HYDERABAD: “We’ve lost out three days of shopping this year. We had all made plans to shop this week for the upcoming Bathukamma, but the rains and the pandemic meant double trouble. But there’s hope,” says Gauri Naidu, a stylist in Hyderabad. Having styled (putting together the entire look based on the event) actor-producer Niharika Konidela, TV anchor Anasuya Bharadwaj and composer Keeravani’s son Simha in his debut movie, Gauri is considered one of the contemporary stylists who can give a glamorous look to her clients.
The designer who lives in Kakatiya Hills and has her workshop in Banjara Hills currently accepts orders on her Instagram page @GauriNaiduOfficial. This engineering graduate from Vizag with a stint at Tech Mahindra tried her hand at designing and when she love with the craft, took up a full-time designing course at Hamstech College to become a stylist for movies and TV shows. She has been in the profession for five years and has signed up for a few movies now.
“First of all, we all love variety, and nothing gives us more variety than the nine days that lead to Dasara. In Telangana, Bathukamma is a great excuse to get decked up and pose. Firstly, identify the days that you want to dress up. Find out the colours that our ancestors have recommended based on the avatars of Ammavaru. Let’s align ourselves with her vibe to get a touch of her divinity,” she says. (Check box for nine days and nine colours)
Look for house parties
Remember the 90s when we used to have small gatherings with our family and friends. That is going to be in trend in these social distancing times. So being slightly traditional without going out all bold is a good idea as you don’t want to offend the grandparents. However, you can always go bold for your
Instafam
Dandiya look
Bathukamma look
Dasara at hometown
Gauri’s personal look for Dasara: I am a handloom lover and it’s going to be a plain saree in a pastel colour, a blouse in a contrasting pop-up colour and jewellery with mirror work
Places/Insta pages to pick from
Handmade jewellery stalls at Shilparamam
Near Gandhi statue at General Bazar, Secunderabad
Ameerpet shops, near the Metro station
Day 1 Grey
Day 2 Orange
Day 3 White
Day 4 Red
Day 5 Royal Blue
Day 6 Yellow
Day 7 Green
Day 8 Peacock Green
Day 9 Purple
— Manju Latha Kalanidhi
kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com
@mkalanidhi