Living And Loving Loud!

BY AIDEN JEWELLE GONZALES

*All photos were taken at Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit.

Style is a very personal thing,” Anushka ‘Annie’ Sethi Saluja tells me, as she slips on eye-catching, feathered shoes in fuchsia. “While I like to know what’s in trend, if something is currently considered ‘out’ and I think it looks good on me, I’d still wear it!” she adds with a laugh. Having known her for years and seen daily evidence of her idiosyncratic looks in a riot of colour and patterns that somehow still look chic and aspirational, I can personally attest to the fact that Annie practices what she preaches. And if anyone is a different face of the same coin, it’s her husband, Karan Saluja, whose personality, smile, and style is larger than life; I’d call them two peas in a pod if they didn’t live too loud for any pod to hold
them. Karan admits with a rueful chuckle, “Honestly, before this article, I didn’t see myself as a trendsetter of any kind. I always dressed with the thought, ‘let’s see how loud I can get before someone remarks on it!’”

“I love how loud his style can be though,” Annie says with clear fondness. “It’s loud but classy, and you can’t help but admire it.”

“I enjoy being an accessory to my beautiful wife,” Karan laughs. “She can make everything look good, including me!”

Both born and brought up in Thailand, Annie works in Digital Marketing and Karan is in the events planning business, and they recently tied the knot. Having seen them grow closer over the years, they’ve obviously changed each other in small and significant ways, and their fashion is no exception. When asked about their changes in style over the years, Annie reveals, “Since I was around two, I’d always enjoyed dressing up and having fun with my clothes, mixing and matching things. As I
grew up, I realised I didn’t need to follow fashion trends, and I can wear whatever tickles my fancy. I have no one style – it ranges from girly to baggy, to something a bit more glammed up. I love trying different styles, clothing and cuts. I will say though, after meeting Karan, I now have more sneakers than I’ve ever had before!”

“I used to be larger than I am now, and as I grew up, I found that I couldn’t find my size in Thailand,” Karan tells me. “So I never bothered with style because if I could fit into something, I’d buy the same item in all the colours. Now, I’ve realised that bespoke clothing is the way to go, and I’ve lost weight so I can experiment with more. Annie’s given me more confidence to express myself in ways I didn’t before, and I have so much more colour in my life, both literally and figuratively! I also would’ve worn shorts everywhere I can in life, but that’s definitely changed now, and I love it.”

When asked what brands they’d pick, Annie answers, “I pick stuff up from anywhere and everywhere, from talaads or thrift stores, to more mainstream brands like Zara, Mango, Lynn Around, Stradivarius and Urban Revival.” Meanwhile, Karan tells me, “Uniqlo is cheap cheerful, and Anoki from India have a lot of cool and funky prints. Because I tend to prefer bespoke clothing, Narry Bespoke Tailors are my tailor of choice. Chandan Suriya-Amrit, the co-owner, is a dear friend and he takes care of my fashion needs. I also love my juttis and my sneakers!”

RAPID-FIRE STYLE ROUND
If you had to wear the wardrobe of only one Bollywood actor/actress for a whole week, who would it be and why?
Annie: Sonam Kapoor, her wardrobe is fantastic, with different cuts, colours, and a lot of experimentation.
Karan: Bappi Lahiri because I want to wear all those gold chains just for the heck of it. Chunky Panday and Govinda because they have their own sense of style that’s effortlessly cool.

What’s one fashion trend that you hope never comes back in style?
Karan: Bell-bottom pants!
Annie: Low-waisted pants for men, for sure.

If you could dress each other up for a themed party, what theme would you choose
and why?
Karan: Power rangers!
Annie: Yes they’re form-fitting and they’re colourful, what’s not to love?

What’s one item of clothing of your partners’ that you’d get rid of, if you could?
Annie: Just one? [Laughs] Firstly, his favourite USC pants that he’s had since the first day we’ve started dating! They’re so old and they’re torn!
Karan: Her old pyjamas just coz she got rid of mine. I will say, I bought her a pair of pyjamas that she hated and that she now loves so we can all learn a thing or two from each other!

If you could describe the other person’s sense of style in three words, what would they be?

Karan: Vibrant, ever-changing and awesome.
Annie: Spirited, self-expressive, and original.