Arjun Bhasin on dressing up Sarah Jessica Parker post Sex And The City and on the future of fashion

It’s a slow, sunny Sunday in Mumbai when we meet costume designer Arjun Bhasin. Although he’s constantly busy, shuttling between Los Angeles, New York, and Mumbai, Jamshedpur-born Bhasin is generous with his time. Our portrait shoot is followed by a sandwich break at Kala Ghoda Café, after which we proceed to designer Rajesh Pratap Singh’s boutique by the sea in Colaba. We’re at the store, moving through racks of tailored blazers, bandhgalas, and wide-legged trousers because Bhasin wants to find something to wear for the Costume Designer’s Guild Awards that are held in Los Angeles in January. He was nominated for his work in the Tom Hanks-starrer A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. These are the ‘Oscars’ of costume design, held during awards season, and even though he didn’t win, a nomination was exciting. “My initial reaction was that it’s not possible,” says Bhasin. An outfit by an Indian designer seemed fitting considering that even though he’s now firmly embedded in Hollywood, Bhasin continues to maintain a diverse, busy career in India.

Last year, in fact, he won a Star Screen Award for his work on the blockbuster Gully Boy. His aesthetic reflects a dynamic, borderless view of the world. Those familiar with his work, including films like Monsoon Wedding, Life of Pi, and The Namesake, will acknowledge and appreciate his sensitive eye for colour and deep empathy for the characters he dresses.

When asked what shapes his creative vision he says, “Family, home, culture, India of course; it all ties together. But the most exciting thing is that I can cross-pollinate different cultures to create a more global sensibility.” Here, Bhasin speaks to Bazaar India about his love for vintage, working with Sarah Jessica Parker, and his take on the future of fashion.

Harper’s Bazaar: Your films are incredibly well-styled, yet without the use of high fashion or brands. What does being stylish mean to you?

Arjun Bhasin: Let’s talk about [TV show] Divorce here and Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in it. When you think of [SJP] you immediately think of big fashion, label names, and constant change. When we started working together, my first instinct was to distance her from that. And to do that, I took a call not to use any fashion brands at all. Not a single garment she wears from the show is from a fashion house or department store. Instead, we decided that we were going to work with vintage clothing and repeat a lot of the looks. Her character Frances is on the verge of divorce and so we wanted to recreate that state of mind. There’s a certain boredom to her life—she’s stuck in a rut. And so she wears the same gloves, boots, or coats over and over again. But at the same time, she has some money, she is stylish, and she has an identifiable look—it’s a little seventies, although the pieces were mostly forties vintage. As exciting things happen to Frances over the seasons, you see that change in her clothes as well.

HB: Would you agree that it takes empathy to understand how a character relates to their clothes?

AB: Yes, and a certain interest in psychology. You have to be curious about why we wear certain things. I’m always asking people questions about their clothes; you learn every day just by looking at the people around you.

HB: Do you think everyone expresses themselves through what they wear?

AB: To some extent. Even if you are someone who doesn’t want to seem like they care, it reflects a certain state of mind. And it shows what you want people to think of you.

HB: Do you often source vintage fashion for your films?

AB: Always, for every project, no matter how contemporary or how futuristic it is. There is so much out there that already exists and I end up taking so much time to distress clothing, to make it look like it’s been worn, weathered. and broken in, that I feel like I might as well just buy it already used. I love the idea of clothes that have been worn by other people, that have had a life before they came to me. And the thought that they’ll have a life after they leave me.

HB: You recently finished work on a film that’s set in the future, After Yang with Colin Farrell, that’s set to release this year. What was your prediction for the future of fashion in it?

AB: The film is a family story but set after some sort of climate disaster where the East has in a way taken over the West. We had to create a whole new set of rules for this world, which was very exciting. We decided that we wouldn’t use any plastic or high-tech fabrics and that the technology would be invisible, it’s so seamlessly integrated into people’s lives so you never see it. It was almost like working on a period film.

HB: Is there a director who has played a big role in shaping your style?

AB: I’ve worked with Mira Nair and Zoya Akhtar a lot. I started out as a costume assistant on Mira’s film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996) and I worked with her on the adaptation of A Suitable Boy. So much of her language is part of my aesthetic, I’ve shaped the look of her films and I’ve learned from that. Both Zoya and I are so influenced by Mira, she started out assisting her as well. The two of them are really interesting filmmakers and what we’ve achieved so far has been very special.

Lead image: Still from Sex and the City