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EXCLUSIVE: Priyanka Chopra's stylist Ami Patel opens up about actress' wedding, mistakes brides make & more
In an exclusive interview with celebrity stylist Ami Patel who styles Alia Bhatt, Kangana Ranaut, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and more, talks everything fashion and gives inside scoop on PeeCee's wedding. Read on for details
Ever wondered how celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Kangana Ranaut, Ananya Panday and more Bollywood actresses seem to always look good whether they are heading to a friends place, an event or a red carpet? All their looks - from accessories to the way their hair should be styled to what kind of makeup they ought to wear and the shoes that would go with the outfit, are put together by celebrity stylist Ami Patel and her team.
At a recent wedding event show, we caught up with her and got her to share styling tips and give us inside scoop on one of the biggest Bollywood weddings to date - Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas.
The lavish and large scale had to be quite a task considering how big both Priyanka and Nick's families are. But Patel disagrees. "Priyanka's wedding was a cakewalk and I loved every minute of it. Not that it wasn't challenging, but I love the challenges PeeCee throws at me!" she exclaims and reminisces how Chopra has been throwing challenges at her since the they first met, 9 years ago. The challenge for her wedding was to put all the outfits together in less than 2 months! "Casually one day I get a text from Priyanka saying that the wedding is a month and a half from now," recalls Ami who managed to put together everything perfectly in time with the help of her team.
Ami not only put together outfits for all of Chopra's events and ceremonies but her's and Nick's familes as well who all donned lehengas, churidaars and sarees for the events. "Everybody had their own tastes and styles and were wearing Indian outfits for the first time. They all embraced the Indian culture and tradition from head to toe. They wore the heavy jewellery, jhumkis, understood the processes and traditions and seemed like they had been doing this forever," she exclaimed.
But Priyanka was not the first bride to be styled by Patel. "I've been styling brides for a while now. It is quite weird for somebody who finds excuses to not attend weddings," she laughs and goes on to explain that for her, styling weddings too, is just work!
We are curious about whether the stylist has a favourite wedding trend. "When it comes to anything fashion, I love tone on tone rather than contrasts. I like using multiple shades of one colour and making it beautiful while playing with texture," a method she follows when styling not just her celebrity clients but brides as well. But when it comes to brides picking out an outfit, one think they should keep in mind, according to Patel, is that the outfit should be able to be worn again. "Yes, the outfit needs to be special, but I think it is equally important to keep in mind that we might want to reuse it again. Wearing it just once is a huge waste," she states adamantly.
When it comes to picking things out for a trousseau, Patel suggests that breaking things out, purchasing things over a period of time. Ami confesses, "It is smart and economical to mix things up with both Indian and Western. Think designer bags, trench coats and timeless jewellery pieces that can be used over a long period of time."
When it comes to staple pieces in a woman's wardrobe, Ami believes that there is nothing as timeless as an Indian weave. "It not only adds value to the wardrobe and supports the crafts but also looks divine on every Indian woman and will ensure that the craft never dies at the same time," Patel says.
Considering she has an almost never-ending list of celebrity clients in her kitty, we want to know if she has a personal favourite. Being as diplomatic as possible, she reveals that she loves all her girls. "They make me; I get emotional about all of them, so it is hard to pick one." But there has to be one go-to designer she relies on when things are falling apart. Is there somebody who she blindly trusts in the industry? "Manish Malhotra," she says without the blink of an eye.
Finally, since the stylist has seen and dressed the prettiest brides, we are curious about what she considers the biggest mistake that brides make. "Not looking at the entire picture. The bride doesn't see the entire look - she either focuses only on the dress or jewellery, and many times, they don't go well together. And when it comes to putting together the hair, makeup, footwear, mehendi, it can all get too much, understandably, so there is less attention to detail. I think brides should take all the time they need, to see everything through. They need to step back and look at the complete picture."
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