An Interview: Tanya Ghavri

Comment image 9


Meet stylist Tanya Ghavri. The unassuming Bombay girl who made it to most of Bollywood’s speed dial. Trained in Parsons and SNDT, she talks to HHC about stars, style and everything in between.

tanya-ghavri-high-heel-confidential-interview-3

What about an #ootd catches Tanya Ghavri’s eye?
Every outfit tells a story and the confidence with which you tell your story is what catches my eye. Sometimes it’s a classic white shirt on a pair of well-worn denims, but the ruthless confidence of its wearer will always draw my eye.

What are five stylist-approved must-haves every woman must have in her closet?
A well-tailored white shirt
Denims more loyal than any boy!
Heels that hurt just the slightest bit less than the rest!
A staple little black dress
And finally a sharply tailored blazer.

And what are 5 things the men must have?
A tailored white shirt (Bonus points if it’s linen)
A smart watch or even a smartwatch
A pair of dress shoes, shining to perfection
A navy blazer
A pair of chinos

What was the turning point of your career?
When I worked on the set of Aisha. I have to say, that was a great start!

tanya-ghavri-high-heel-confidential-interview-2

2 lines on:
Kareena Kapoor. (Before TG, she lived in her jeans & tee)
Kareena’s innate charm lets her get away with the simplest of outfits. She’s always loved her denims and tees but I love that some of my best collaborations with her have her in the daintiest of dresses and risky outfits.
Freida Pinto (The pressure of dressing someone while the world watches)
Dressing Frieda’s been one heck of an experience, because it meant seeing my work on international platform. I’ve had so much fun but honestly, the pressure’s just noise in the background when it comes down to the actual fittings. Ultimately, the routine remains the same.
Katrina Kaif (And her recent makeover)
Katrina shedding those kilos certainly made me want to work harder at the gym but when it came to the styling, not much changed. She always looked good in the clothes we chose!
Jacqueline (So fun & fab)
Jacqueline’s such a fun person. I’ve always tried to put that across in the clothes she wears so her vivacity comes through. The clothes never wear her, she wears the clothes!

Now let’s talk about Sonam Kapoor! I think we can all agree she can’t be summarized in 2 lines!

Sonam’s innate sense of style makes it so easy to style her. She knows what she wants and she knows what suits her. That immediately makes my job so much easier. The fact that she’s a friend and a fashionista, means that she trusts my judgement and also trusts my ability to get away with embracing something really atypical and unique.

Actresses often come with their own style and a list of preferred designers. How do you approach that?

I have clients who turn to me with no preconceptions of their look, and others who have an entire look drawn out in their head! Both have their charm! With one I’m in the driving seat and I get complete control over the final look, and with the other I get to work in collaboration with another artist. Who said teamwork was ever a bad thing? If anything, I love the efficiency!

What’s your advice for those wanting to make it big in the celeb stylist space?

Keep at it. Keep reading, keep watching and keep searching. There are so many designers who fall into nooks and crannies and are waiting to be discovered. Your job can make that happen!

tanya-ghavri-high-heel-confidential-interview-1

Since fashion month just got over, what is on your immediate lust list for yourself?

My lust list is LONG! Yeezys, slogans tee shirts, a gorgeous Sandro denim jacket, the teeny-tiny crop top, lots of striped shirts and pinstriped dresses… I’m also totally into dresses over pants – and this trend has trickled down to a lot of our Indian designers. And Proenza tops my lust list!

How have blogs (much like this) influenced the styling game? Do the stars read, follow and sometimes take in to consideration the stuff they read?

Yes, most actors read blogs – both Indian but international – and that’s a good thing since it gets everyone to up their style game. Style blogs have definitely made them more aware and excited about appearances and they do take into consideration some of the inputs from blogs.

Finally, who gets the best dressed award from you?

Olivia Palermo/Blake Lively. It’s a tie!
——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Shradha Agarwal is a San Francisco-based fashion writer. Her work has been published in The Telegraph, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar India. When she’s not gasping in disbelief at the similarities between Mindy Lahiri and her, she can be found at happy hour. Follow her on Instagram here.

  • Like it? Share it!

9 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *