Actress Swastika Dutta, one of Tollywood's most popular young faces, loves keeping her style minimal and sassy. Commanding over a million followers on Instagram, Swastika’s fashion sense is appreciated by all her fans. We have a chat with Swastika on the sidelines of the shoot to get a drift of what the millennials love to wear.
What are your winter wedding fashion styles?
I give slightly more precedence to comfort over style. For winter weddings, I choose clothes that would keep me warm and also flatter my look. A shimmery black sari with a high-end embroidered blouse and a Kashmiri shawl to complement the look is what I love. A coat or a jacket over a mermaid-cut long skirt or dress with high heels or boots also makes for a very appealing ensemble.
What are your wedding fashion wardrobe must haves?
Kashmiri shawls, scarves, and leggings, which can be paired up with warm sweaters and boots. A long zari embroidered skirt with a white shirt. Some really glamourous full-sleeve net blouses to pair up with glittery saris.
How do millennial brides like to dress up for weddings? Are you crazy about designer labels?
I feel millennials are obsessed with their wedding looks more than the wedding ceremony.
They love to spend on designer traditional lehengas and saris. Of late, I have observed that brides aren’t excited about the most beautiful day of their lives and instead focus on how much they are spending on their looks. There’s this constant competition and rat race on social media.
I am not really excited about the designer-label tag. It all depends on how you carry the clothes you wear. You can wear a Manish Malhotra, Ritu Kumar or a Sharbari Dutta and still not look good if you can’t carry your looks gracefully. Whereas, even a simple sari or a lehenga from an ordinary shop can make you look like a million bucks.
If you were to choose the most fashionable bride in recent years, who would that be and why?
There are actually three of them. I loved the way actress Patralekha Banerjee wore a beautiful wedding veil with Bengali shlokas written all over it.
I also loved how Alia Bhatt kept her looks so soothing and simple. I am a no-makeup person so I really admired her wedding looks and the colour of the lehenga she chose to wear.
Actress Ridhima Ghosh too kept the simplicity intact in her wedding looks. Wearing a typical red Benarasi with the traditional sholar mukut on her head and a simple neckpiece, she was looking every bit an elegant bride.
What are the gorgeous Indian weaves that you think can make for a great bridal sari?
I have a real soft corner for handloom saris and it doesn’t matter to me what the occasion is but I always prefer Indian handloom saris. But for bridal saris, I think the ones with Meenakari work, Katan silk and the finest Benarasis are great choices. One can also go for south cotton or lighter weaves like pure red jamdanis and ikkats for morning functions.
If you are to marry, how would you deck up as a bride?
Honestly, I have played a bride so many times in reel life that all my desires of getting decked up for my own wedding day have vanished. I haven’t given it a thought yet. But one thing is for sure, I am not going to overdo my attire, makeup or hairdo.
When you go to wedding functions what are the fashion things that you keep in mind to not overpower the bride?
I don’t overdo my makeup and I avoid wearing colours like red, maroon and golden. Usually, the bride wears those shades on her special day so why overpower her attire? I wear colours like black, firoza and other such shades instead.
What are your upcoming projects, please tell us in details?
Professionally, the year 2022 has treated me impressively well. I am really looking forward to my next web series which will be releasing shortly. Also, I am having words with one of the leading television channels for a new serial. I have a music video for which I will be shooting shortly and my next big screen release, Fatafati, is also on its way.
CREDITS: Pictures: Debarshi Sarkar / Hair and makeup: Abhijit Paul, assisted by Sananda Mondal Laha / Styling Poulami Gupta / Jewellery: Senco Gold and Diamonds, Gahane jewellery / Blouses VCut / Location courtesy: JW Marriott Kolkata / Food partner: Chowman