(Top) Shah Rukh Khan in Don;(below) Aki Narula at ITC Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers on Friday. Picture above by Pabitra Das

I’ve already seen quite a few men wearing ties tucked under shirts at parties,” smiles Aki Narula. The current address of the designer from Calcutta is cloud nine, and he has every reason to be there. With Don winning rave reviews for its style quotient, the designer behind the “subtle international look” of the film is firmly in the spotlight.

“In Bollywood reviews, costumes hardly get a mention. Everyone talks about the stars, the director and the music. But I’ve read three-four reviews of Don that praised the costumes. It feels really good,” says Aki, in town for Stylefile Winter Show 2006 at ITC Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers on Saturday night.

The St Xavier’s College graduate had shot to filmi fame with the wardrobe of Shaad Ali’s Bunty Aur Babli — Babli’s patiala-and-kurti combo became a real rage and was crowned the biggest Bolly influence on mainstream fashion in recent times.

So, which style statement of Don will manage to whip up a style storm? “I don’t want to take names, but I know of at least four big brands that have come up with matching ties and shirts like Shah Rukh (Khan) sported in Don,” shares the trendsetter. “The silver dress Priyanka (Chopra) wore has also become quite popular; I’ve seen girls wearing it,” he adds.

But Aki draws a line of distinction between the Shaad Ali and Farhan Akhtar films: “The style statement of Bunty Aur Babli was more mass, it was something very accessible and hence became a rage in different strata of society. But with Don, the look is very subtle and international, so one doesn’t expect it to create that kind of an impact.”

Aki admits that he was under “tremendous mental pressure” to match up to the style image of Amitabh Bachchan’s Don. “Don was not only a hit film, it was also a highly stylish film. Both Amitabh and Zeenat Aman looked very stylish in the film and so it was a tough task to recreate the magic. I just wanted to pay a homage to that film.” And this he did after extensive research.

“For instance, the motifs on Shah Rukh’s shirt in the Khaike paan Banaraswala song are the same motifs that were on Amitabh’s waistcoat in the same song,” he offers.

Taking a cue from the paisleys Big B sported in the film, Aki also hunted out similar paisley prints for Shah Rukh’s shirts from Bangkok.

The idea of playing up the tie was also derived from the original. “In Don, Amitabh wore a lot of bow ties. But today, the bow tie looks comical. So, I decided to play around with the tie but in some other way,” says Aki.

After a hit hat-trick — first Bunty Aur Babli, then Bluffmaster and now Don — the city boy is now big in Bollywood. “I was a complete film buff since childhood and it has been a dream to work in Bollywood. I will do one or two films a year, but I’m in Bollywood to stay,” says Aki, who loves the “energy and pace” of the film world.

Aki is now busy putting the finishing touches to the wardrobe of Shaad Ali’s Jhoom Barabar Jhoom starring both the Bachchans, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta. “This is the second time I’ve worked with both the Bachchans (after Bunty Aur Babli) and now I can bully them into wearing what I want,” he laughs.

On a serious note, he adds: “The Big B is the greatest style icon we have. But he trusts me completely with his wardrobe.” As for Abhishek, the “jeans-and-Tees guy” just “loves wearing Pathanis” and “hates linen”.

From reel fashion to real, Aki is now busy with his autumn-winter 2007-08 line, which he will showcase at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi next March. For the coming spring-summer, Aki has done an all-white line boasting “volumes, structures and lots of drapes”.

The ace designer lists a few must-haves for this winter:

• A pair of skinny jeans, in black or blue
• A waistcoat
• High boots
• Lots of ganjis to wear under jackets
• Blacks, browns, beiges, greens and splashes of red.