Maheep Kapoor: You go girl!

There’s an air of ‘can-do’ which the sassy Maheep Kapoor exudes as she passionately talks about her new luxe atelier — Bandra 190, which she conceptualised and founded with BFFs Sussanne Roshan and Seema Khan. “Three of us have been involved with every minute aspect.

We three have given birth to it. God has been kind and we couldn’t have asked for a better opening. Seema and Sussanne are my best friends and they are supremely talented. I have a closet full of Seema’s clothes and a living room full of Sussanne’s pieces. These are women who I truly look up to and respect. They are mothers, working women and very focused,” says she with a hint of pride. 

Inspired by NYC’s SoHo district the six-storey luxury boutique offers everything from one-of-a-kind furniture pieces to international fashion and accessories labels for both men and women besides jewellery.

The Power puff girls 
“We all are very headstrong, passionate and determined. We had so many ideas. And let me tell you this is not the only Bandra 190. We’re going to open in town and also in New Delhi. This is just the beginning.”

Sussanne’s rough patch
One’s keen to ask her if the upheavals in Sussanne’s personal life affected the seamless flow of work?  “Not at all! Our personal lives never came to work. We were so focused that often I had to tell Seema and Sussanne – ‘can we talk about something else other than Bandra190 for five minutes?’” I prod her to share if she helped Sussanne cope with the turmoil in her personal life and she’s quick to evade the question.  “Listen I don’t want to talk about their personal lives.”

The Bandra 190 woman
“She’s independent, unique, wants to stand out and has a mind of her own. I want to cater to these women. We’ve got it all under one roof.”

Flirtation with jewellery
“My daughter inspires me to design. I like to design pieces which are classic and can be passed on from one generation to another. I don’t like to make trendy pieces. My chaand balis have been a hot seller. I’m also inspired by the Mughal era in the jewellery history. In fact on my wedding I wore my grandmother’s jewellery and those rare pieces are not even made today.” 

Braving the fashion police
“I wear what I feel comfortable in. I’ve been criticised many a times for the outfits I have worn. It used to really hurt me and I would get upset. 

“Not at all! Our personal lives never came to work. We were so focussed that often I had to tell Seema and Sussanne – ‘can we talk about something else other than Bandra190 for five minutes?’” I prod her to share if she helped Sussanne cope with the turmoil in her personal life and she’s quick to evade the question.  “Listen I don’t want to talk about their personal lives.”

The Bandra 190 woman
“She’s independent, unique, wants to stand out and has a mind of her own. I want to cater to these women. We’ve got it all under one roof.”

Flirtation with jewellery
“My daughter inspires me to design. I like to design pieces which are classic and can be passed on from one generation to another. I don’t like to make trendy pieces. My chaand balis have been a hot seller. I’m also inspired by the Mughal era in the jewellery history. In fact, on my wedding I wore my grandmother’s jewellery and those rare pieces are not even made today.” 

Braving the fashion police
“I wear what I feel comfortable in. I’ve been criticised many a times for the outfits I have worn. It used to really hurt me and I would get upset. I would love to meet these women who are commenting and maybe I’ll have one-two words about that. I’ve always been told – ‘whether good or bad - publicity is good.’”

Shoe fetish
“I have worn heels so much that my feet have been a mess. I had to get my toe operated also which looked like scooped out corn. However, I still wear heels. Christian Louboutin is a genius and his shoes are supremely sexy and make every women look so polished. We’re doing a March opening with him. A shoe closet was the first thing I wanted when I was doing up my house. I do give grudgingly a lot of them to my sisters but I don’t like parting with my shoes.”     

Secret to a great party
“My friends are so comfortable that if they are hungry they’d walk into my kitchen, take a plate and eat. It’s like their home. Sanjay and I love entertaining. My mother-in-law’s food is to die for. She makes the best payas and mutton pulao. We never do catering from outside. We always serve home cooked food.”