I don’t know how many of you are privy to this groundbreaking information, but I used to be a freelance stylist many moons ago after having Jasper, realising I spent 3 hours commuting in traffic, and finally quitting my full time job. Unfortunately, what I remember most about styling was how dissatisfied I was after every shoot/show! How nothing actually fit perfectly or looked the way I wanted it to. Many times I was taken advantage of at work, and I still haven’t gotten paid for so-called collaborations that involved carrying cartons of clothes up a Jodhpur hill and demanded more than just styling, but hey you live and you learn. While I was a decent stylist (I think), who always got the assignment and did more than expected, I was also the kind of stylist who questioned everything, right from the brief (that was usually copy-pasted from Pinterest) to the clothes and accessories, to the choice of photographer and models, to the brand’s very idea of the shoot… in short, I was a nightmare, and no one should have hired me, but come on!

Maybe it’s because I grew up on a diet of fashion magazines, but could never see the world through the lens of a highly produced photoshoot. Especially now than ever before, the average fashion magazine caters to the safe, the mainstream, the seen-before, and seems to miss out on the most important task fashion is meant to do: arouse emotion. Of course, I’m no fashion guru and my style might not appeal to every person ever, but it’s my point of view and it comes from a place that doesn’t just want to please for the sake of pleasing. 

Instead I crave art to imitate life, than the other way around. I want people to look like themselves, things to look as they are, and dress my models mainly in emotion rather than just in clothes and accessories. The beauty of the mundane, the simplicity of bare skin, a warm grin, a smile hiding a tear, the hand playing with petals, or resting nervously on a drink, two people exchanging a knowing glance, pearls of laughter and pearls with laughter — little things we notice, but forget to admire and capture for posterity, are what inspire me every day. 

And that’s why I always want to make sure my pictures are as natural as click and upload, devoid of studio lights or grand setups, swapping professional models for gorgeous friends like Dewanshi who I’m lucky to have in my life, and applying myself to the moment instead of employing professional photographers or makeup artists whose vision might be just as beautiful, but not always the same as mine, or one that gets lost in translation. Maybe down the line, I won’t be able to do that, but for now, this is just me showing you the world like I see it and hoping to keep it this way – AMEN!