Who are you calling fashionista?

We Indians are quick to label people. Make a couple of records on the field and you’re a sports icon. Shout out a few slogans and you’re an activist. Click a few shots of the sunset and you’re a photographer. Are we really that easy to please or is it a serious lack of anyone who’s actually worth it? In the world of fashion, this is an even bigger issue. Here, labeling happens faster than changing trends. ‘Avant-garde’ and ‘couture’ are words thrown around as if someone’s life depends on them. And experimentation is everyone’s mantra without actually realising what it means. Yet, the irony is finding a decently dressed person- whether on the street or the red carpet, is still a challenge in our country. Clearly, the media and fashion industry think otherwise. How else do you explain the presence of almost a dozen fashionistas?

Pick up any fashion magazine or newspaper and this word would stare at you too often for comfort. ‘Fashionista’ was never meant for careless use and our media and fashion pundits clearly don’t know when and for whom to use it. What else is the reason behind every major star being given this tag? Sonam Kapoor is a fashionista, Kangana Ranaut is a fashionista, Kareena Kapoor Khan is a fashionista, Deepika Padukone is a fashionista, Priyanka Chopra is a fashionista… Phew! Every time I read this, I swear, a part of my brain hurts.

One of those urban English words that have grown popular in a short span of time, fashionista technically means someone who’s an avid follower of fashion, having expertise in that area and thereby influencing others to follow suit. Now, which one of our present-day stars shows any remote knowledge, let alone expertise, in fashion? If not for their stylists, all their so-called fashion sense results in garish make-up, ill-fitting clothes and blind following of Hollywood celebrities. On her last appearance on Koffee with Karan, the talk show that brought celebrity mud-slinging into our living rooms, Sonam Kapoor cattily remarked, “Deepika Padukone has no style” and cyberspace went berserk taking sides. She might have said it out of sheer jealousy but unknowingly made a valid point because Deepika, like most of her contemporaries, does not have any style. What she has is a stylist, Anaita Shroff Adajania, who’s managed to elevate her appearances from gaudy to glamorous.

Deepika isn’t alone here; Kareena is styled by Tanya Ghavri, Priyanka by Ami Patel and Sonam herself takes help from her sister Rhea. Kangana is perhaps the only one who picks up her clothes on her own but she isn’t knocking off fashion charts every time either. On their own, these girls show little-to-no knowledge about fashion technicalities, don’t know what cuts suit their respective body types and wear brands just to come across as stylish. What qualifies them as fashionistas? Not much, I suppose.

Our current female stars might be acing everything from their performances (I’m being way too nice here) to their financials. But their fashion is the result of a lot of help. The same help if you had, the next magazine cover would’ve been yours. Till the time our girls really spring a surprise, how about we keep the fashionista tag safely out of reach?