Much was spoken about what Katrina Kaif wore in the song Kala Chasma from her recent film Baar Baar Dekho. Siddharth Malhotra’s outfits in the films also won words of praise. The film’s dress designer and stylist Poornamrita Singh says, “Katrina Kaif was open to trying out new looks for her character and was quite involved in the process which made it fun to work with her. So we made a good team.”
Poornamrita says she had to start from scratch for the film directed by Nitya Mehra. “I had to keep it real. There was some history, some futuristic ideas and I matched them with a certain colour palette, location and season. I gave the accessories a futuristic twist — transparent shoes and boots in neons, cuffs and neck pieces in metal and acrylic bags.”
Poornmarita Singh
Poornamrita says she became a costume designer by chance and is inspired by her surroundings. “I love to travel. I just did a two week trip through Norway and the U.K. I feel so refreshed.”
She has worked as an assistant costume designer for other Bollywood films like Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do , Sudhir Mishra’s Khoya Khoya Chand and Reema Kagti’s Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd and some of the Hollywood films like Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi , Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited and Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist . “Curently, I am styling for a commercial directed by Zoya Akhtar. As a costume designer, we play a big role in giving an identity to the on-screen characters. Their clothes reflect their moods, background, experiences, and make them real, and relatable.”
A still from Baar Baar Dekho
Her favourites, costume wise she says are two movies — Argo and Out Of Africa. “Whether it is a period drama or a futuristic film, one has to keep it realistic and believable. The pieces chosen for the characters cannot be far-fetched but what people like you and me would wear.”
The young costume designer has also styled Kangana Ranaut, Malaika Arora Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Neil Nitin Mukesh for several magazine shoots. “Style is a personal interpretation. I made sure to style them in a way that suits their body type or personality.” She finds Kangana Ranaut to be the best dressed Bollywood celebrity.
Kangana’s vintage look
Her sartorial ideas for Baar Baar Dekho went back to the 60s, the 40s and then back to the Edwardian era. “It was about giving a modern rendition to vintage clothing. I used 3D techniques on neoprene, mixed leather with other fabrics. There’s this actual vintage piece from the 40s that I sourced for Katrina Kaif. It is a dress in emerald green; not only is it stunning, she looks amazing in it.”
A still from Baar Baar Dekho
Do it yourself styling tips for the wedding season
Wear wide legged silk pants with a long silk or brocade tunic and add Indian jewellery.
Instead of the regular lehenga choli, team up a plain silk shirt with an embroidered or brocade lehenga. Or, a floral print or embroidered blouse with a lightly embellished sari
Burgundy, emerald green, deep blues and other jewel tones with a hint of gold adds richness to the look
Men look great in short kurtas, jodhpuris/slim pants with a blazer. They can do striped kurtas with pants and a sleeveless Nehru jacket with a pocket square.
If you have a heavily embellished outfit then keep your jewellery minimal.
Always wear comfortable shoes if you want to enjoy the party.
