Natasha Poonawalla, executive director of Serum Institute in India, looked like a Greek goddess as she walked the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala. Embracing maximalism, she wore a Schiaparelli metal corset and custom couture sari and trail by designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Though it was she who wanted to wear a sari, it was celebrity stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania who brought the look to life. Earlier this year, at the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, Natasha once again turned heads in a silver metal plate bustier paired with silver ear cuffs. This time, it was Rhea Kapoor who styled her. Another iconic look was when she wore an Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla creation with a crystal beaded veil, styled by Pranay Jaitly and Shounak Amonkar. While Natasha’s reputation as a global style icon has grown, the army of stylists who have crafted that carefully-curated image remains behind the scenes.
Once a thankless and overlooked job, the styling industry has exploded, with stylists being the bridge between fashion and celebrities. As film promotions, method dressing, launch events, influencers and collaborations boom in this social media age, public appearances need to be well-planned, and the need for a stylist becomes critical.
Notably, it is not only actors who are seeking stylists, but also corporates, wedding parties, influencers and royal families. Jaipur royal scions Gauravi Kumari and Padmanabh Singh, for example, are collaborating with top stylists to make a statement. When the U.S. Polo Assn. recently announced Padmanabh as its new global brand ambassador, it was stylist Selman Fazil who designed his looks for the USPA x Pacho Jaipur autumn-winter 2024 collection. Gauravi―the Indian brand ambassador for Jimmy Choo―was styled by Anaita for one of her shoots.
When Akshali Shah, executive director of Parag Milk Foods, recently got married, she roped in Ami Patel to style her for the wedding. Ami says the best part of working with Akshali was that she trusted the stylist’s instincts. Akshali was a woman who knew what she wanted and that made things easy.
Style file: Actor Neha Dhupia styled by Tanya Ghavri (left) | Instagram@tanghavri
However, the biggest event of the year―the Ambani wedding―kept all the stylists of the industry busy. Anaita feels fortunate to have worked closely with Isha Ambani for the wedding. Many of the groom’s looks were curated by Shaleena Nathani and team, while Rhea worked with Radhika Merchant, and Diya Mehta Jatia with her sister Shloka Mehta.
One key factor turning styling into an organised sector is the expanding luxury and fashion market in India. According to a 2023 Statista study, the revenue in the luxury fashion market in India amounted to $2.65 billion (approximately Rs22,000 crore) in 2024 and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 3.32 per cent, thus scaling the need for professional stylists.
To cater to the demand, e-commerce platforms have been coming out with unique initiatives, like Myntra’s in-house service ‘My Stylist’ that was launched last year, where a team of experts recommends complete shoppable looks to customers. Dozens of apps that offer personal styling services like Aiuta (AI stylist), Stitch Fix, Stylebook, Wishi and Trunk Club are coming up, while fashion consultancies like Who Wore What When (by stylists Pranay and Shounak) offer styling services to high-profile clients.
Explaining the process, stylist Tanya Ghavri says that if it is a red-carpet look, the celebrity informs the stylist days before the event so that there is enough time to prepare. Stylists then start writing to brands and designers, checking look-books, viewing collections online, and running it by the celebrities or their managers. Then, the designer pieces are sent to the stylist’s office followed by fittings with the celebrity. After this, the stylist assists with the celeb’s hair, makeup, bag and accessories, and takes care of any dress alterations that are needed. Once the event is over, the pieces are sent back to the designers.
Keeping it simple: Tania Fadte and (right) actor Radhika Apte styled by Fadte | Instagram@taniafadte
Discussing the broad scope of styling today, Tanya says that there is celebrity styling, editorial styling, personal styling, wardrobe consultancy, costume design, influencer styling, and more. A stylist can either work on retainer or per-project basis. According to Tanya, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Kiara Advani, Shanaya Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala and Saif Ali Khan have a great sense of style.
In the past, while legendary actors like Sridevi and Rekha were known for their impeccable style, a new benchmark in styling was set when sisters Sonam and Rhea Kapoor came on to the scene. From the beginning of her career, Sonam worked with her sister to curate a style that spoke of elegance and chic. Rhea’s vision is best reflected in the film Aisha (2010) where Sonam’s portrayal of an upper-class Delhi girl was perfectly reflected in her style. This was followed by Shaleena taking over as Deepika Padukone’s stylist. From red carpet appearances to her wedding looks, Shaleena revolutionised Deepika’s image.
More recently, actor Zeenat Aman is proving that age is no barrier for fashion with her captivating social media presence and re-appearance in films. Armed with style and sophistication―and with a little help from her stylists James Lalthanzuala and Shweta Navandar―Zeenat is shattering societal stereotypes about yesteryear actors.
Tania Fadte, who recently styled Priyanka Chopra Jonas for one of her shoots, says that styling will always evolve; the tough part is to stay relevant. “It is important for people to understand what a stylist brings and the kind of effort being put into every image,” she says. “The lack of this knowledge makes one undervalue a stylist. It is a lot of research, leg-work and hectic schedules.” Personally, she finds inspiration from people like Maharani Gayatri Devi and Indira Gandhi, who kept it simple. “Fashion is on the street. I always take time to admire, stop and stare, take notes and photos,” she says. “My daughter thinks I’m creepy, because I take photos of people without their consent, but their personal style inspires me.”
For Ami, who has worked closely with Priyanka over the years, style is a representation of who you are. “It is a form of communication―getting that inner essence of a person out in the form of clothes,” she says. Growing up, she was inspired by her cousins who had studied fashion and were avid shoppers. “My cousin would shop for a new collection every season and ask us to take whatever we wanted from the previous one. It was then that my fixation with fashion started,” she says.
Her association with Priyanka goes back 14 years, when she saw her in a London store. “I heard a commanding voice and when I turned, I saw it was her, standing tall and trying on a red hat,” she says. “When we started talking, she told me she was looking for a stylist. She was shooting for Don 2 back then. That’s how it started. Every time we work together, it is a learning process. She loves to push the bar. We have a great chemistry.”
A stylist’s job is not restricted to putting together outfits and creating looks. There is extensive research and preparation that goes on for days, followed by discussions with clients, trials, and ensuring that nothing goes wrong before the event. Last minute changes add to the stress and require quick thinking. Ami calls it a “dynamic process”, which involves everything from creativity to meticulous organisation. However, one may not be paid for the research and the extensive effort, but for the days one works with the artiste on sets or events. Tania says that when she started in the industry, she made Rs15,000 per styling session, but now a fresher may get up to Rs40,000.
When Anaita joined the industry, there were no stylists as we know them today. Till the 1990s, fashion designers would double as stylists. Manish Malhotra, for example, had styled and designed for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). That was when the styling industry was just taking off, but no one specifically focused on sourcing clothes and putting together looks in the way that stylists do now.
According to Ami, the future of the styling industry in India looks promising. With the growing influence of the fashion and lifestyle media, more people are recognising the importance of professional styling. “The expansion of digital, OTT and social media has amplified the reach of stylists, creating new opportunities for showcasing talent and connecting with clients,” says Ami. She says she is now seeing an influx of young stylists in the industry. “I often work with assistants to help with tasks and ensure everything runs smoothly,” she says. “[While training them] I emphasise the importance of attention to detail and good communication skills.”
Anaita says the key to becoming a successful stylist is working hard, and that she feels proud to say that she has trained many stylists in the industry. “For young people entering this industry, it can seem very tempting and glamorous and in parts, it is, but most of the time, it is not,” she says. “You have to be someone who is naturally observant, willing to run around and work long hours. If that’s your attitude, this can be a great place to be.”