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AskNatashaPoonawallawhatshewouldweartothepart
of thecentury, andshe replies,“A vintage couturedres
fromJohnGalliano’sMarieAntoinette-inspiredcollection.”
ThatwasGallianoin2000,a maverickattheheightofhi
prowessandpowersof provocation,weavingwilddreamso
the Dior runway,an era that would continueto define him
A time when fashion was fantasy, and fashion-lovers no
wallflowers.That Poonawallawould hark back to the er
seemshardlysurprising.
A recentimagethatcomestomindis ofheratthesprin
showsinMilanlastSeptemberwithfriendKaranJohar,he
black and gold sequinnedGucci dress winkingin the sun-
light.Thenthere’sherina marshmallow-tintedZuhairMu
radwithanArturoRiosfascinator,asif heraldingspringa
the Sunday races in a LaChapelle-esque world; a stripe
Balenciagashirtpairedwithacroquemboucheofbutterflie
on the head courtesyBundleMacLarenMillinery;a neon
Pradatexturednumberfromautumn/winter2018-19;som
après-ski in head-to-toe(literally)Fendi; soakingup som
sunshineintheFrenchRivierainanOff-Whitetullegown..
So whenthechairpersonof Villoo PoonawallaCharitable
Foundationsaysfashionisa“fearless,creative,exhibitionist
expressionofanindividualisticinclinationtowardsa wear
able art form”—youneed a minuteto absorb this—itsome
howmakessense.
Sensibilitiesare a productof one’s culturalexposure,per
sonalhistoryandworkadaylives.“Fashionwasanoccasiona
interestanda slowevolution. Designingeneralhasalway
been intriguingbut nothingI felt I would pursue,but I fin
myselfindesignmeetingsandconversations,”shesays.He
fatherprovedan early influence.“He has an eccentricsense
of style. Family and friendswould find his sense of styl
amusing.To me, what has the most lasting influenceis hi
ability to laugh it off and stand his groundand still decorat
spacesanddresshimselfinwhateverwaypleaseshim.”
Personalsartorialmilestonesgowayback.“Crazyhair,lit
tle stick-ons, earrings,chains and craziness, not only fo
me—agedseven and toothless—butalso for my two littl
cousinsand the cabbage-patchdoll on my little cottagebal
cony growing up,” Poonawalla recalls. More recently, “
loved myMet Galahand-painted ‘New York’ dressfro
DolceGabbanaAlta Moda last year. I feel their fit is every-
thing. The femininitywith funk and the rock-chicvibe wa
totallymystyle.”Therewasa whiteManishMalhotrasar
she wore on a shoot last year—ather behest,the designe
turnedthekaliworkintoanall-overdesign
elementfrom a spot embellishment—and
thepairingofa FaustoPuglisiheadpiece,
Dolce & Gabbanacorset and Shehla Khan
sari.“Mixedandmatchedwithnorulesal-
ways works best for me,” she says. Future
fashionbuys are most likely to be Iris van
HerpenandGarethPugh.
Theproclivityformillinerycamefrom
equestrianengagements.“Imarriedintoa
racingfamily,and myfather-in-law[Se-
rum Instituteof India founderand chair-
manCyrusPoonawalla]wouldencourage
hats for big days at the races... Having
spent time in LondonI was influencedby
milliners like Philip Treacy, Stephen
Jonesand,again,GallianoandMcQueen.
I was alwaysa huge admirer of Isabella
Blow and later Lady Gaga’s headgear.
Whenever appropriate I use eventsas a
playgroundtoexperimentwithmyeccen-
tricfashionpreferences.”Travelandtime
inParis,London(whereshedidherMas-
ter’s atLondonSchoolofEconomics)and
Milan (at Istituto Marangoni), too, have
percolatedintothemeltingpotthat’sher
wardrobe,one she describesas “timeless,
eccentricandmaximal.”
Amidstthe unabashedness,is there one
ruleoffashion that sheconsiders sacro-
sanct?“InthefashiondepartmentI’mstill
a rebelliousteenagerin my head with no
rules... However,I am culturallysensitive
andwouldalwaysconformina culturally
orreligiouslysensitiveenvironment.”
Assomeonewho,tothefashionwatcher,
alwaysseemsto getit right,didsheevergo
throughthat slightlyembarrassing/regret-
table phase that marks the sartorialevolu-
tion of most of us? “Right up till I was 23...
Notsureif that’sa phase ormorelikea
lifetime of terrible fashion choices,” she
addswitha laugh.“AndthenIexperiment-
ed for 10 years and I think I now occasion-
allygetit right.”n—ShaliniShah