Aastha Sharma has made a name for herself styling Indian and international celebrities. She started out as an editorial stylist before making the big jump to being a commercial stylist. Her philosophy is simple – she lets the personality of her client take over, adding touches that suit the occasion to create a holistic style experience that makes a splash and looks functional at the same time. Her own style choices are quite bohemian but they don’t take precedence over the needs of her clients. She’s aware that today, looking good no longer matters, it’s looking good on social media that counts and she makes sure her clients do get written about, for all the right things, of course.

Did you always want to be a stylist in the fashion industry?

I wanted to become a lawyer because my dad was one but later I changed my mind. My friend was getting into this fashion college. They had these cool fashion courses. I too joined along with her and that’s how I got into fashion marketing and merchandising. When I was doing my masters there; I discovered styling and it was so new and there were mainly editorial stylists in Mumbai. There were only a handful of celebrity stylists. So that’s when I got into it and started enjoying it.

It was quite a shift from studying law to styling.

We had few career options when we were younger. It was a lawyer, doctor, or engineer at the time. Fashion is now regarded as a legitimate profession. Designers were previously at the forefront of it. Earlier, if you were daring, you could become an air hostess or a pilot. I believe there was a lack of awareness, but nowadays, as you know, kids know what they want to do.

Who was the first A-list celebrity you styled for?

When I began as an editorial stylist, I worked on covers with everyone. Because I was also a fashion producer, I was literally on every shoot. My first freelance client was Neha Dhupia, and then I styled Chitrangda Singh. Then there was Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. These are the first two or three celebrities I worked with.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s recent runway look from Paris Fashion Week has gotten everyone talking.

She carried it quite well. You know, it was just the occasion and the colour gold. Whatever we were thinking, it just clicked. We had a sketch and as soon as the outfit was finished, we tried it on Aishwarya; it was a perfect fit.

Having styled Aishwarya for such prestigious events as Cannes, what have you observed about her personal style?

We’re always a little bit experimental because we know doing the same thing every year will get boring. We try to experiment with silhouettes and colours while keeping her stature and the type of event in mind. We have to keep in mind the type of stage she’ll be on and the type of carpet she’ll be doing and make sure her outfits balance out where she’ll be. It’s always grand and expansive.

You’ve styled for editorial covers, films and runways. How different are the experiences from one another?

Yes, because I come from an editorial background, I knew what editorial styling entailed. I was familiar with how editorials operate, how they approach a spread and what they were looking for in terms of trends. The theme changes every month. As a result, I was able to transition quickly from editorial to commercial. Of course, commercial assignments are client or character-based. Films or OTT are character-driven, depending on the director’s vision and the type of storyline. Every project is unique. So distinguishing isn’t that difficult. I enjoy doing covers because it allows me to be creative and try new things. I enjoy working on films and OTT because it allows me to create characters and build something from the ground up.

You worked on the styling for the Vidya Balan-starrer Neeyat. How exciting was it to style a murder mystery?

It was fun because Anu Menon, the director I had already worked with in Four More Shots Please! We had worked on an ensemble cast and she was directing the first season, where we created the characters right from scratch. She approached me and said, ‘Listen, I am making this film, and it is a thriller, and it is completely different from Four More Shots Please! I need everybody to look a certain way so that it comes out in that whole mystery. Every character must look a certain way and their personalities must come out through their clothes. It was nice to work with so many different characters, whether it was Ram Kapoor, Vidya, Rahul Bose, or Amrita—everybody had a distinctive look.

It was nice to see Vidya Balan in a more Western look. How involved was she in the proceedings?

She was involved in establishing that character. Vidya was aware of how she wanted to look and how her clothes would portray her character and make it more relatable to Neeyat. She was involved in the entire process, and that was quite enjoyable between Anu, Vidya and me. I think in the first fitting and the first look test, we just cracked it. It just happened in one
go because we were so clear.

A yesteryear actress you would love to style.

Zeenat Aman. I love her.

Which movie of hers do you love the most, in terms of fashion?

I think all of them. Like she had the 1970s, boho kind of vibe – the prints and the golden dresses. I’m extremely bohemian in my dressing. And that’s why I relate to Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi’s styles in the ’70s and early ’80s.

Tell us about your favourite film that had an ensemble cast, and you loved the style statements…

I think Dil Dhadakne Do was fabulous. It’s such a well-put-together film in terms of everything, whether it’s costumes, dialogues, actors, or songs. In terms of the latest, I’m looking forward to The Archies. I think it looks fantastic. They’re all looking really good. The film looks really nice. It will be a nicely stylized and fun film to watch.

Do you refer to films when it comes to seeking inspiration for your styling?

I watch a lot more international films and web shows; I’m always watching with an eye on the costumes. And the moment I’m reading a script that is usually always related to characters that I’ve seen on TV or if I’ve travelled somewhere and I’ve seen somebody dressed a certain way, it’ll get stuck in my head. It’s a mix of a lot of things.

In the current milieu, whose style do you find chic and effortless?

Ananya Panday is fun. I think she’s effortless, yet sexy. Shanaya Kapoor is also a lot of fun. Also, Zendaya, I love her.

You’ve worked at international events and on home turf; what is the difference when it comes to preparing for styling wardrobes?

When it comes to doing an international project, the pre-planning of events requires a lot more time to start with. There was lots of planning and a lot more detail. When working in India,the timings are a little more challenging. I enjoy working on both sides, but in India, it’s usually late. Internationally, we get a lot more time to kind of prepare and plan.

What do you think makes events like Cannes so overwhelming since a lot of focus is veered towards fashion and how celebrities are dressed?

It’s competitive everywhere. Everybody wants to do everything, and they want to be seen everywhere. Earlier, there were only two or three Indian celebrities who were walking the red carpet internationally at Cannes. But now so many people in the industry are going with influencers and models, you know, so it’s becoming a bit overcrowded. And because it’s an international carpet and it’s an international event, people have too much pressure on how they look.

So in that process, they are not mainly thinking about the event per se, but exactly how they’re going to look. Because it’s all about social media justification at the end of the day.

So for everybody, including the actor, it becomes stressful and overwhelming. They have to crack it, right?

I guess it’s partly good and partly crazy.