Exclusive interview! Kunal Rawal: When you’re dressing Shahid Kapoor, who is also a close friend, the stakes are high

Shahid Kapoor, who turns a year older today, had a splendid time at the box office with his last outing, 'Kabir Singh' and will be looking at repeating the feat with his next film, 'Jersey' which will hit theatres this year. While the birthday boy is being inundated with calls and messages and birthday wishes on social media, ETimes called up his designer-friend Kunal Rawal to find out how it was dressing the actor for his wedding day.

Kunal, who had been styling the actor for his films as well as events, admits that he felt a lot of pressure when asked to curate a look for the groom. “My most memorable experience to date with a groom was designing and creating a wedding wardrobe for Shahid. I felt pressure like never before, but the good kind. When you’re dressing the youngest superstar of the country, who is also a close friend, the stakes are high," he laughs.
Talking about the look, the designer reveals, “At that time, I was just foraying into occasion wear, but Shahid’s trust in my team and me made the end product so much better. We decided to go with all-over French knots, tone-on-tone threadwork, and no brooches, feathers, or any of the conventional frills of groom's wear. A few years ago, grooms-wear was visually very magician like–with a lot of shine and shimmer. And can we forget the sword and jewellery, please!"
However, Kunal is happy with the way groom-wear has evolved. "There has been a palpable change; clothes for grooms have become far more relatable and opulent now. Its richness lies in details and quality, rather than outward flashiness. This will always be one of my fondest memories because the risk was worthwhile and the final look surpassed our expectations,” he concludes.