Remember Aishwarya Rai Bachchan‘s larger-than-life princess moment on the 2017 Cannes red carpet? Her iconic pruple lipstick that soon became one of the biggest beauty trends in the coming years? If there’s one thing that’s guarenteed when Aishwarya steps on to the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, it’s that she never fails to show us a new fashion and beauty trend—and 2019 was no different. Whether on the red carpet or off, celebrity stylist Aastha Sharma went all out with the experimentation factor and showcased looks that will stick in our minds for a long, long time.
Just a few days after she made her way back to India from Cannes, we caught up with Aastha Sharma, the mastermind behind each of Aishwarya’s looks, and got ALL the deets about her experience with the actress, her vision for this year and more.
1. Can you tell us your vision for the two red carpet looks you styled Aishwarya in this year?
I’ve styled Aishwarya at Cannes for 5 years and if you see, all through the years we tried to create something we’ve never done before. So we always try to do one experimental look and one a little more classic. So the idea behind the two looks were, the first outfit was to create something futuristic, so we went with a custom Jean-Louis Sabaji gown. It was something that has never been done before, and it was a very challenging outfit, and not everybody can carry it off. And Aishwarya being Aishwarya, she has a strong personality, only someone like her could’ve carried off something this challenging. That was the idea and it was accepted well globally. And then we went to the classic Ashi Studio, we picked up a runway look and kind of recreated through the boa, the hair and makeup was something that looked elegant, that looked beautiful on the red carpet.
2. With Aishwarya, there is always something to take away, be it her purple lipstick or the princess moment she had in 2017. What would you say was the statement-making part of this year’s look?
The gold outfit! It was such a difficult outfit to carry off on the red carpet, the holographic fabric, carrying such a long trail, so these were all the challenging parts that she wore with finesse. The ear makeup that we did last minute which kind of added to the entire look, and it was Val Garland who did the makeup for Aishwarya did such a fantastic job, in terms of the hair which was kept very sleek. And the entire look came together really well. Even Ashi Studio, that entire look, the way it came out, it was very classic. The Jean-Louis Sabaji made quite a statement this year.
3. We only get to see what happens two days before a look goes on to the red carpet—could you tell us a little about where this process starts for you guys? How early do you begin planning these looks?
The process starts right after the couture week starts. You look into collections and works and what couturiers are thinking around the world, but the whole process starts at least 3-4 months before, the planning starts and then it is a process that takes times. We decide the outfits, there are fittings, re-fittings, there’s a whole lot of planning that goes behind this.
4. What role does Aishwarya play when you decide a certain look for her? Is there any input from her?
Yes, of course. There’s like a theme at first. We kind of decide what we should go ahead with together. There are a lot of outfit options, we have multiple options, it’s a mutual decision which we go for as a team. It’s always team work, at the end of the day she has to carry it, she has to wear and walk the red carpet.
5. What was your reaction to the internet’s reaction of Aishwarya’s looks for this year?
I’ve been doing this for 5 years now and I’ve come from the purple lipstick to the big princess gown, to the peacock gown, every kind of theme. So now I actually wait to see the reaction from people because it’s fun. We’re trying to create something futuristic, a trend for the next year or two. How she wore the purple lipstick, after that brands after brands started making purple lipsticks, magazines started to feature purple lipsticks. In the same way, we try to create something which is not today, something that’s going to be fashion for tomorrow, and that’s the whole idea. And of course, globally it’s accepted, magazines accepted and there are fans who kind of accept or not accept, that is something which is always going to happen. So that is a bit fun to read the comments.
6. Tell us about your experience of working with Aishwarya in a nutshell.
It’s always been fun, it’s always been challenging and its always been something I look forward to. And I’m glad that I’ve got the opportunity to work with her at Cannes and create something which on a regular red carpet you don’t end up doing. It’s a global platform, it’s something very fun where you go and represent your work and it’s a great opportunity that I’ve always loved.
One more year of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan winning us over with her statement-making red carpet looks! What did you think of ’em? Do let us know in the comments below!
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