My first encounter with Isha Bhansali was on a Delhi bound flight, both of us headed to a fashion show. Same hotel and all. I saw her seated somewhere in the front row, might’ve been the second, I don’t recall. There was something different about that woman, an air of humility, refreshing in these circles saturated with a halo of self-importance.
Then ensued a healthy bout of internet stalking (journalistic due diligence, guys) and I was thus exposed to her array of works which boasted of her styling prudence. Best known for being the stylist of actor Ayushmann Khurrana, Isha Bhansali’s stint at a fashion magazine coupled with her extensive roster of styling gigs and a brilliant sense of personal style helps her emerge as the stylist of today. A cut above, if I may. This time for ‘Off The Rack,’ we interviewed Bhansali and here’s what she had to share with the ELLE audience.
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ELLE: What are the three core skills to make it as a stylist in India?
Isha Bhansali: I feel the most important one is exactly what my first boss taught me. A sense of responsibility, discipline and time management. Most of the times we are sourcing on a returnable basis and so it’s really important to make sure that we take care of the designer’s clothes because it’s a give and take sort of a relationship.
Two, I think we need a lot of patience. Nothing comes overnight which I also feel applies to every other career as well. You need to learn because most of styling is not theoretical. It’s something that you learn while you’re on the job. So you’ve got to be very patient and observant in there.
And three, I feel you need to have a sense of humour to be a skilled stylist. You need to have that wit and you need to take things lightly. You need to be open-minded.
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ELLE: What was your ‘I made it’ moment that really set things in motion for you, professionally?
Isha Bhansali: There were two moments in my career. One was where I was at a fashion magazine working as a fashion editor. We were very short-staffed at the time and I single handedly managed I say, 80-90 percent of all the pages in the magazine which was obviously mainly fashion related. It was the fashion issue where I had my shoots, and a lot of pages helmed by me which was a very big milestone.
Two, I did a very lovely cover with Ayushmann Khurrana for a magazine which was amazingly received by everybody. I dressed him in a metallic outfit and it was very well received. These two are at the top of my head and I’m really proud and emotional about them.
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ELLE: A Hollywood celebrity you would love to style and why?
Isha Bhansali: I would love to style James Franco. I feel like he could be really stylish and feel like I haven’t seen a great look on him of late. I think he has a lot of potential to do something really cool, and look dapper, chic and memorable.
ELLE: How would you describe your personal style?
Isha Bhansali : Honestly my personal style is a little eclectic but also a little more simplified version of eclectic. I always like to have one statement piece in my entire look, rather than having a lot of pieces. I do have moments of maximalism, yes. But then I am all for minimalisM, edgy minimalism.
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ELLE: Take us through some exciting projects you’ve loved working on.
Isha Bhansali : I love doing promotions with Ayushmann Khurrana. The creativity always at a high level. I just got done with the promotions of his latest film Dream Girl 2 and I really loved some of the looks there. And he pulls it off really well.
Also read, Off The Rack: Meagan Concessio Is Bollywood’s Go-To Stylist And There Are Many Reasons Why
