Jim Sarbh and Samant Chauhan were chatting backstage with just a few minutes to go for their Atelier Opening show at Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI in Delhi when t2 caught up with them. “How do you want me to walk? Straight face?” asked Jim. He was the only male ‘model’ to be walking for Samant at the show and the latter had chosen a layered look for the actor. “I chose it for his personality. He has a cool personality and he is knowledgeable, not only about films but also about art and literature,” said Samant.
Jim loved the colour, he said. “I really like that it’s off-white and it has a beautiful cream colour and it has crushed fabric and woven on top with cross-stitch. I really appreciate that he is supporting the members of his community that he has grown up around. This I could wear in day-to-day life but the entire ensemble is like a statement piece,” he smiled.
Samant, in his more-than-a- decade career in designing, saw the process as an ongoing journey rather than a milestone moment. “Keep going has always been the mantra. Everyone wants to do handloom now and it’s great. It’s a movement now,” he said.
The collection he showcased called ‘Ice Watch’ was inspired by snow. “It’s how I see ice coming from a small village,” he said. Known for his love for whites, Samant said he “can’t visualise things in colour”. “Everything is black and white,” he smiled.
Jim said Samant’s process reminded him of Louise Bourgeois, the sculptor. “Each page in his catalogue was like a little bit of poetry. He spoke about finding and not seeking. The cloth and the embroidery spoke to him and he discovered the final form working with those materials as opposed to forcing his ideology on that material. This is exactly what Louise Bourgeois, the sculptor, did. She used to get a stone and start chipping away and the rock would tell her what form it should be,” he said.
Known for his versatile body of work and a certain vigour as much as restraint, the International Emmy nominated actor’s philosophy in life has been one of being open “to experiencing new things in life”. “A lion has a mane and a peacock has a tail, so why shouldn’t I dress however the way I want to?” he laughed.
He also picked his icons for t2 — David Bowie and Kurt Cobain.
#rebels
Quick five with Sobhita Dhulipala
Outfit fave: I really like the fact that it’s sleek at the waist and then flares out. White is such a beautiful colour and they have found a way to Indianise it. It’s a traditional outfit, a lehnga, but they have modernised it. I am finding it feminine and cute.
Makeup mantra: I am carrying a bunch of products with me. I always do. Smashbox is a brand that I endorse because they have an incredible range and quality and pigment. Today’s look is pretty much that. I often do my own make-up. It keeps changing. I love eyes more than anything else, but a clean face also makes me feel really good.
Bedtime skincare: I have just started honestly, but I am also learning. I have understood that it’s important to follow and do.
A recent routine that’s been a great discovery: Double cleansing. I would rub my face with makeup remover and it would make my face dry. Double cleansing is nourishing to my skin because I have dry skin.
Beauty icons: Rekhaji, Vyjayanthimala.
MORE MONOCHROMES WITH PAWAN SACHDEVA’S INFINITY
Harbhajan Singh and Kritika Kamra walked for Pawan Sachdeva in black and white ensembles, both layered looks. “It’s a long coat, very comfy and stretchable as if I am on the field again,” said Harbhajan, when t2 met the two backstage. Black was one of his go-to shades. “I do wear a lot of black. My wife (Geeta Basra) always complains why I wear too much black. I feel men look good in black,” he smiled. Kritika felt her look was close to her personal style of “minimalistic chic”, which comprised “elevated essentials, monotones”. “Everybody looks great in black and white. I am really happy that my outfit is so much like his outfit, which means the collection is primarily for men, but I get to wear one of these looks. It’s great, comfortable and has got pockets,” she smiled.
Comfort was Harbhajan’s style mantra too. “I need to be comfortable in what I am wearing and I am a track kind of a guy. I like wearing my tracks with tees and of course sneakers,” he said. Among his cricketing peers, he picked the swashbuckling Yuvraj Singh as the most stylish. “He had a bit of swagger. Nowadays, (MS) Dhoni is looking very good, very stylish,” smiled the feted spinner. What about Kritika? “I think this gang (the class of 2000)...,” she said. “The old boys gang...” quipped Harbhajan. “I think they are the most stylish!” smiled Kritika.