That's on public turf. Now, over to screen. Hailed as the project that would introduce the concept of injecting high-end brands like,
Christian Dior, Chanel and Salvatore Ferragamo into a Hindi film frame, last week's release Aisha was as much a let down for fashion-hungry as the electric blue jumpsuit Sonam wore at Twinkle Khanna's home decor line launch last April.
"In reality, no one is committed to a particular brand. You can't live your life around one brand, like Aisha does. The character lacked individual style; the brands defined her rather than other way around," says a fashion stylist who caught the movie last week, and didn't wish to be named.
Nevermind the brazen positioning of merchandise (special mention to a white river rafting expedition scene where luxury handbags costing nothing less than a couple of thousands are shown hanging on Aisha's bedpost), the film failed to live up to being India's answer to Sex & the City. What it ends up being is a profitable showcase for a fistful of international designer brands. Period.
Adoration for glossy, heady fashion is a legacy passed down from mother Sunita, we hear. It's lovingly nourished by Rhea, Sonam's younger sister and Aisha's producer.
This online shopping fan steps out to cast her vote and wins accolades on blogs for her blushing red Wayfarer worn with an animal print scarf that hides a tired blow-dry.
She preens on the cover of leading fashion magazines and deals with wardrobe malfunctions with a jab of safety pins. "Sonam has an enviable closet, and follows fashion to the point of being obsessed with it," says Anaita Shroff Adajania, stylist for Love Aaj Kal and Dhoom.
