'Sonam Kapoor is the best-dressed celeb'

Rajesh Karkera speaks to designers about wardrobe must-haves, fashion flubs and more.

Last week, students from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and Shop For Change, which supports the cause of Indian cotton farmers, came together for a fashion show in Mumbai.

We managed to meet guest judges Masaba Gupta and Anita Dongre and get them to impart style tips, career advice and more. First up, a quick take with Masaba:

What are you expecting to see on the ramp today?

Well, I'm really excited to see what the students have done with Fair Trade cotton, because there's not much that you can do with the fabric. Coming up with a unique design using it is quite a task, specially when it's all white and you have this one colour blocking and stuff like that. So it's a little difficult, but then it's NIFT, you can always expect something great from them!

Any career advice for aspiring fashion designers?

I think, follow your individuality. Find your signature style first and then make your entry into the industry. Because if you try and find your place in the sun once you're there and then start looking for your style, you'll be a bit lost. And you'll start becoming too commercial.

So you should always try and find that USP before you make your debut. And stick to your aesthetics, do what you love. Believe in your work -- no matter what people say, you should always believe in your work.

What is your personal sense of style like?

There's a lot of colour, always (smiles). I believe in textiles, I've always worked with textiles. Since I was young I've watched my mother (Neena Gupta) dress up in them. There's always silk and all types of handlooms that you see in my work.

And I don't believe in bling, so you won't see any shiny stuff on my clothes at all. You'll see very toned down, subtle embroidery -- lots of zardosi, dull gold, antique work. So that's my style.

What are the five must-haves of a woman's wardrobe?

1. A little black dress with an edge to it.

2. A white shirt -- a classic -- you can never go wrong with that.

3. A pair of really nice fitted jeans, skinny jeans, because they always make you look good, no matter what. It's like a quick fix for going out.

4. A nice, basic structured black jacket.

5. The last should be something quirky, that you can never imagine you'll wear. Like these shoes I'm wearing (laughs). Something that's out of the box, over the top, something like that.

I was just looking at your shoes, they're really unique. Where did you get those?

I got them from Vivienne Westwood. I just fell for them because they look like marble but they're not -- they're actually plastic. They're comfortable as hell, because they're like clogs so there's a lot of support.

What are the five must-haves for a man's wardrobe?

1. A pink tee-shirt, because a man who can wear that can carry off anything.

2. A nice structured jacket.

3. A designer suit -- really nice one like a Boss or an Armani.

4. Linen -- a white linen shirt.

5. Quirky boxers.

What is your biggest quirk?

Anything with a lot of colour in it.. I admire Manish Arora because I love the way he mixes and matches. It's not very wearable, but it's still, you know, commercial in its own way. So anything that's out of the box.

What is the most common fashion mistake that you find people making?

I think when they try and follow a trend, or try and follow other people. Just because someone else is wearing something you want to wear it. You don't understand your own body, you don't understand your flaws and just wear anything -- I think that's one big mistake!

And the other is makeup. You should never overdo it -- you end up looking like a cake! (laughs)

What are the five things you can't live without?

1. My flipflops.

2. My tailors,because they're very important right now.

3. My perfumes -- I'm very possessive about them.

4. My lipgloss, which I'm also very possesive about.

5. My friends.

Who according to you is the best-dressed celeb?

I think by far the best-dressed celeb is Sonam Kapoor. She really dresses well -- even when she's travelling she's in designerwear! You know, it's amazing.

Your favourite era of fashion?

I personally like the '70s a lot, there was something very quaint about them but very fun at the same time. I think the hairdos were a big thing at that time -- also flowers, the whole flower power look. And I think Twiggy was very famous then, she was this model -- so yeah, that's my fave era.

What's the most frequently played song on your iPod at the moment?

Gal Meethi Meethi Bol from (the movie) Aisha and Lenny Kravitz.

Can you provide a few style tips to our readers?

You have to understand your body and you have to know what suits you best. It's not always important to make a statement. You could be in jeans or in pyjamas, you just have to carry them off confidently. You shouldn't worry about what people think.

And take care of your body -- work out and hopefully more things will start looking better on you (smiles).

And here is Anita Dongre's take on all things fashion:

What are you expecting to see on the ramp today?

I'm expecting to see some wonderful creative work from the NIFT students using Shop for Change fabrics.

What is your advice to aspiring fashion designers?

I think, primarily, when you work with any environmentally-friendly fabric, you have to learn to use your creativity within boundaries. Because there are certain things that one can do with them and there are certain things you cannot. What I really find interesting is to work within those limits and boundaries that an environmental-friendly fabric sets for you, because I think true creativity works best given limitations.

What is your personal sense of style like?

Very simple (smiles). But that does not mean I do not admire different styles. By and large, however, I think that simplicity and clean lines are things I always look for. I don't like anything that has too many elements in it.

What are the five things you can't leave home without?

My Blackberrry phone, My iPad and, um, I can actually do without my wallet (smiles). I have left it at home lots of times! I think I'm good with these two. This Blackberry is one of my fave devices, I've been using it for very many years now and I think I was one of the first users -- I love it. And I'm a recent convert to the Apple iPad.

What's the most frequently played song on your iPod?

I listen to a whole lot of music, Rajesh -- I listen to love songs, to some house -- anything, actually. I have some 800-900 songs on my iPod and I keep changing them frequently.

Who according to you is the best-dressed celeb?

There are quite a few that I like, all of them are very different and diverse. I like Indian women when they dress equally well in Indian and Western styles. A couple of those who come to mind are Haseena Jethmalani and Feroze Gujral. These are women who carry themselves very elegantly and don't restrict themselves to just 'a' particular look. I like it when they play with fashion and manage to get away with it very elegantly.

Shall we add Anita Dongre to that list?

That's like tom-tomming yourself (smiles).

What according to you is the most common fashion mistake that people make?

Overdoing it! And especially in India, I've seen sometimes we just overdo it. Also anything that's too 'matching matching'.

What inspired you to get into fashion?

I just always wanted to be a fashion designer. And today everything inspires me -- it could be anything, like this lamp here. It could be nature one day, traditional Indian textiles the next. There's so much to be inspired by.

How important is it to study fashion designing?

A good course is a definite advantage. Today we're going to see the work of NIFT students and I must say that NIFT is an excellent institution -- the students thay manage to churn out year after year are fabulous.

It's just fabulous work that NIFT is putting in, it's an institution I'd recommend to anybody. I'm proud that we have an NIFT in India, I'm proud of the work they do and the quality of the students they churn out year after year. So I definitely think a good course is important. And then of course, the rest is up to you. There's hard work, there's commitment. All the rest follows.