“FASHION IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT COMFORT”
…says the Ohiobased celebrity stylist and designer Anjali Phougat
She is ecstatic about the proud moment when showcased the mesmerising Indian handcrafted fashion (of Designer Dream Collection) at the Cannes film festival. And Anjali was looking for the right model — someone who could break the stereotypes — and she found Chaitanya’s skin tone to be the natural choice. To Anjali, Chaitanya being a social worker also reflected the ideologies of a strong woman and her individuality. “I could find an instant connection with Chaitanya,” she elaborates. “I believe in diversity and hoped to portray an honest woman with confident looks. I am glad Chaitanya elegantly carried the essence of what I’d envisioned.” Speaking of what went into the making of the mesmerising gown, Anjali, who is also a vice-president at a banking firm in the US, tells us that the gown — which was crafted from French tulle and cut in a fitted silhouette — was decorated with pink and blue neutral undertone flowers on the bottom with cut-out sequin floral embellished details. “It featured V-neck, a concealed rear zip fastening, white and silver shoulder straps and gold glitter tulle long length trail,” she explains. With hand-textured Italian fabric and net and floral, crystals, Swarovski, sequin hand-embroidery, the gown shone. “We designed the outfit virtually and picked light colours to project Indian skin tones, which I believe can look beautiful in any colour palette,” says the designer who points out that they wanted to ensure the clothing reflected the Indian essence through a long gold veil added to the gown.
“Since Chaitanya had to walk and be in an outfit for a long time, we ensured the fabric was soft and comfortable because fashion is incomplete without comfort.”
THE GOWN — WHICH WAS CRAFTED FROM FRENCH TULLE AND CUT IN A FITTED SILHOUETTE — WAS DECORATED WITH PINK AND BLUE NEUTRAL UNDERTONE FLOWERS ON THE BOTTOM WITH CUTOUT SEQUIN FLORAL EMBELLISHED DETAILS. IT ALSO FEATURED V-NECK, A CONCEALED REAR ZIP FASTENING, WHITE AND SILVER SHOULDER STRAPS AND GOLD GLITTER TULLE LONG LENGTH TRAIL
ANJALI PHOUGAT, DESIGNER