From Suhana Khan to Khushi Kapoor, a big shoutout to B-Town’s millennial cool

With fashion set and brands doing a cartwheel and leaving no stones unturned to seduce the millennials (Dolce and Gabbana’s Milan runway was bustling with them), our B-Town’s ready to welcome the new pin-up icons, who’re waiting to take the centrestage. Every outfit Suhana Khan wears drives Insta-spheres into a frenzy. Not surprising at all! When you have uber-stylish mom and dad — Gauri and SRK, effortless elan runs into your blood or is that stating the obvious? She could easily be India’s answer to Lily Rose Depp (daughter of the inimitable Johnny Depp and the epitome of French cool — Vanessa Paradis). 

Confidence is something which Suhana has in abundance. From rocking a sheer and embellished Monisha Jaising mini and a BCBG Max Azria bandage (guess, both have Gauri’s signature look written all over them) to keep it simple and tasteful in a grunge Givenchy T-shirt and micro denims — the girl wears every look with just the right amount of attitude and sass. 

At no point she comes across as someone, who’s trying too hard. Her bestie Ananya Pandey (daughter of Chunky and Bhavana Pandey) has already become a major internet rage. Porcelain skin, lustrous mane, and an athletic body — the young girl can make a gunnysack look like an atelier offering. Recently, she was photographed in a strappy, dotted dress and a pair of comfy sneakers as she headed to SRK’s birthday bash which was hosted in Alibaug. On her way back into the city, she channelled beach chic in a nifty tube top and a boho skirt. And this wasn’t a flash in the pan! A couple of weeks ago, she sent the paparazzi into a tizzy as she rocked a Love Gen camouflage print jacket layered over a white top and a pair of shorts. 

Designer Nandita Mahtani quips, “Ananya clearly stands out among the new millennials. She has got that doe-eyed innocence. She carries off both Indian and Western ensembles beautifully. On the other hand, Suhana has a different look and her own sense of style. Having said that, all these young stars can pull off just about any look under the sun. All in all, it’s always elegant, pretty and never OTT.”

The third firecracker in their glam group is Shanaya Kapoor (Sanjay and Maheep Kapoor’s daughter). Last month, she hit all the right style notes in a Coachella-like crop top and a pair of denim cut-offs.. Shanaya’s Insta feed radiates an unmistakable vibe of fun, effortless female, who knows how to have fun and enjoys the company of her girl pals. While we are on the topic of girl-gangs, we can’t help but dwell on B-Town debutante Jhanvi Kapoor’s young sis Khushi, who has already mastered the art of mixing high street with luxe finds like a potent cocktail. 

At the airport, she was seen matching her gym-inspired separates with a classic quilted handbag and Gucci fur-lined loafers. In another outing, she wore an oversized men’s shirt-inspired white top with a pair of denims and finishing off the look with suede boots, thus channelling her inner Kendall Jenner. She’s also shown a penchant for slip dresses, which she teams with the au courant high-top sneakers. She isn’t scared of rocking statement prints from head-to-toe like she did at the Ambani bash.  

Let’s speak to the style arbiters on where do they see this swish set heading...  

'THEY ALL ARE PRETTY SORTED”
—Nandita Mahtani

“Each one of them has their own individual spin on fashion and they don’t overdo it. They are quite stunning girls, who know how to carry off different looks. Besides, they are in great shape and can rock a pair of hot pants, a crop top or even a slip dress. 

They’ve always managed to get the look right each time and they are never trying too hard. All in all they are pretty sorted,” adds Nandita. 

'A FRESH APPROACH TO RAIDING FROM THEIR MOMS’ CLOSETS”
— Nachiket Barve 

Any style observer would vouch that these girls have a refreshing approach to dressing up. Designer Nachiket Barve observes that a lot of fashion is best when one has a fresh approach to looking at things. “What’s best about them is that there’s no awkwardness in front of the camera.  These girls have shown a refreshing approach to borrowing pieces from their mom’s closet. 

And one can’t deny that today they are exposed to global trends and brands as compared to the previous generations, who took a while to warm up to new styles and sensibilities. ‘Fearless style’ is the phrase which comes to mind.” 

'THE OVERALL STYLE IS SWEET AND COMFORTABLE”
— Payal Singhal 

Payal Singhal observes that they are so much more well-informed. “They exude a casual-meets-sporty vibe. Also, it’s perfect for kids their age. This is what Gen Now looks like. When we were younger, we were so unaware,” Payal shares. 

'RIHANNA IS THEIR ROLE MODEL”
— Nimish Shah

A section of style experts opine that style maven Sonam Kapoor really set that trend when she came as a star kid and she claimed and owned the space. “These star kids look a lot more arrived as they get their grooming very early on. Whether it’s Sara Ali Khan or even boys like Anant Ambani, who hails from a prominent business family — they are all incredibly fit. If you’re shopping at Selfridges at 12 and your mom’s closet is full of designer collector items, grooming comes early on.

Having said that, they are still kids and want to have fun. The likes of Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and other 20 somethings are their role models. No one’s looking up to Katy Perry. Also, they’ve been brought up in a gender-fluid environment so it’s not about boys and girls anymore but a grown-up approach to assimilating aesthetics and points of view,” says Nimish Shah.   

'THEY UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF A BLOW-DRY”
— Maheka Mirpuri

Designer Maheka Mirpuri observes that they are quite with the au courant styles. “They are very well-travelled. They were probably doing blow-dries even before other kids knew about it. I think Suhana is very comfortable in her own style. She likes to mix her own looks that stands out. It’s young and of-the-moment,” says Maheka.