Table of contents for May - June 2021 in VOGUE India

When we began working on this issue, we had no idea that by the time it reaches you we’d have retreated into another lockdown. With daily news confronting us with unforeseen tragedies and common people taking on many acts of bravery, this roller-coaster year has veered us from despair, to hope and back to helplessness all over again. Everyone is hurting. And when you read this, we may still be unsure of how long it will last. Somehow, the second wave seems to be harder, tougher and darker. So if even one story on these pages can offer you a brief and gentle escape from the grim reality, then we have served our purpose. Among our mood-boosting dispatches this issue is a feature on the celebrated dresser Manish Malhotra,…

INKY NOTES The new summer dress is black, form-fitting and shows slivers of skin WEAR WITH Slides of every shape and size BARE ESSENTIALS Pared back basics for a sophisticated charm OFF THE FIELD Jumpers, sweatshirts and sneaker-heel hybrids go beyond the basketball court MIDWAY MARK Clothing for a bit of ab-flexing TRICK OR TREAT The now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t gossamer layers are back WEAR WITH Metal hardware jewellery to balance the softness of sheer fabric HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? We’re levelling up from AM to PM…

The first thing that the pandemic pushed us to do was to take a step back and revisit how we were operating. We went back to our core, rearticulated a lot of things that were in the grey and planned more purposeful steps towards strengthening the pillars of the organisation,” says Priyanka Modi, about their lessons from 2020. It’s been nearly two decades since the launch of AMPM, their answer to a more streamlined approach to Indian fashion and craft. They’ve built a consistent following with urban women looking to outfit their wardrobes with clean silhouettes, prints, breathable and often indigenous fabrics, and a focus on detailing. Dressing a woman on the go means reaching every aspect of her life. So naturally, occasion wear couldn’t be left behind. AMPM…

THE MINIMALIST PRAGYA KAPOOR PRODUCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST Kapoor’s ’90s-inspired minimalist style is somewhat unintentional because when it comes to her fashion choices, comfort always comes first. The former actor and model turned film producer and environmentalist is happiest in a pair of Nudie or Agolde jeans, a denim jacket and a crisp T-shirt from The Classic T-Shirt Company or Citizen Wolf, a classic look which she dresses up with ’90s accessories including headbands, chokers, kitten heels and big hoop earrings. She cites Cindy Crawford, the supermodel known for her cast iron determination and professionalism, as her style icon from the decade. “It’s not just her effortless style. I admire women who are bold and independent,” she says. FUSS-FREE FEMININITY ARPITA MEHTA DESIGNER Mehta spent the ’90s poring over…

2020 was a long year of dealing with change, uncertainty, loss and flux—life had been re- tailored. As 2021 began, many of us wondered what our minds and bodies would need this year, and a lot of us chose to step out to find that. In a country abundant with healing traditions, it is fortunate we do not to have to look far. Here are three journeys, all pilgrimages of sorts that follow a different trajectory, but which are complementary in their solitude. The three people who undertook them tell us what drew them to each place and how they found their emotional, physical and spiritual healing. RADHIKA KAPOOR 50, JEWELLERY DESIGNER & CO-FOUNDER, VISTAARA JEWELS, TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER & EXPLORER VANA, DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND “I FOUND MYSELF BY BEING ALONE…

In the early 2000s, Dr Barbara Sturm’s calendar was full of appointments with celebrities like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Gwyneth Paltrow. Her ‘vampire facial’ (where plasma is needled into the skin) was featured on Kim Kardashian’s Instagram page in all its bloody glory. Next, she launched a cult product, the supercharged MC1 cream, which included spinning a patient’s white blood cells and proteins into a moisturiser that obliterated fine lines. Now, you can add Dr Barbara Sturm Molecular Cosmetic’s serums and oils to your cart on Nykaa.com and finally bid goodbye to your skin woes. SKIN SIN Everybody loves instant gratification, but if your exfoliator is causing tingles, redness and discomfort, Dr Sturm suggests relegating it to the back of your drawer. Inflammation, she says, is the trigger of many…

Biohacking began as an underground movement in the early 2000s but is now practised by millions across the globe. Simply put, it is a DIY, self-health approach to improving the quality and longevity of life. Self-health can be termed as foolhardy or even dangerous without the intervention of a medical expert. However, almost all biohackers find that a lack of answers from traditional medicine to chronic ailments, prompts their foray into the self-health lifestyle, to hack their biology. While it sounds implausible, you’ve probably already biohacked yourself. Ever gone gluten-free? Tried intermittent fasting? Meditated? Popped a multivitamin or a superfood supplement? Three biohackers tell us how their bodies are now not only their temples but also their labs. “Our subconscious mind plays a huge role in what experiences and…

What does it mean to be a successful feminist actor? For Taapsee Pannu, it’s being her own person and chasing her dreams. “I have never felt the need to live up to a different image,” she says, and then admits that she was the girl whose dreams changed often—scientist, astronaut, fighter pilot. “You know the ‘When I grow up...’ conversation on a school bus? All I remember saying is that whatever I do, people will remember me.” And for about a decade, Pannu’s been busy making her unforgettable mark via her filmography of strong leading roles and in her vocal support of issues she cares about. We speak at noon on a weekday. She’s Zoom-ready in her pyjamas, tucked away in her Mumbai apartment. While this may not be…

Instead of sitting amid the high-vaulted, light drenched glamour of the Fendi atelier to talk with Kim Jones about his first collection for the Roman house, we go for a country walk in Sussex on an awfully grey day, blustery and bleak with thick mist rendering it almost dark in the afternoon. We’re a long way from the Italian capital, where scores of seamstresses are in the process of weaving lattices of pearls and ornately embroidering couture gowns for his upcoming debut, but, nonetheless, it soon makes a lovely sort of sense. Jones recently bought a holiday home here, in the quiet village of Rodmell, a stone’s throw from the house where he spent much of his upbringing, and a few doors down from Virginia Woolf’s cottage. “As a…

GEETIKA LIZARDI “So much of what I write comes from my identity as an Indian American”—GEETIKA LIZARDI SCREENWRITER LOS ANGELES Known for: Bridgerton, Mira Royal Detective, Outsourced Geetika Lizardi’s family emigrated to the US from Chandigarh when she was two-and-a-half years old, but she visited India most summers. And in between, she spent a lot of her time translating American culture for Indians and Indian culture for Americans. “I never knew how useful that would be in my future career. So much of what I write comes from my identity as an Indian American,” she says. Lizardi didn’t start as a scriptwriter. She majored in English at Stanford and went on to acquire an MBA before working a lucrative job at Microsoft. “I realised that this was somebody else’s…

Within two days of realising that the lump you’ve had in your breast for months is malignant, the doctor tells you that you’ll have to take it off. Not just the lump but the breast and the nipple as well. And before you can learn to spell mastectomy, the plastic surgeon is sizing up your breast and talking to you about a reconstruction. My brain flipped its self-preservation switch. I felt like I was watching everything from the outside. Or maybe it’s my love for terribly trashy reality shows. I was now starring in one of them—and it was called Keeping Up With The Cancer. The only way I knew how to deal with it? To look at everything from a distance and find the funny side. So I…

The Mayans and Aztecs are believed to have turned to hot raw cacao to open their heart chakras. In the Amazon basin, ayahuasca leaves continue to draw hordes with the promise of a spiritual experience, and in Japan, for centuries, monks have sweared by a matcha fix before meditating. Closer home, the Bhagavad Gita prescribes prayers to be recited pre-meal, with verses that draw a connection between food and spirituality. What all these ancient civilisations seem to share is the Hippocratian oath to let food be your medicine. “It is Vedic wisdom that our bodies are made up of five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. Whenever there’s an imbalance of these elements, there is disease. As soon as we bring back the balance, there is health,” explains…

SAM HENDEL The Australian photographer, now based in London, is currently working on a series of portraits he shot at the city’s Black Lives Matter protests. In ‘A new mood’, Hendel collaborated with artist Magnus Reid to recreate a painter’s studio in which to shoot model Aishwarya Gupta. Page 13 GAYATRI RANGACHARI SHAH A Mumbai-based journalist, columnist, author and podcast host, Rangachari Shah is also a contributing editor at Vogue India. She is the co-author of Changemakers: 20 Women Transforming Bollywood Behind The Scenes. In ‘Man on the move’, she speaks to couturier Manish Malhotra about his 30 years in fashion and what’s next. Page 82 FARHAN HUSSAIN Hussain is a fashion and advertising photographer from Assam. His projects have been featured at exhibitions such as Photoville in New…

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OVAL ROUND ANGULAR…

The signet ring By Archana Thani I bought my first signet ring in 2017. By then, I had been living away from home for three years and I craved connections to my family. That’s when I stumbled upon this piece of jewellery, which feels like the ultimate reinvented heirloom. Traditionally, these chunky rings had flat bezels, to provide a surface area that bears the engraving of a family crest or a personal signature. Historically, they were functional objects, used by the wealthy and powerful to sign and seal documents. However, even after losing its intended functionality, the signet ring continued to be a representation of a familial identity or ancestry, a symbol of fraternity or status in society, and a medium of connection to one’s heritage and roots. So…

At the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, actor Julia Roberts walked the red carpet barefoot, wearing a breathtaking emerald and diamond necklace by Chopard with a Giorgio Armani Privé gown. The moment was so memorable that it is still talked about several years later. And Roberts’s association with Chopard is still as relevant now as it was then. Mesmerised by her trademark smile (Roberts’s flashy grin is reportedly insured for $30 million) and her unforgettable cinematic charisma, Chopard’s artistic director and co-president Caroline Scheufele has a new role for her to be the face of the ‘Happy Sport’ watch. “It was her and nobody else,” says Scheufele. “Julia Roberts was the only person I felt could convey the spirit that I see in ‘Happy Sport’.” The bestselling watch is famous…

For most of her adult life, Vandana Jain (name changed to protect privacy), 36, struggled with fear and anxiety stemming from childhood trauma. Last year, her counsellor suggested she try a new approach that had her tapping on distinct pressure points on her body with her fingertips. “With every round of this sequence, either a new emotion revealed itself or I ended up resolving an existing one. I have finally been able to find some mental peace with this practice,” she says. Jain is referring to the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which combines traditional Eastern medicine practices and modern Western psychotherapies. Created by Gary Craig in the ’90s, this alternative treatment—essentially acupuncture without the needles—is used by mental health experts to treat emotional distress and physical pain. At the…

Meadow knotweed extract: This plant extract is said to inhibit the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) which break down collagen. “It restores the complexion’s natural radiance,” says Dr Sturm. Purslane: “It has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, nutritive, wound healing and telomerase-activating properties,” says Dr Sturm. Cress sprout extract: This antioxidant “gradually fades dark and yellow spots while simultaneously boosting your overall radiance for a healthy glow,” says Dr Sturm.…

1. Chill out Finding yourself counting sheep? Is your stomach always in knots? Can’t focus? We’ve all been there. This CBD oil isn’t psychoactive (like THC can be) so it won’t get you high, euphoric or hungry. Instead, it is a potent anti-inflammatory that is neuro-calming and works on neuroreceptors to boost serotonin levels, which helps reduce anxiety and increase focus. It turns out that good things come in small doses, and this 600mg full-spectrum CBD oil will uplift, energise and zen you out. India Hemp Organics CannaBliss Stress Buster, 2,999 2. Light it up This candle is like tranquillity in a jar, with soothing notes of lavender and eucalyptus, making it your ideal bedside buddy. Misa candles are made of good-for-you soy wax and essential oils, which will…

ANUSHKA SHARMA ACTOR For pregnancy style When Anushka Sharma likes something, she sticks with it—no exceptions. Floral Sabyasachi saris, white sneakers, cosy layers nicked from her husband Virat Kohli’s closet... If it catches her fancy, you’re going to see her wearing it on loop. It’s this very habit that’s helped shape and seal her style. While 2020 won’t go down as the world’s finest year, for Sharma, it was a special one as she geared up for motherhood. Staying true to the #CoolGirlAesthetic, Sharma cradled her growing baby bump in breezy boho dresses, light-as-air kurtas and roomy tees. “I realised when I looked in my closet, that most of my clothes worked, they are all anti-fit.” But she also took over trending charts, blurring the lines between being functional…

In the year 2000, Jhumpa Lahiri was “hit by lightning”. At least, that is how she describes winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, aged 33, for her debut collection of short stories, Interpreter Of Maladies (recently reprinted for its 20th anniversary, it has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide). Overnight, Lahiri became a rare kind of literary celebrity—when she married Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush, then deputy editor of Time Latin America, in Kolkata the following year, “photographers climbed on to scaffolding” to take pictures of the glamorous Indian-American author. Now 53, in person—or rather, on-screen—Lahiri is as considered and unhurried as the books that followed, each one critically acclaimed. From her volume-lined office at Princeton University, where a blizzard rages outside, she presents herself as the quintessential professor of creative…

Remember 2014? It was a time before Trump deemed climate change a hoax, when Greta Thunberg was still in school on Fridays and the ice bucket challenge was sending shivers the world over. It was also the year that former dentist Rohan Chakravarty quit his day job in animation to focus on his dual passion—cartoons and conservation. A decade on, his award-winning illustrated series Green Humour, which applies humour to grave subjects like climate change while breaking down the uncomfortable truth that surrounds humanity’s ecological impact, has become the first Indian comic to be syndicated globally by Universal Press’ GoComics. Educative and entertaining, Green Humour’s popularity comes from translating dreary scientific findings on wildlife and conservation into easy-to-digest illustrated panels in the hope to stir meaningful discussions and subsequent…

FASHION AK-OK: (www.akok.in) Alexander McQueen: Le Mill, Mumbai 022-22041925, London 0044-20-73550088, New York 001-212-6451797 Anita Dongre: Mumbai 8425880425, New Delhi 011-41035862 (www.anitadongre.com) Anushka Jain: (www.anushkajainjewellery.com) Aroka: (www.aroka.in) Arundhati De: (www.lemillindia.com) Bottega Veneta: Mumbai 022-66152291, Delhi 011-46098272, Bengaluru 080-41738931, London 0044-20-78389394 (www.bottegaveneta.com) By Far: (www.byfar.com) Celine: Le Mill, Mumbai 022-22041925, London 0044-20-71996866, Paris 0033-1-42843583, New York 001-212-2268001 (www.celine.com) Chanel: Delhi 011-41116840, London 0044-20-74935040, Paris 0033-1-44506600, New York 001-212-5355505 (www.chanel.com) Charles & Keith: Mumbai 022-24980106, Delhi 011-46160610 (www.charleskeith.com) Chloé: London 0044-20-78235348, Paris 0033-1-47230008, New York 001-212-7178220 (www.chloe.com) Christian Louboutin: Mumbai 022-43471787, Delhi 011-41017111, London 0044-20-72456510 (www.christianlouboutin.com) Christopher Esber: (www.christopheresber.com.au) Cult Gaia: (www.cultgaia.com) David Koma: (www.davidkoma.com) De Castro: (www.shopdecastro.com) Dion Lee: (www.dionlee.com) (www.farfetch.com) (www.net-a-porter.com) Diosa: (www.diosajewels.com) Dorothee Sausset: (www.dorotheesausset.com) Dries Van Noten: (www.driesvannoten.com) Fendi: Delhi 011-46040777, London 0044-20-79274172, Paris 0033-1-49528452, New York…

BOOK CLUB Something for everyone FICTION: Second Place by Rachel Cusk (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) A woman invites a famous artist to use her guest house in a remote coastal town, and drama ensues. Are You Enjoying? By Mira Sethi (Knopf) Stories on love and longing from the high-powered world of television. CELEBRITY: Billie Eilish by Billie Eilish (Grand Central) A photo book that offers an intimate look inside music’s girl-of-the-moment. Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life by Julianna Margulies (Ballantine) The star of The Good Wife writes a powerful memoir about finding her calm in chaos. FOOD: Parsi Kitchen by Anahita Dhondy (HarperCollins India) The former chef of SodaBottle OpenerWala celebrates her Parsi heritage through family and food. TRAVEL: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain…

In January, Amanda Gorman’s poetry performance on a world stage during the swearing-in ceremony of US president Joe Biden captivated audiences across continents and countries as she read ‘The Hill We Climb’. Her words reverberated with people, industries and generations, and her style made fashion news reels around the world. Search engine Lyst reported a 1,328-per-cent increase in searches for yellow coats after the Prada version Gorman wore, and her crown-like headband sold out almost as instantly as her video went viral on Instagram. Shortly after, IMG, talent agency to Gigi and Bella Hadid, snapped up the wordsmith to represent her future brand partnerships. This series of events prompts the question: when did poetry become fashion’s new bedfellow? “What if style is a mobile poem? Allowing us to carry…

The ’90s are a hard decade to pin down. While they gave rise to the glossy, Versace-clad celebrity supermodels, they also gave us the waif-like Kate Moss. We wore preppy LA-centric garments so brilliantly parodied in the film Clueless (1995), yet also saw the birth of grunge when Marc Jacobs sent models down the runway in printed granny dresses and Doc Martens. Meanwhile, sportswear became acceptable daywear long before athleisure was a thing. And today, as we all crave nostalgia and escapism in the midst of the strangeness of a pandemic, it’s no wonder that designers have returned to a time that offers something for every mood and situation. James Abraham, the man behind Instagram account Nineties Anxiety (@90sanxiety), an online time capsule of the decade, believes we look…

ON FINDING SOLUTIONS: “Paying attention to my skincare routine is important because I struggle with acne. I suffer from PCOS, so every month I’m contending with a different kind of skin. I actually enjoy turning a product around and reading the ingredients. If I see an ingredient that I’m not familiar with, I’m the first to Google it to see whether it’ll work for me. When you have an issue, or problem points, you’ll do anything you can to find a way to fix it. I am always looking for solutions and I see a real ROI on it. When you’re confident about your body, your skin and your mental state, that’s true wellness to me.” “When you’re confident about your body, your skin and your mental state, that’s…

The ravages of COVID-19, border closures, natural disasters and a political awakening has led to a rise in the collective consciousness. People, voices and stories, which for so long were silenced, unacknowledged and banished to the fringes of media and public policy are finally being seen and heard. My family’s story and ties to Australia began 142 years ago in 1879. I am a fifth-generation Indian immigrant, born in Australia, passionate about pushing this new awakening forward. My mother set me on this path. I saw her being discriminated against, implicitly and explicitly, for most of my early life and it was while working on an education project a few years ago under the Department of Foreign Affairs that I decided to take action. I saw first-hand the damage…

COLOUR COMPANY We’re cold-shouldering our way through a summer done right via a bright, bold and airy jumpsuit WAVE-MAKER Catch the wind in coordinated sets of ruffled crop tops and skirts with thigh-high slits BIG-SLEEVE ENERGY Tangerine queen meets Disney princess CREATURE OF COMFORT The new suit is an indie-printed jacket and flowy trousers with enough leg room TOP TIER Long, cascading dresses earn their stripes in our capsule summer wardrobe EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT Sweet dreams are made of printed pyjama sets in sumptuous silk JUST KEEP SWIMMING Elevate your bikini with a sheer blouse that amps up the drama GOOD VIBES ONLY A dress to dye for NO RULES Mix velvet with florals, dresses and suits, silver with turquoise SHINING LIGHT Command your spot in the sun in…

At 17, digital artist and activist Priyanka Paul created contemporary goddesses. Inspired by poet Harnidh Kaur’s Pantheon, Paul’s modern Kali was “a badass brown girl” with piercings who stood up against misogyny and sexism. Paul wanted to disrupt the idea of divine femininity and present them as “modern-day epitomes of feminist liberation,” she says. The series was widely circulated and appreciated, and is a telling example of how art is being consumed in India today. The digital age has been a game changer for artists like Paul. Platforms like Instagram have transformed into virtual galleries, allowing them to independently exhibit their works to a growing empire of followers. It has orchestrated the rise of a new tribe of illustrators—young and unafraid to make a statement. From media conglomerates and…

Amid lush paddy fields and an abundance of wild lotuses, nestled on the banks of the Thamirabarani river in Tamil Nadu, is Pattamadai village, which a community of skilled artisans calls home. Here, they handcraft fine reed, unique to the region, into soft, supple mats—an alchemy of sorts that transforms the grass to silk. This hamlet has a curious connection with three new luxury villas in cosmopolitan Goa: it instils in them an approach to design mindfully, sustainably and consciously. “When you work by hand, honour the maker and are sensitive to the use of resources, you’re able to focus on quality and ensure that what you create is built to last,” says designer Pavitra Rajaram, who led the interiors of the Goa villas by Inaya Living, a new…

Alber Elbaz JUNE 12, 1961 - APRIL 24, 2021 “Success is like perfume. You can sniff it and enjoy it, but if you try to swallow it, it will kill you.” Just one of the many quotable quotes that made my interview and meeting with Alber Elbaz a career highlight for me. It was five days prior to his A/W 2009-10 show when we caught up over breakfast at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. Full of chirp and chutzpah, the very affable Monsieur Elbaz’s greatest conundrum seemed to be mastering his breakfast order. We were to speak for a half hour, but he stayed for almost two. We spoke of many things: the magic he had woven on the 120-year-old legacy brand Lanvin to turn it into both…