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Stylist Lakshita Sehgal explains why festive fashion should be about your body, not Alia’s or Janhvi’s.
Stylist Lakshita Sehgal: Stop copy-pasting celebrity looks—this festive season, dress for your body type and own your authenticity
The festive season is here. From September through December, the calendar is packed with weddings, Diwali parties, sangeets, and card nights and with it comes the annual question: “What did Alia wear? What lehenga was Janhvi styled in? Should I buy Ananya’s look?”
But stylist Lakshita Sehgal has a blunt response, “Bollywood stars don’t dress themselves, so why are you copying them?”
The Illusion of Celebrity Styling
Sehgal breaks down the fantasy. Celebrities are not shopping off the rack; they’re walking in clothes that have been pinned, tucked, and stitched on their bodies by entire teams. “They have stylists, makeup artists, hair teams, designers adjusting their blouses hours before a red carpet. You don’t have that army and yet you expect the same silhouette to magically transform you? Of course, you end up disappointed,” she says.
The result, she argues, is what she calls “copy-paste fashion guaranteed failure.” Women squeeze into blouses cut for slimmer frames, or drown themselves in lehengas meant for 5’9″ models. “It’s not your fault you’ve been sold the dream of celebrity perfection. But let’s get real: you don’t share their body type, styling budget, or retouching filters,” Sehgal says.
When Copying Goes Wrong
She recalls a client who wanted a plunging blouse after spotting Ananya Panday in one at Lakmé Fashion Week. “Except, this woman had a fuller bust and broader shoulders. The whole night, she was pulling it up and hiding behind her dupatta. The outfit wore her. A higher neckline with a cinched waist would’ve looked stunning. But celebrity copy syndrome got her.”
Know Your Body, Then the Outfit
So, what’s the antidote? “Start with your body, not with Alia’s or Janhvi’s,” Sehgal says. She breaks it down:
Pear-shaped (hips wider than shoulders): A-line lehengas, embellished blouses, dupattas across the shoulder.
Apple-shaped (fuller midsection): Empire-line kurtas, Anarkalis, long jackets. Avoid clingy fabrics.
Rectangle-shaped (straight frame): Pleated lehengas, belted sarees, layered dupattas.
Hourglass (balanced bust and hips): Mermaid lehengas, fitted blouses, waist-focused sarees.
Petite frames: High-waist lehengas, shorter blouses, smaller motifs. Avoid heavy borders.
The Real Power Move
Her advice is sharp but empowering: “Invest in a stylist or a tailor, not just a label. Clothes must serve your body, not a Bollywood fantasy. And remember, confidence is the accessory, if you look uncomfortable, even the perfect blouse won’t save you.”
As Sehgal sums it up, “Celebrities don’t even dress like themselves. They’re styled into illusions. If you copy them, you’ll only look like a watered-down version. But when everyone else is a copy, the one woman who shows up as herself will always stand out.”
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl…Read More
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl… Read More
