Gypset all year around

Not everybody has a supermodel as their BFF Surily Goel the designer of the namesake boholuxe label who chose to take a sabbatical in 2014 simply could not dodge a request from Mehr Jesia to make an outfit ldquoI had switched off from fashion to focus on my health and was exploring other creative avenues I told Mehr that I had lost confidence and could not go back to designing I didnrsquot even have a tailorrdquo Goel recallsBut Jesia was in no mood to relent One dress turned into a capsule collection with Jesia setting up a meeting with Tina Tahiliani Parikh of multidesigner boutiqueEnsemble ldquoThatrsquos how I returned to fashion in 2016rdquo For her Jesia is the sum of multiple adjectives ranked thus family BFF museIt is just another Saturday at Goelrsquos Bandra residence but every corner looks ultraglam Both Jesia and exhusband Arjun Rampalrsquos 18yearold daughter Myra are dressed in Goelrsquos designs ldquoWhat I am wearing is one of my favourite Surily pieces She made it 12 years ago it is timelessrdquo says Jesia before drawing attention to the backless tiedye blouse and hakama trousers shersquos carrying off Myrarsquos outfit offers a flash of delicate drama with long swoops of cord fringe mirrorwork and cowrie shells ldquoI am partial towards comfort wear and prefer solid clean lines over sparkly clothes I am like momrdquo Myra smiles ldquoBut it is fun to dress up too and step outside my comfort zonerdquo Designer Surily Goel regards Indiarsquos original supermodel Mehr Jesia and her daughters Mahikaa and Myra Rampal in the frame her family ldquoThey are my safe placerdquo PicShadab KhanWe are meeting to chat about Goelrsquos resort label celebrating its 20th anniversary Of this Jesia has been part of it for 18 years A social media campaign is being planned to celebrate the platinum milestone Photographed by Rohan Shrestha and styled by Anaita Adajania Shroff it stars Neetu Kapoor Mallaika Arora Preity Zinta Sussanne Khan Bhavana Pandey Mozez Singh and Jesia with daughters Myra and Mahikaa ldquoThe idea was to encapsulate the brandrsquos journey its past present and future My work gave me a community my friends and this campaign is an ode to themrdquo Goel declaresShe had her first brush with allthings glam when she worked with the designer to Bollywood stars Manish Malhotra She launched her own label in 2003 and quickly gained fans and customers showing her resort collections at fashion weeksAlso readOutside the textbookShe flirted briefly with Bollywood when she styled actor Preity Zinta in Salaam Namaste JaanEMann and The Last Lear ldquoI remember Su Surily as someone who started her design career with films and those experiences intuitively seeped into her earliest collectionsrdquo Jesia observes ldquoWe both love beach holidays Travel experiences inspired her to very quickly and successfully move from designing with a Bollywood mindset to designing clothes that have a free spirit and are made for travel or a party and not as fitted as ghagra cholis She stayed focused until she found her own voicerdquo Surily Goel and Myra RampalldquoI fell in love with sartorial wanderlust and the idea of freedom and fabric I am a gypset a gypsy who likes to travel wellrdquo adds Goel Here she hops a beat to credit Malhotra for encouraging her to pursue resort wear The everblooming destination wedding market also brings in steady business ldquoBut I am never the bride or the family I am the friend of the bride the fun friend who wants to stand outrdquo laughs Goel Play clothes and evening dresses the backbone of holiday wardrobes have become an important segment for most businesses ldquoWhen I started resort wear was a niche It is mainstream nowrdquo says Goel Led by the late Wendell Rodricks the resort crew in India included Monisha Jaising Malini Ramani Saviojon Fernandes and Goel ldquoMalini and I routinely got paired for shows since we shared a great synergyrdquo For nearly 20 years Ramani became the goto designer for those who craved a vitaminC boost of the WoodstockmeetsPushkar fairmeetsGoa flea market vibe In 2020 she announced her retirement from designing Historically Chanel was the first designer to introduce resort collections in 1919 It was a midseasonal course of loosefitting kaftan and tunic silhouettes and scandalously unsheathed dresses by Coco Chanel for the society brunch Later in 1949 Emilio Pucci would open his standalone boutique in Capri Italy He is credited as one of the first designers to create kaleidoscopic colour prints that became an instant hit with the jet setResort wear is suddenly everyonersquos business as the concept of holiday dressing began merging with everyday dressing While a decided loosening of the silhouette set the pace it was actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja who was possibly responsible for bringing a directional change in the resort narrative with the ultimate holiday mascot kaftan ldquoWhen Sonam wore a kaftan for her wedding afterparty everybody rushed to embrace the garment for special events I sell kaftans for Eid and I would happily dress in one for a Ganapati pujardquo says Goel That Instagramsavvy consumers are seeking out outfits for travelling and Portiarsquos Gen Z vacation wardrobe in The White Lotus HBO have colluded to create a yearround opportunity for designers and retailers ldquoSocial media has changed the game for fashionrdquo says the designer Goel displays nonchalance when asked if she is feeling backtoschool nerves ldquoFunnily no Because I am a part of this younger generation mentally I donrsquot mind saying that I like women who prioritise fitness They are motivated to look good for themselves I love making sexy clothes for them that is my language my thoughtprocess Why fix something that isnrsquot brokenrdquo Jesia gets the last word ldquoSurily brings a dash of masti by not taking fashion too seriouslyrdquoIn her own wordsMyra Rampal on modelling mother and moviesWho is your fashion role modelldquoItalian model Vittoria Ceretti I love her style because she makes sure she is comfortable in whatever she is wearing which is one of the key drivers for merdquoDo you turn to your supermodel mother for tipsldquoShe is my mum first I donrsquot see her as a supermodel She retired before I was born Having said that when I walked my first runway for the recent Dior show she offered a few tips I said okay chalo letrsquos do this But when I got the casting call they told me to unlearn everything I had learnedrdquoAny plans to join BollywoodldquoI am only 18 and my headspace is invested in runway modelling I want to stick with the ramp and hopefully move abroad to pursue it because I feel models are taken more seriously there I am not getting into acting that is my sisterrsquos Mahikaa dream Ramp is exciting I love the adrenaline rush before getting on the runway itrsquos akin to a rollercoaster riderdquo