Bachchan for being so patient and stylish—he’s anyway so stylish, he made my job a cakewalk!

Bbuddah… hoga terra baap releases July 1, 2011.

In 2011, Bollywood Fashion, Celebs, Fashion, Interview, Men, News, trends

Chic Insider: Big B’s Bbuddah… fashion story (by stylist Leepakshi Ellawadi)

Speaking ChicJune 24, 20115 Comments

We shopped at Harrod’s, Armani, Burberry, Tom Ford, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, Gucci and Etro.

Prints galore!

Thanks to Amitabh Bachchan for being so patient and stylish—he’s anyway so stylish, he made my job a cakewalk!

Bbuddah… hoga terra baap releases July 1, 2011.

In Bollywood Fashion, Celebs, Fashion

Chic First Looks: Amitabh Bachchan goes pop in Bbuddah, Aishwarya’s new Heroine

Speaking ChicJune 17, 20112 Comments

Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap releases in a fortnight, and Amitabh Bachchan’s first look from the movie is out. Surprise, surprise! The new angry young(?) man dons a pop-coloured look in the movie. The initial posters reveal Mr Bachchan in colours made popular by Govinda—green, yellow, blue!

Styled by Leepakshi Ellawadi, Amitabh Bachchan is sporting brightly-tinted sunglasses, and some very unexpected combinations of garments. Though we have reserved our verdict on this look till we see the movie, we’re happy to say that Mr Bachchan is willing to experiment with hatke looks despite his umm…. seniority.

What do you think of Big B’s fashion choice in Bbuddah hoga terra baap?

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan in and as Heroine

Meanwhile, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan appeared in a purportedly leaked poster of Heroine, revealing… not much. All you see are her grey eyes and brownish hair parted in the middle.

Rumour has it that the picture in the poster (designed like a film rag cover) is an old picture of the actor. But you never know.

Meanwhile, another picture is circulating with red-lipped Aishwarya-Rai Bachchan’s bangs gracefully sweeping across her forehead—not sure where that image came from, but we think it’s popped up just to confuse us!

What do you think of the two distinct looks of Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan in Heroine (assuming they’re for real)?

In Celebs

Guys, would you wear velvet like Big B?

Speaking ChicOctober 12, 20103 Comments

Amitabh Bachchan kicked off the season premiere of Kaun Banega Crorepati 4 last night with a song-dance-monologue performance, wearing a velvet suit, among other outfits designed by Vikram Phadnis. The suit had a crest of sorts over the left breast pocket and on the back, in what seems to be zardosi work.

(FYI, in the quiz show Amitabh Bachchan will be wearing bespoke Ravi Bajaj suits).

Noteworthy: Mr Bachchan has worn velvet earlier. Last week, he walked the ramp for Karan Johar and Varun Bahl at HDIL India Couture Week in a long black double breasted coat with a high velvet collar.

Seinfeld’s George Costanza once said, “I would drape myself in velvet if it were socially acceptable.” Seems like his time has come.

So guys, would you drape yourself in velvet? Tell us!

In Advertising, Celebs

Bad Ads: Stars don’t shine!

Speaking ChicJuly 16, 20102 Comments

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Mango and Dolce & Gabbana may be as different as chalk and cheese (one high street, the other a luxury brand), but both have got one thing in common—theirs are the chicest print campaigns this season. (See the Mango catalogue photos here and Madonna as housewife here). Both have got the casting right. And the photography, the wonderful clothes, and the art.

These campaigns befit the star status of these successful, gorgeous women—it’s money well-spent! But closer home, I can’t remember the last time a celeb fashion campaign made me go “Wow!”

Okay, that’s partly because our actors are busy endorsing fairness creams, biscuits and tea, but the few that sell clothes are part of banal and boring campaigns. Cases in point: Amitabh Bachchan’s Reid & Taylor TV spot that had ghosts, and Shahrukh Khan’s insipid Belmonte advertisement.

What I did somewhat like was Hrithik Roshan in Provogue’s print campaign. The handsome actor’s unconventional look and intensity give a much-needed break from shaven chests and chocolate boy looks. Check out his “I-don’t-care” attitude in this print ad. (He may look fugly here, but that’s kinda the point, right?)

Speaking Chic wonders why we can’t make a star campaign really shine. There are plenty of big-budget campaigns and no dearth of talented creative admen, photographers, directors etc, so why should the Indian public suffer from commonplace campaigns with their favourite actors? And besides, fashion and clothes should have an aesthetic appeal to make them saleable, right?

Speaking Chic’s advice to fashion, clothing and luxury brands in India: Keep a chunk of your budget to get the your creatives right. We’re tired of our cricket captain MS Dhoni looking uncomfortable in Big Bazaar clothes.

Loved a fashion/ clothing campaign with your fave star? Tell us!