IGI Logo

Celebrity stylist Tanya Ghavri was part of Airbnb's 10-day festival, Bollywood Insiders, wherein guests experienced first-hand the rigorous preparation faced by a successful Bollywood stylist.

Through the program, guests got a sneak peek into the making of their favourite Bollywood movies and stars, and learnt how to put their best sartorial foot forward with Ghavri giving them all the fashion cues they need. In case you missed the experience IANSlife caught up with the stylist who works extensively with India's biggest fashionistas such as Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sara Ali Khan, Disha Patani, Janhvi Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shraddha Kapoor, Freida Pinto, Jacqueline Fernandez and Malaika Arora to name a few to get you upto speed with the latest trends:

Read Excerpts:

Q: The one celebrity ask that you hate to cater to?

A: I mean honestly, there isn't anything that I hate. Everything is a part of the job, but I think the one part that I dislike a little bit is that when it comes to styling celebrities, it requires a lot of patience, so there's a lot of waiting. But that's just a part of the job. So, I think patience is one of the things I hate to cater to.

Q: Fast fashion is getting a lot of hate but it helps to keep your wardrobe updated, is it fair to be so harsh?

A: Honestly, I don't buy that many clothes being a stylist myself. Like I don't buy clothes every couple of months to keep my wardrobe updated because I really do truly believe in sustainability. I believe that if you buy something you should really try and use it as much as possible. You know that's why I like to buy separates because then you can wear them with many different things. I do believe that fashion causes a lot of waste.

So, I think it's important for young people, older people -- for everyone, to get a bit more conscious and not go berserk buying clothes. What I mean by that is to buy what you think you're actually going to use. I have no problem with the fact that everyone wants to stay trendy, and everyone wants to keep buying new clothes in this excitement to constantly have new clothes, but I think the whole point is that the world is moving towards sustainability. What is important is to use the pieces well that you have and keep and do different things with it, style them in different ways and keep that trendy. So I think that that's what I would perpetuate instead of going out and constantly buying new clothes and impacting the environment in a bad way.

Q: How important is it for a celerity to keep experimenting and changing up their

style?

A: I think every celebrity has their own kind of innate style so it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to experiment all the time because some people like to stay with their comfort zone, classic styles etc. So, you don't have to, but within that same thing, you can experiment with small things -- whether it's your hair and makeup, whether it's a new kind of accessory that you're trying, or have fun with shoes, so you can experiment in different ways.

And then of course there are celebrities that really like to experiment with their style as well, you know with the way they dress as well. Especially the younger lot of people. They're still kind of finding their style, so I think for the youngsters, for sure, it's nice to kind of reinvent an experiment and try and explore new things for sure.

Q: One celebrity who can sail through without a stylist?

A: I could actually name maybe two. I would say Sonam Kapoor for sure because she is just so good, she has such a strong sense of style. I really like Kalki's personal style as well. It's very chilled. It's very cool. It feels like it's very her as well, so I think she can even do without a stylist.

Q: Your favourite trend for the season when it comes to glamming up?

A: My favourite trend of glamming up for the new season would have to be anything, basically cool and oversized. I feel if you can wear a really cool oversized dress or really cool oversized shirt and then just do it with a sort of statement neckpiece, or you know a piece of really nice earrings. So basically, anything that's cool and oversized even for the red carpet, like an oversized blazer, with pants, I think could look really, really cool. And instead of doing the whole glitzy sequin glamour, I think that going the other way right now, it's fashionable and super comfortable.

Q: Tell us more about your association with Airbnb for this campaign. What was the Online Experience during the weeklong Bollywood Insiders campaign all about?

A: I have been styling celebrities and influencers across industries over the past 14 years, and I was excited to share this knowledge with guests who joined the experience. Bollywood Insiders on Airbnb brought a unique opportunity to take my passion for fashion and styling a notch higher by sharing my experience, expertise and love for the art of fashion, with people across the globe through Airbnb's Online Experiences. While I often stay at Airbnbs while travelling, this was the first time I was hosting on the platform instead of being a guest, and I was super excited about that!

My Online Experience on Airbnb for Bollywood Insiders was called 'Ace fashion with Bollywood stylist, Tanya Ghavri' and through the experience, I showed my guests how they could ace everyday fashion, and how small efforts can make a big difference to their overall style. Through the Experience, I also let them in on some fashion secrets, that I use with their favourite Bollywood stars, too, while styling them.