BAZAAR

T H I S(^) ISUSMY MOTHERLOVED TO DRESS USALIKE. Way back when polyesterwas the rage. As were tiny waistcoats andbell bottoms. Think three sisters with waist-length braids in pink pantsuits. In spite of thathorrible visual, I know that this weird habit was thereason my sisters and I fell in love with fashion.My mother was the most stylish woman I know.She wore military-inspired shirtdresses accessorised with gold hoops and cork-heeled wedge sandals.She added a trench coat to her sari in winter. And one New Year’s Eve, she wore a chainmail jumpsuit.Trust me, that was high fashion. But I learned what style was the day she converted that outfit into a midihalter dress and wore it again for next year’s December 31st party. This is a story I have repeated over and overagain, but for me it was my defining moment.It was no surprise, though, my mother had this unique sense of confidence. Style is learned, and she imbibedit from her mother. My grandmother had her shoes custom-made in Chinatown in Kolkata. And her saris speciallywoven in Benaras and Dhaka. And when she wasn’t whipping up Patiala salwars on her sewing machine, she alsohad our summer dresses embroidered by nuns.She altered her clothes to fit my mother and my mother repurposed them for us. We grew up surrounded byfabric and patterns and the conversation never strayed far from how clothes should be worn.We would sit in their dressing rooms on elegantly-appointed tables with three-way mirrors as we shared thestories of our lives. My sisters and I don’t look similar and yet we are identical. We wear our history as a cohesivememory. The clothes we borrowed and the clothes we didn’t. If you see us together, you see our family.The sisterhood of style is what we explore in this issue. It is a dialogue that is even more relevant today aswomen find their similarities across borders and cultures. We all step out with a special self-assurance becausewe are learning to share our personal histories through fashion, through engagement. Through storytelling.Look at the evolution of Kangana Ranaut. Feisty, outspoken, a perpetual rule-breaker, herdebut in Cannes was spectacular because she owned her style. From old-world charm torock-’n’-roll, Bazaar was her exclusive style partner for this special appearance.Of course, it helped that we had a special collaboration with SabyasachiMukherjee. Not only did he dress her, he spoke to her, intimately, oneon one, with heart. Read the interview, see the images.And you will find that style is a shared secret. ■PHOTOGRAPH: JATIN KAMPANI. MAKEUP: NAMRATA SONI. HAIR: ITY AGGARWAL.FROM THE EDITORA mindful selection of 50 inspiringwomen leaders who have carved theirown path in a competitive world, this isour book of inspiration. The first in aseries of celebrations leading up to our10 th year in India, Bazaar brings youstories of grit, ambition, and spirit.AVAILABLE ON AMAZONSCAN TO BUY