Shockstars rock the party

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Amongst the city’s elegant ladies draped in the splendid six yards of Benarasi weave at a recent gathering, art curator Himanshu Verma turned heads in his trademark outfit, the sari. And this time he teamed it up with a black full-sleeved choli-shirt and a pair of Kolhapuri chappals. Himanshu may have got a few tongues wagging but he did manage to be the highlight of the party.

The city’s party circuit boasts of a few shockstars who, with the way they dress up or with their dramatic look, steal the limelight. And the reasons for their radical fashion statements are varied.
“I love to be provocative, but the idea is also to be comfortable in my skin,” says Himanshu, founder of Red Earth.
“I am not a cross-dresser. I love to flaunt a sari, my way. I wear a sari like a full-grown man, sometimes even with a full-grown beard,” he adds.
Himanshu confesses that people often ask him if he is being gutsy by dressing the way he does. “Performing arts have greatly influenced the way I dress. For me it’s the idea of ambiguity that is exciting,” he says.
Another artist who is occasionally spotted in fluorescent pants or full-length “skirts” is the talented designer Sumant Jaikishan. “I am not a conventional person in love with black. I love colours and jewellery and whatever I am comfortable in. That’s my style,” he says.
Celebrity hairstylist Sylvie Rogers complains that Delhi partygoers don’t put enough effort in dressing up. “I always dress as per the theme of the party and try my best to stand out,” she says.
A newbie to Delhi’s growing list of “shockers” is stylist Aameir Zakir, who likes to experiment with different shades of blonde and even loves to wear a nice gloss apart from concealer and colour corrector. He explains that his look is an amalgamation of the influence of the various countries he has been to. He clarifies that the idea is not to shock people but to carve a distinct image. He says, “I have been colouring my hair since I was four. I am from Iran, where almost everybody including men go for coloured hair. It’s not unusual and it’s my identity. People won’t recognise me without my blonde locks. I am confident about the way I look.”
Certainly, shockstars know how to have fun, and be showstealers!