OUR STYLIST SERIES
Dressing-Up with Ekta Rajani
Grazia’s Ekta Rajani creates three dressed-up looks at our Ogaan Malcha Marg store
Ekta Rajani, Fashion Director at Grazia India, is one of those tall, lithe creatures who look like they were born to influence the fashion world. Whether she’s wearing an oversized shirt stolen from her father’s wardrobe with a pair of rugged jeans, or dressing up in Rahul Mishra threads at fashion week, there’s a certain ease in the way she styles herself (and her models). She mixes together unlikely patterns, shapes and textures to create looks that seem to challenge the norm while also magically working together. We invited her to spend few hours at our Ogaan Malcha Marg store playing dress-up with our designers. We took notes…
Ekta Rajani wears Peachoo’s Gold Sari with Beaded Blouse
Look 1: The Indian Nude Sari
As she enters the Peachoo room at the store, she exclaims, “This is my kind of sari. I love these minimal embroidered, cotton saris with tastefully ornate blouses. I’ve always found cotton to be a perfect day-to-night fabric. I’m glad more people are dressing it up. This haldi colour is the Indian equivalent of a nude shade. It’s such a lovely colour on our skin. I just need a fresh flower in my hair, a swipe of red lipstick and my Anamika Khanna shawl for the air-con draft, and I’m all set.”
Ekta Rajani wears Anamika Khanna's Angrakha Cape with a Natasha Khurana necklace and a Nappa Dori box clutch
Look 2: The Effortless Cape
Shooting a day after Anamika Khanna’s goose-bumps-inducing couture presentation, we’re ready to bask in all the couture glory at her room at Malcha Marg. Ekta carefully inspects each couture piece and lingers on at the RTW rack. “Anamika is a genius. With this collection, she’s proven that she can do prêt as beautifully as couture. I’m going to pair this khaki cape with my ripped jeans and a pair of heels to cheat a casual look into looking more polished. I rarely wear heels but when I do, it’s mostly to elevate a relaxed look.”
Ekta wears Eka’s striped blazer with Payal Khandwala lehenga with En Inde necklace
Look 3: The Alternate Lehenga
When Ekta enters Payal Khandwala’s room, she instantly gravitates toward this freshly arrived pale pink brocade le-henga as it’s being hung onto the rack. “It’s such a beautiful piece and it has pockets!,” exclaims Ekta as she tries it on with a slinky shirt and an Eka striped jacket. “Jackets over saris, lehengas or even kurtas, are such an easy way to contemporarise the traditional clothes.” She twirls around in the lehenga, her hands snug in pockets, jacket sleeves rolled up, and she says — “This is my favourite look. I feel like an actual model in this.” We just stare at her, as do the other weekend shoppers. And we couldn't agree more!