‘Styling for films depends on what the script demands’

Have you ever thought what it would be like to get a makeover by a renowned fashion stylist? This is not only a dream of every common man but even celebrities aspire to work with the best stylsits in business. Eshaa Amiin is one such fashion stylist who happens to be among the most popular in Bollywood. Amiin has worked with India’s leading fashion export houses as a designer, and has also travelled all across Europe to present her collections to international brands. Her strength is in her elegant sense of style, unique yet fashionable and trendy. She believes in fusing fashion with unconventional styling, working with more niche styles in general. 

Amiin, after having worked for years in India export houses as head designer, decided to become a full-time stylist at Style Cell by Anaita Shroff Adajania, where she began her career as a stylist. Amiin loves travelling and this was the time when she got introduced to a lot of global fashion brands. Driven by a strong passion for styling, Amiin eventually opted to assist as a stylist and since then there has been no looking back.

“Magazine styling is more about creating a statement look; it’s all very high fashion. It’s all about following and sourcing from new collections from international fashion weeks and runways. Fashion editorials are often more experimental than most other forms of styling.”

In a conversation with Guardian 20, Amiin spoke about her journey from being a stylist for a magazine to working for films. The stylist says, “Magazine styling is more about creating a ‘statement look’; it’s all very high fashion. It’s all about following and sourcing from new collections from international fashion weeks and runways. Fashion editorials are often more experimental than most other forms of styling. Film styling is more character- and script-based as we keep in mind the body type of the actor, to the role, lifestyle location, job lifestyle etc. And accordingly, we create a mood. We do fittings and then decide the zone of styling and an actor’s look for the movie is then built on from here.”

From styling Bollywood celebrities like Sri Devi, Karisma Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, Lara Dutta and many more, Amiin is now one of the most sought-after stylists in the Indian film industry. Talking about her experience, she says, “The experience has been just so phenomenal. I love every moment with all those crazy deadlines. Yet I am trying to do better than before each time. No days till date have been the same.” 

Amiin’s biggest style inspiration comes from the popstar Madonna, and she believes that Madonna is a timeless fashion icon and her style doesn’t seem to fade anytime soon.

But styling is not that easy. It depends from person to person. When it comes to Bollywood, every actor has their own sense of styling today. But getting styled by a professional is all about mutual understanding between the actor and stylist. Amiin thinks that actresses today are very much aware of what works for them. A lot of suggestions go through the styling process for the actresses to get the look right. “There is so much of mutual brain-storming between the star and the stylist but I believe one can learn a lot through this process,” she says.

Amiin is also credited for styling the Miss India Pacific 2013 pageant, and for Femina Miss India 2014 contestants. Speaking about her experience while working for Miss India Pacific 2013 pageant, she says, “These beauties are young, raw and non-exposed to the media industry. And moreover, they come from various parts of the country and various backgrounds. Here it is more about making sure that the contestant looks her best and stands out from other contestants while making a classy fashion statement. We understand their body types and work with silhouettes that help enhance their personality.”

She also talked about her Femina Miss India 2014 journey: “The Miss India organisation is a dynamic team. Styling for Miss India was very different from styling editorials or films. It’s not only about being fashion forward always, but we had to work with the strengths of each contestant understanding and helping them to understand various looks. I am happy that I could contribute my little bit in transforming those beauties to strong confident models who went ahead to represent India internationally. Some of the contestants won titles and are doing well in the glam industry.”

Amiin has now opened her own venture, “Eshaa Amiin Label”. Speaking on her new label, she says, “I went ahead to create my own venture as I can’t stay away from my love for design. For now, we have managed to create a fairly decent buzz as I will be showcasing at the next Lakme Fashion Week and my designs are also at some of India’s best multi-designer stores and online stores as well.”