Hindustan Times India’s Most Stylish Awards 2023: From Akshay Kumar to Ananya Panday here are the best dressed celebs of the night

They kicked every fashion rule to the curb. While the celebs galore at Hindustan Times India’s Most Stylish awards 2023 was all glitz and glamour, everyone stay tuned to theme which was Street style couture. We have handpicked a few of our favourites from the night. Here’s a look at those…

Babil

The Qala actor, who walked away with the Rising Style Icon trophy, gave a fun, edgy twist to the timeless denim on denim trend. His look from H&M’s Mugler collection featured a denim jacket with defined waist detailing that he teamed with spiral panel denim jeans. The scarf worn around his neck added to the street chic vibe.

Chintan Rachchh

For his red carpet outing, Class actor Chintan Rachchh and his stylist Swanand Suhas Joshi played with a skirt, denim and a bit of bling. Rachchh wore a lapelless cut and sew denim jacket, teamed with a pair of denim stitch line pants from the shelves of Deepit Chugh. The ensemble was layered with a half pleated and half mock jacket skirt. Rachchh’s look was equal parts glamour and street chic. Joshi says, “I wanted Chintan’s look to be simple yet striking. The blue block prints complimented his personality and the star element – the skirt added the right amount of drama.”

Anjali Sivaraman

Former model-actor Anjali Sivaram chose a custom draped floor-length denim skirt by Rhea Pillai Rastogi and styled it with a reimagined corset and a denim crop top, statement gold earrings and gold rimmed sunglasses. Her stylist duo Shreya Singh and Aradhana Buragohain reveal it took them two days of “brainstorming” to curate the look. “Anjali has that quirkiness in herself. We wanted to create something that would effortlessly showcase her individuality,” she says.

Kusha Kapila

Keeping up with the theme, internet celebrity-actor Kusha Kapila rocked an oversized pantsuit set by Kanika Goyal. The silver detailing on the outfit along with Kapila’s dramatic silver gunmetal eye makeup and wavy tresses was a perfect mix of street and couture. Kapila’s stylist Ayesha Amin Nigam, 32, says she picked the pantsuit as it was “powerful yet sexy”.

Mandira Bedi

Actor-anchor Mandira Bedi chose a black ensemble by Rocky S featuring a faux leather skirt and a sheer top with inky feathers attached to it. The actor skipped jewellery and kept her look simple yet edgy. The designer says, “The outfit was chosen to reflect Mandira’s bold and confident personality while showcasing the edgy side of her fashion philosophy. It’s an effort to push the boundaries of street couture.”

Ali Fazal

Actor Ali Fazal looked dapper in a Khanijo suit with fun elements such as clowns and bowling pins embroidered all over. The hanging threads added to the street charm. Stylist duo Anisha Gandhi, 31, and Rochelle D’sa, 30, accessorised the look with a pair of gloves and cowboy boots, making it one of our favourite looks of the night. Gandhi says, “We chose a quirky look that we felt will stand out. Keeping the theme in mind, it seemed to be the right choice.”

Ananya Panday

Dressed in a head-to-toe hot pink look from Love Birds Studio, actor Ananya Panday raised a toast to the trending Barbiecore trend at the awards night. Featuring a structured blazer dress with two buttons and a tie around detail at the front, her stylist Meagan Concessio accessorised her look with matching pink stockings, pumps and the gold “balti bag” from the shelves of Judith Leiber Couture. Her stylist Concessio says, “We didn’t want to go for something that one would typically see at awards function. I spotted this look at the Love Birds spring/summer 2023 runway show and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was modern and had a fun vibe.”

Ayushmann Khurrana

The actor’s street couture statement was a relaxed acid green single-breasted blazer and loose-fit tailored trousers from the recent Mugler x H&M collaboration. His stylist Isha Bhansali says, “Streetwear is not just restricted to athleisure. It has also got some really cool oversized suits. The one which I chose for Ayushmann had exaggerated shoulders. The high-waisted pants and edgy elements such as the missing lapel and cut-out detail above the waist band went well with the theme,” she says.

Akshay Kumar

Rocking the street couture theme effortlessly, actor Akshay Kumar kept it simple yet so impactful in a classic all-black look. To receive the Style Hall of Fame award, he wore a “Bruce Lee” T-shirt paired with a black jacket and flared pants. Voting for less is more, he accessorised the look on a minimal note with a pair of sunglasses, a chain and sporty shoes.

Genelia Deshmukh

Packing a punch, actor Genelia Deshmukh wore a white pantsuit set teamed with a funky printed shirt from Manish Malhotra’s Diffuse 2.0 collection for the night. With game-inspired prints and a sleek fit, Deshmukh let her street couture outfit do all the talking with understated styling: quirky X&O earrings and a neat pulled back high bun. Experimenting with colours and eccentric prints, the bold fit complemented the street couture theme well.

Ankita Lokhande Jain

Turning heads in a hot pink trench coat dress, actor Ankita Lokhande Jain chose to go for the classic street couture elements: relaxed and oversized silhouette and a striking, bold and cheerful colour. She paired the faux leather number from the shelves of Vulgar with statement silver metallic boots and neatly tied low bun. Her look ranked high on the theme.

Sushmita Sen

Actor Sushmita Sen’s look was equal parts glamorous and powerful. The actor wore a navy blue luxe velvet pantsuit set from Massimo Dutti that she teamed with a body harness bought from the streets of New York, shoes from J. Reneé and a Judith Leiber clutch. Despite playing with different elements, she kept it understated yet elegant.

What’s street couture?

Originating from the streets, from the consumers of fashion, street style when reworked in a couture context with the aura of wealth and luxury is what we call “street couture”. Celebrity stylist Romi Choudhary says, “Street couture is considered to have emerged not from the fashion studios, but from the grassroots, personal style and has a mix of luxury fashion. It’s all about playing with different elements and adding a topping of glamour on street style.”