Genderless fashion is a term vastly explored in recent times. Throwing away the idea of gender-based clothes allows for more inclusivity, making both genders feel seen and heard and opening up the space for fashion experiments without any societal labels or stereotypes. Devki Bhatt, stylist and Founder and PR Executive at The Yellow Dot, shares her experiments with genderless fashion with the perfect muse, Taapsee Pannu.
Fashion Stylist and Creative Director: Devki Bhatt | Photographer: Tejinder Singh Khamkha
“The dichotomy of camouflaging into a man’s world while we fight to preserve a woman’s identity is not lost on us. From its subject to styling, we wanted to challenge the current perception of feminism through this shoot. Feminism does not always have to be an antagonistic force. Feminism can also persist as a core quality of our actions and behaviour. It can be a quality that, by its sheer presence, can cause a shift in the status quo.”
Fashion Stylist and Creative Director: Devki Bhatt | Photographer: Tejinder Singh Khamkha
“Meet Taapsee Pannu, a thirty-two-year-old, hot-blooded Sikh who planned to be an engineer but found her calling in acting. Little did she know then that her penchant for giving voice to issues she saw around her would eventually find a platform through the choice of roles she played as an actress. Be it in the form of a woman who discovered love in Manmarziyaan to Amrita in Thappad, who embarks on a path of self-worth and discovery in a world that consistently defies the same. In the movie Pink, she plays a role that contests against the cultural masculinity where men are raised with the thought that laws do not defy them and in Mulk, Taapsee contests with political masculinity where the system governed predominantly by men dictates religious freedom and choice. These characters all have one thing in common: persistently defying what the world sees in female lead roles. They defy the need for female characters to be glamorised in order to substantiate them. This is the exact thing that makes Taapsee a pioneer and revolutionary in the industry today.”
Fashion Stylist and Creative Director: Devki Bhatt | Photographer: Tejinder Singh Khamkha
“For this shoot, we have specifically dressed Taapsee in what is traditionally considered menswear, as her face holds on to the vulnerability of its existence in a man’s world. She embodies this exact dichotomy that prevails in Bollywood today, where female leads are taking on prominent roles, which in the past were mainly reserved for male leads, while exposing issues that resonate with the women of today.”
Fashion Stylist and Creative Director: Devki Bhatt | Photographer: Tejinder Singh Khamkha
“The images focus on trying to merge the feminine and masculine rather than seeing them as two separate and conflicting entities. We wanted to embody the masculine shell while keeping the feminine elegance intact. In this look, Taapsee is wearing a blazer and pants from NM Studio. The image helps the audience see the beauty and softness that femininity embodies while encased in a masculine shell. When we exist in a world that is predominantly dictated by male opinions and preferences, we, for the most part, choose to just become a part of it. However, that does not change the core of who we are, nor does it evade or diminish the feminine qualities in us. As a matter of fact, it becomes more prominent and distinct.”
Fashion Stylist and Creative Director: Devki Bhatt | Photographer: Tejinder Singh Khamkha
“Wearing a three-piece suit from TISA, Taapsee stands tall and strong in her own element. A three-piece suit is a stable menswear garb, but when a woman wears it, for some reason, we call it ‘power’ dressing. What gives this type of appearance the power? The fact that it emanates the supposed manliness that it is culturally and historically characterised by? Or is it the person wearing it? Why can’t a three-piece suit also emanate a sense of tranquillity and femininity? This is exactly what these images pose as a question to its audience.”
