ANAMIKA KHANNA

After her much-appreciated showing at the last India Fashion Week, designer, Anamika Khanna has become a name to reckon with. A truly inspired collection, it received rave reviews and Khanna’s personal style is just as deserving of accolades. She finds a way to add zing to standard outfits – whether it’s lungis teamed with kurtas, pyjamas with wrap-around skirts or T-shirts with salwars, her style is refreshingly imaginative.

Even in her most creative concoctions, Khanna retains a certain subtlety. She sticks to muted hues, ivories and pristine whites. “I feel the need to tone down colours in my own wardrobe, since I use so much in my designs.” The fabrics she chooses are not overly textured or embellished but simple like linen, chiffon (especially in nude tones) mul mul and distressed fabrics.

Making a statement is important to Khanna and she steps outside the norms. One of her more outlandish outfits is a recent buy – a ‘nightie’ from Fab India’s kiddie section, which she pairs with, what else, pyjamas! Combining contemporary and traditional, she’ll wear a dress accessorised with a jhola-style bag and a tikka, on her forehead, or combine an ethnic silver neckpiece with a diamond choker.

Khanna is ‘crazy about shoes’ and it’s here that she tries out different colours. She currently adores the ghungroo kolhapuris bought from Pakistan and some Moroccan mojris, made by weaving six colours together. She is also fond of her ballerina shoes, which she’ll pair with a belted salwar kameez.

The attractive Kolkatan, faithful to her fraternity, is all praises for the designs of Rohit Bal, Rajesh Singh Pratap and Manish Arora. A favourite is a flowing organza cape from Raghavendra Rathore. Ombré dyed in beige, grey and black with Benarasi cutwork, she generally wears it with jeans and a vest. Off shore, she is biased about Dries Van Noten (“He is God!”) because his clothes give her the scope to mix and match. Stella McCartney and Yohji Yamamoto are also on her most wanted list.

Khanna’s own style is a wonderful potpourri of unusual, sometimes even junky, separates or dressed-down gear. She breaks the rules without being aggressive and puts her inimitable stamp on anything she wears.

Memorable Moment – For Holi this year, she wore a white, crushed mul mul sari with a ganji. Accessorised with big Indian emeralds and red and black threads around her neck, she also carried an African inspired jhola with hanging jhumkis and finished with tinkling anklets. Talk about making a splash!