Flair & Square: Decode Red

If the star is someone like Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin or Ranveer Singh, the stylist has her way and red-carpet gods are born. Sometimes stars change stylists so often that their assorted appearances look confused. Often, it’s just who offers a free dress that will fit the star.

In come the make-up and hair professionals. Stars are faithful to their own workers, the ones who use pink eye shadow and pink lips for their films (Katrina Kaif in Bang Bang, yelp). The stylist says, “Sorry, we’re doing batwings and a coral mouth.” And sometimes something special is then born.

Sonam Kapoor is one star whose fashion choices are the toast of the country. But she does appear to be trying too hard. Anyone who reads fashion magazines will tell you her looks are direct lifts from their pages. She’s got too much going on in one look: the dress is killer, then the hair, the baubles, the make-up. If Sonam removes one item from this list, she’d strike a better balance.

Katrina Kaif, on the other hand, is a classic case of someone who needs to listen to her stylist a little more: she doesn’t surprise or excite at all.

Kangana Ranaut is really the finest style girl we have. Right from the start, she’s been playing with different looks and working them with her insouciance. She really is on top of this game. Kalki comes in a distant second. She can wear a beautiful gown and tease her hair into a bun. Or wear no make-up with jeans and an embroidered jacket, her warm and fuzzy persona just shines through it all.

I am loving Alia Bhatt for her freshness albeit she is still to find that place that will define her and her alone. Sonakshi Sinha must be appreciated for wearing something stylish always, and not giving a bother about her weight or detractors.

‘Who are you wearing?’ is attributed to the late Joan Rivers. What would be considered vulgar and plain nosy sparked a multi-billion dollar publicity enterprise the world over. But the audience is smartening up to red-carpet wonders, there are far too many disasters too. And if any designer makes it to the worst-dressed list, it is professional harakiri for sure. Like in the case of Dior, their recent red-carpet experiments have invited much flak.

Fashion policing aside, people-watching is a delicious game too. The big moment was Angelina Jolie’s tripod-stance three years ago. Yes, the most coveted woman in the world really came across as an insecure people pleaser.

A riotous story is shared by Meryl Streep. A few decades ago, she was nominated at the Golden Globes for Kramer Vs Kramer. Since there were no stylists or free dresses at the time, she wore her wedding dress. She was also a new mum then, and was still nursing. The long show caused her a little spill, and you have to catch a video of her showing how she walked covering her bosom.

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