Style files of Punjabi divas

Gurnaaz Kaur

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Film stars are not celebrated just for their work but equally for their style quotient. Pollywood beauties splash enough glitz and glamour, be it a movie role, a music video or any promotional event. Let’s get up close and personal with these sohni mutiyars to know how they transcend into a character’s need of fashion vis-a-vis their personal style mantras. 

Boho-chic babe: Mandy Takhar

If not in suits, you are sure to find Mandy in her favourite look—the boho chic. Curly hair, loose, comfy skirt, duffle bag, big hoops and thong chappals, that’s been her style for over a decade now. But this one needs a lot of exploration. “There is no store where you can go and say, ‘Hey, I am looking for boho chic attire. So, I compile this look, which means a market here, a market there, a store in this country, another in some other country, but that’s what I also love about it.” Ask her to define her style, and she tells us, “It is an extension of one’s personality.” Trying to go minimalistic otherwise, she likes to splurge on footwear and has over 150 pairs. 

• Comfort wear: Track pants and T-shirts, cotton shorts and ganji tops. 
• Preferred brands— Louis Vuitton for bags and belts, Top Shop and River Island for clothes
• Can’t do without— Perfumes. Gucci Rush is an all-time favourite.
• Stars with great style— Tammana Bhatia and Jennifer Lawrence
• Prized possession— A jumper knitted by my grandma. I would want to pass it on to my kids if and when I have them.

Not a fashion victim: Wamiqa Gabbi

Cliched as it may sound but style for Wamiqa is all about comfort. “I can’t wear anything tight-fitted just because it’s in vogue or is hip.” Once on the plumper side, she has always felt happy in her skin. Wamiqa vouches for, “My formula to look good is simple—do it yourself.” Her look book is all about dressing up in solids and colour blocking it with a nice pair of footwear and junk jewellery. “I am not a fan of prints. You’ll mostly find me wearing an all-bottle green suit or an all-maroon dress.”

A fan of sneakers and jeans, she doesn’t like to spend on clothes. “They go out of fashion too soon but I am always excited about buying shoes, sandals, flats and heels. Footwear is my guilty pleasure.”

Being in public eye is unavoidable and Wamiqa feels grateful to all the people who help her with looking the part. “At home I am my own stylist, but on the sets, there are so many people working on my look.” These days she has a fancy for suits and is getting 15 of them made from a Chandigarh-based designer. 

• Favourite fashion designer — Sabyasachi for an apt mix of traditional and modern vibe in his clothes.
• Fetish for — Perfumes and shoes. Elie Saab and Ralph Lauren being all-time favourite.
• Carry the crazy — I love graffiti T-shirts and jackets. There is one that has ‘there are no rules’ written eight times on it. 
• Beauty is skin deep — I prefer to spend on my skincare. Toners, moisturisers, lip balms, serums, they are all must-haves for me.

Athleisure, any day: Sonam Bajwa

This Pollywood diva says style is all about feeling confident and looking beautiful at the same time. Her preferred look is sporty and she tells us, “I really enjoy wearing athleisure. I also love wearing sneakers with anything, be it a dress, shorts or denims.” Sonam takes inspiration from many designers but likes to be her own stylist. If she were to pick one from shoes, makeup, jewellery— the actress says it’s an impossible task. “I love all of these. It cannot be one over the other. Having said that, my favourite accessory would be earrings and next in line is shoes. I have 45-50 pairs of them.

But it is her love for clothes that knows no bounds. This model-turned actress has a whole room dedicated to clothes. “I have a walk-in closet at home, so you can imagine how much I enjoy dressing up.”

• Stars I admire — I really like Sonam Kapoor, Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna. Even Bella Hadid has got a great sense of style.
• Prized possession — My clothes, my shoes, my bags are my most expensive possessions.  I love spending money on myself.

Serious shoe fetish: Sargun Mehta 

When it comes to style, this happy, bubbly actress likes to blend expertise with a touch of personal choice. Her stylist Siddhi Karwa is luckily also her friend. “I like to style myself most of the time but there is always Sidhi’s touch to that as we shop together, we discuss every role and occasion.” 

For Sargun, it’s not about what ups your style game but about the confidence with which you carry yourself. If she were to pick between Indian and western outfits, she has a place for both in her wardrobe. “In day-to-day wear, I prefer western— skirts and T-shirts being the staple. But traditional attires have a way of making you feel dressy in a different sort of way.” Her favourite Indian garment is saree and when it comes to accessories, this actress is crazy about earrings. “I buy them wherever, whenever and however. On a normal day, I carry around 150-200 pairs with me and there must be another 200-300 pairs lying at home.” That can give you an idea about her fetish, if we may say so. Another thing Sargun cannot resist is makeup. Happily calling herself a makeup junkie, she says, “Lipsticks are on top of the list. I use these four colours— coral, pink, nude and tinted orange and possibly have each of them in every possible brand.”

• Favourite makeup brand — Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
• Most expensive bag — A bag by Dior I picked in London. It cost me around 3.5—4 lakh.
• Style icon would be — Blake Lively for her individual sense of style. Her clothes depict power. She can carry off anything with aplomb.

Put a ring on her!: Simi Chahal

“At times I like to keep it really simple and other times, totally out-of-the-box. A little mix of everything—Indian, western, boho—that’s my style,” says Simi Chahal. A true lover of colours, she is obsessed with neon lime green these days. Someone who would prefer Indian over western any day, she has a fetish for rings. “I have a lot of oxidised silver jewellery and junk jewellery in other metals as well but when you say collections, I have about 400 rings big, small and all kinds,” she smiles shyly. Simi calls herself a hoarder and has a room-full of clothes but you won’t find formals there. “My clothing is all about comfort and colours. You won’t find one formal wear in my closet.” Not much into makeup, all she uses is mascara and a lip balm on a regular day. “I am a zero makeup person.”

• Surprise fact— Simi bought her life’s first lipstick two weeks back.
• Accessories and more— I am crazy about footwear and jewellery.
• Most stylish celeb— Sonam Kapoor and Rihanna 

gurnaaz@tribunemail.com