Mugdha Godse and Narendra Kumar

After sizzling the screens in Fashion, we wanted much more than the lukewarm Mugdha we had to settle for in All the Best. With gorgeous Bipasha stealing the show, show-stopper Mugdha looked like she was dressed almost in a rush. We missed the grungy, almost on-the-edge look that she had with tees, jeans and red streaks in Fashion. A beautiful tattoo on her hip bone had been a killer touch.

“When the character sketch was being done for Mugdha in Fashion, I knew we had to style her look as a westernised, party-going model who is glamorous with a sense of Indianness. Her first scene when she was standing in the car park in a very Indian embroidered jacket and tights was what I liked best of all the pieces,” said designer Narendra Kumar, who has also styled the “modern day genie’s jackets” for Amitabh Bachchan in Aladin.

So when Mugdha strutted Narendra Kumar’s creations at LFW both in 2008 and last March, we sat up and took notice. Maybe Nari is what she needs to make more of a mark.

Sonam Kapoor and Anamika Khanna

A fashionista with a vengeance who is completely at home in Gucci, YSL or Chanel. Yet Sonam Kapoor has said on several occasions that it is clothes by Calcutta-based designer Anamika Khanna, and not the European masters, which fit her like a glove. Whether it is in her films or an appearance to collect the special Jury Award on behalf of her father Anil Kapoor at the 55th National Awards for Films, Sonam has trusted Anamika for her finery.

The pairing first turned heads with Sonam’s display of classic yet casual Chandni Chowk style in Delhi-6. In the film, Anamika explained, Sonam “was a girl living in Chandni Chowk who could not afford to be dressed by Chanel or even an Anamika Khanna. She had the money to shop at Janpath but she did have her individual sense of style”.

Off screen, Sonam can afford any designer she wants, and she wants Anamika. A “mutual understanding of aesthetics”, a well-rounded knowledge of what’s hot internationally and a love for vintage is where the twain meet.

And if you are craving more of this duo on screen, you don’t have long to wait, as Anamika has designed all the Indian clothes for Sonam’s upcoming film Aisha. “Over time, I have understood her body type and our comfort level is high,” said Anamika.

Lara Dutta and Rina Dhaka

If you know someone from before, “not as an actress but as a model”, you are probably best placed to decide what’s right for her from purely a fashion point of view. That’s probably why when Lara Dutta signed on the dotted line for Blue, she gave designer Rina Dhaka a ring. So what if the film sank without a trace? Before it went under, Lara Dutta still made herself seen.

“Lara is a very elegant person and has a great body. So she can take the thinnest form of lycra,” felt Rina. What went into Lara’s smokin’ water baby look? “There was a lot of mix-and-match. There was swimwear sourced from Dior and La Perla. But I was quite proud that my sequinned zigzag two-piece for the underwater shot stood out,” she added. Another stunner was Lara in the carnival scene where her pale gold sequinned number was also courtesy Rina. “Accessories came from all over”, Rina said, from “Topshop, Selfridges to Accessorize”. “But after the edit… you don’t see Lara as much in the film as planned,” rued the designer.

Deepika Padukone and Anaita Shroff Adajania

“Rational glamour” is what Anaita Shroff Adajania attempted while styling Deepika Padukone’s Chor Bazaari look for Love Aaj Kal, which was hands down the ‘it’ look this festive season. “I think people were tired of kurtis and regular anarkalis… this new look combines both. It’s almost like wearing a dress with a churidar,” said Anaita Shroff Adajania, who sourced the clothes for the film from young designers like Divya Mohta and Viragi Shah. And for Deepika as a young girl in London, it was “faded and subtle yet artistic” tops and ripped jeans. And she never looked better, be it Bachna Ae Haseeno or Chandni Chowk to China. No wonder Deepika likes to get the nod from Anaita even when she steps out for endorsements.

But what does Anaita like Deepika best in? “A pink ganjee with wide-legged overalls with a scarf thrown in, as she was for her first day at work in the film Love Aaj Kal,” revealed Anaita.

Priyanka Chopra and Manish Malhotra

“Clean lines, no accessories and lots and lots of colour,” defined Priyanka’s “very young” and “resort-like look” in Dostana, said Manish Malhotra in an interview to t2. Boy, did she sizzle in that golden swimsuit on the beach! And she went on a rainbow roll, painting Miami in lime, tangerine, cranberry, pink, yellow and purple.

The Dostana dazzle was a great recovery from the bright red hair and body suits of the Love Story 2050 debacle. Little surprise that Priyanka Chopra draped a Manish Malhotra sari for IIFA 2009 and sat in the front row for his fashion show in a shimmering silver number designed by the man himself.

stars who don’t need stylists

Katrina Kaif: Even in a questionable Nishka Lulla’s Barbie outfit or in all-glam gear by Rocky S, she manages to look like a million bucks. With the ability to carry off most anything, Katrina Kaif may as well be left to dress herself.	Preity Zinta: She has been wearing beautiful dresses long before Bollywood woke up in earnest to Dior and YSL. Her keen sense of style is uncluttered, polished and classy. She rarely takes a wrong fashion turn.	Genelia D’Souza: She is young and she wows us with her grace and fashion forwardness. It will be interesting to see how her style sensibility matures.