Style Seniority

Who says age is a barrier to style? When 71-year-old Amitabh Bachchan walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra and Shabana Azmi’s Mijwan fashion show in Mumbai on Tuesday, fashion watchers commented on everything from the new spectacles he sported to the creation he’d donned for Manish. Previously too, AB Sr has cut a dapper, flamboyant figure at red carpet events  be it a photo call for his film The Great Gatsby at Cannes, or for his appearances on his TV show

Kaun Banega Crorepati. His colleague Shabana Azmi, at 63, is also lauded for her strong, individualistic style.

Unlike their younger counterparts, the style statement that public figures like AB Sr and Shabana project is not of the cookie cutter variety, and projects their personalities as much as it does their taste in fashion. “Age does add a signature to personal style,” says Peal Shah, who was the official stylist for the Jabong Stage at the Summer/Resort 2014 edition of the Lakme Fashion Week. “With age, taste becomes distinct and someone with a flair for style will know how to evolve and adapt to make it work with their personality. There is also a certain grace that comes with dressing in classic styles  take for example, Gayatri Devi who created an effortlessly stylish look with her chiffon saris, or Simi Garewal who has turned classic white into her signature statement.”

Jackie Shroff may have a son entering Bollywood, but the 57-year-old veteran actor still cuts a smart figure. Jackie says, for him, style has always been about more than just projecting an “image”. “I have always worn what I feel comfortable in. I wouldn’t dress up in something formal just to project a dapper image. I wear what I feel like, and people say it looks good. I think it’s more about the attitude with which you carry an outfit than your age or the brand you are wearing. If you can carry it off, go for it without bothering about what people’s opinions are and you will stand out in the crowd,” says Jackie.

Yet another senior style diva is Kirron Kher, a muse to designers like Hyderabad based Gaurang Shah. Her collection of saris is the envy of younger colleagues like Vidya Balan and Kirron admits she has “a passion for styling and putting together the perfect look”. “People have a warped definition of glamour. For me, being comfortable in your clothes and pulling it off with élan is glamour. I share the screen with much younger actresses but I never compete with them. I’m quite secure about my appearance,” Kirron says.

Peal says young fashion enthusiasts can pick up  few lessons from senior style gurus: “Stick to classics and invest in a few luxury pieces like a great handbag or a well-crafted pashmina. If it’s a sari, pick a gorgeous silk patola, kanjeevaram or a light chanderi for summer. Pick comfort over high fashion, wear trousers that sit at the waist and fall in a relaxed fashion, try smart blazers and blouses. Men, bring out those golfing chinos and polo tees, linen shirts with beige chinos for weekends and wear a well-cut suit to formal dos.”