A lot goes on in the life of our celebrities and there is a big force of people who make their lives glamorous. Amongst them, stylists play quite an important role. They make a celebrity stand out and help portray their true self via fashion. Recently, team MissMalini caught up with celebrity stylist Pyu Mishra who has styled the likes of Aamir Khan, Milind Soman, Shantanu Maheshwari, Sonu Sood, and many more. While working with the whose who of tinsel town Pyu surely has some very amazing stories to tell and with us she walks down that lane taking us through her journey. Read on…
On getting into the film industry, Pyu says…
I think at a subconscious level I always wanted it. Because my dad is someone working in textile, he had handlooms and handicrafts, as a kid I used to always visit him. My mom used to work with an NGO who helped artisans to learn handicrafts and embroidery. I think in first grade, when my parents asked what I wanted to be, I told them ‘tailor’. My dad asked what will you do after becoming a tailor, and I pointed towards the TV and I told them that all these people you see on TV, I want to make clothes for them.
Talking about the steps one should take to transition from a graduate to a stylist, Pyu shared…
A decade back styling was not a full time job. What we knew was fashion designing, and we took that, but four years later I realized I don’t want to design. I just liked to put the clothes together. I wanted to be on set, styling is my calling rather than design. I didn’t know this is how it works, but I realized magazine is one place where you don’t have to design, but you can put looks together and have fun. So I applied to Harper’s Bazaar and thankfully they picked my profile. And the rest is history. But I also feel there should be some amount of training in it. You cannot wake up one day and be like I am good at dressing up. It is not about dressing yourself, but also different body types, there’s skin tones. There’s so much in styling, even if there is a six months course, do it. Get an internship with a magazine or a renowned stylist. Nowadays it is a full fledged career, become an assistant, what you learn on set you will never learn anywhere else. One thing will lead to another, you will find your way.
On the difficulties, she faced when styling a man…
If we consider our country, I’ve seen and voiced this a lot. Anywhere you go 80% is women’s wear and we see this one rack with 4-5 garments. Designers are holding back to completely go crazy with their creation or there is a misconception that men don’t want to experiment, the choices are so less, they cannot. I’m glad there are people coming up with experimental stuff. Lakme has introduced this section that’s specifically for men’s fashion. But I still feel like there is a lot to do.
Here’s what she had to say about the first celebrity that she styled…
My first cover was with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Kapoor, as an intern. I was nervous, Kareena till date is my favorite. I always wanted to work with her, and my first internship cover was her. I think I manisfested it.
I always think, the stylist to an actor is like a shadow. When a stylist gets the actor’s thought process, magic happens. Shantanu is a great example of that. What is one thing that you have learned from styling Shantanu?
Change is constant, something we always say and try to bring in with every look. When your artists gives you the complete freedom, that is when you bring the best crazy out. And with Shantanu Maheshwari, he let me experiment, if I ask him to wear a skirt I’m sure hell be up for it. We’ve done that for Abu Jani Fashion and we’ve seen the looks, they were amazing. Keep experimenting, don’t keep boundaries, that is when magic will happen.
On the importance of keeping a clean slate every time, Pyu says…
I think it is very important, especially the moment you come across a client who is like I don’t want this, this, and this. Firstly, the whole enthusiasm for doing something is dead. You don’t want to experiment, you don’t want to put that extra mile. The moment you say go bizarre, I will put in my 2000%.
If we met the 15-year-old Pyu, and told her life would change, you would be famous and meet all these people, would she believe us?
I think I would. That 15-year-old would not know how, but I just knew, it would happen. And trust me even where I have styled an Aamir Khan, I have still not reached where I want to. So I think the 20 -year-old Pyu would believe that a 40-year-old Pyu will look back and say I’m styling XYZ from Hollywood.
Pyu’s success story is truly inspiring, and while she our Bollywood Superhero continues to do some amazing work, all we can do is to see her soar to greater heights.