Stylist to the stars, Nayaab Randhawa met up with JODI one beautiful Bombay morning for a walk through Kala Ghoda. She spoke to us about what it takes to dress our biggest stars and how the rules are the same even when you’re trying to dress yourself.
Enthralled by the costumes from old Hollywood classics (The King and I), Nayaab always wanted a career in design. By her final year in design school, she found her way to styling, for magazines and photo-editorials.
Nayaab wears the Mandi One Shoulder Dress.
Diving in and taking on every opportunity that came her way, Nayaab soon found herself styling some of Bollywoods biggest names like Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, Vaani Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Ananya Pandey to name a few. It's a mark of what she brings to the table that she’s been able to sustain such names in a time when nothing lasts forever. She co-founded a styling specific consultancy along with her business partner and stylist, Alia Al Rufai.
Nayaab in the Mandi Skirt.
“I love the co-ord sets from JODI. I think they are super versatile. You can wear them in so many ways.”
Nayaab loves being able to help people (celebrities included) identify their own personal style. Her aim is to make people feel comfortable in what they wear. She encourages them to find their own voice. Incorporating this sense of self, along with a little experimenting - is how she finds that right balance in creating some of the iconic looks she has. Her own aesthetic is a blend of classic styles, great fits and a sense of ease. She loves anything Victoria Beckham.
Nayaab wears the Mandi tie-up blouse.
“I’m a big sentimentalist..which also reflects hugely in my personal style. I feel like clothes have the ability to take back to a beautiful moment, a memory that you have lived in the past.”
A self confessed sentimentalist, she finds clothes to be the perfect little treasure boxes of her most cherished memories. Pieces that hold a special place in her heart are her husband’s favourite tees and his flying overall that hangs in her closet.
Nayaab in the Una applique shirt and Una draped skirt.
Reflecting on her long career in styling, Nayaab cannot pinpoint a singular defining moment in her career. She finds the field multi-faceted and has been fortunate to work with some of the best talent in the industry, in every department, on a daily basis. Fashion styling is hardly glamorous and highly demanding. You have to be ready to hustle, to push and to do a lot of grunt work. It is also this challenging nature of her job that makes the work exciting.
New clients, new brands, new perspectives - fashion is never stagnant, never repetitive. Amen to that!
Muse: Nayaab Randhawa
Photographer: Mihir Thakkar
