Aastha Sharma: The stylist behind the icon

She came and twirled in her gorgeous Cinderella gown and numerous hearts skipped a beat around the world. Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan conquered the red carpet at Cannes with the sheer grandiosity of her gowns and her breathtaking beauty. While the world was left enchanted by Aish’s beauty in the stunning Michael Cinco gown, few noticed the brain behind the look — her stylist Aastha Sharma — who created the stunning look. We speak to the lady who styled the diva, Aastha Sharma on her experience of working with Aishwarya, elements to keep in mind while styling a celebrity for a grand platform and more.

Talking about the Cinderella look, Aastha states, “I saw this dress on the runway in March and set my eyes, heart and mind on it. Michael Cinco was equally excited when I contacted him. It was like a perfect match; I can’t think of anyone else except Aishwarya to carry this off, she looked divine in it. Her grace and elegance made the look a huge success.”

Quiz her on how it is working with the most beautiful woman in the world, and she promptly replies, “It’s always an honour and exciting opportunity.” Elaborating on the icon’s personal style, the Pearl Academy alumnus shares, “Aishwarya has her own personality. She has a great sense of style and is very adapting, something that is a stylist’s delight. Her own personality adds to the charm. Working with her doesn’t take much effort.”

Aishwarya and her style statements have been under the scanner for a long time, but this time at Cannes she made a stunning appearance. Expressing her views about the challenges of creating a head-turner look, Aastha states, “A lot of hard work goes into creating looks for one of the biggest red carpet events, but we always try to have fun while working on it.”

She continues, “There are many people involved in different stages. There are fittings, trials and makeup — we all work together to crack that perfect look. We worked on the styling almost four to five months in advance. It takes time because it has to be perfect.” Aastha runs a styling company in Mumbai. Her clientele includes Kalki Koechlin, Neha Dhupia, Huma Qureshi apart from Aishwarya. “I have styled many celebrities and they are all very different and it is a challenge. Working with different mindsets, body types and thought processes, every celeb needs to be dealt with differently,” states Aastha and adds, “Of course there are questions, you need to understand their thoughts and approach to style and fashion. It’s team work.”

A travel buff, Aastha wants to experiment with different types of styling in the future. “I take each step as it comes. However, I am very keen on wedding styling and art decor and hope that I’ll make time to do so,” she concludes.