“Buying vintage means finding something exclusive and interesting. ”
+ The Guess jeans corset is an all time favourite of mine. I’ve had it for more than 16 years. It’s satin, so as it wears out, the colour wears out and becomes more beautiful.
currentMood: Where does your sense of style come from?
Allia Al Rufai: Everywhere. From an early age I was influenced by street style and observing people from around the world.. I was obsessed with fashion. When I was eleven or twelve years old, I’d browse through every issue of Vogue I could get my hands on while travelling. And I’d want every single piece of high fashion in there. When I was fifteen, I remember staring at Harrods window
display, wanting a pair of Patrick Cox shoes. My mum obviously refused. Then this one time I was flying Etihad business class and I stole a striped blanket form them. Later, when I was looking at it, I remembered a striped skirt in my closet and ended up putting a look together and actually photographing it with the blanket. It can be the craziest of things, but you can get inspired from everywhere. So yeah my sense of style comes from a lot of different things.
+ The sunglasses belong to my mum and is over 20 years old. There are certain pieces from her closet that I’ve stolen and have now become a part of my wardrobe.
+ Fendi pants, SS’12
currentMood: Where did your interest in vintage fashion come from?
Allia Al Rufai: My mother. She was an extremely stylish lady and I remember just watching her and observing all the different looks that she’d put together. And loving all of that. In fact, I still have some of her stuff. The pleated skirts, the bow blouses, all of it..and you still see these styles coming back. So I think one of the main reasons for my love for vintage is my mother and watching her get dressed.
currentMood: Do you feel that mixing vintage pieces with regular clothes adds exclusivity to the look?
Allia Al Rufai: Of course! Buying vintage means finding something exclusive and interesting. It’s so inspiring – you find that one piece that’s just magic, to have and to take home. Also, the thing with vintage clothing is that you keep using it..it’s something that stays relevant even 20, 30, 40 years later. That’s what makes it unique and beautiful. You can contemporarize it, which is what we’ve done with this shoot and bring those styles back.
+ The gown was part of the H&M Margiela collection. It’s a collectors piece cause it’s a one off collaboration.
+ This iconic Céline clutch is a vintage collectors dream piece. I did a little dance outside the vintage shop in St.Tropez when I found it sitting there by the window.
currentMood: Why do you think India hasn’t embraced vintage fashion yet?
Allia Al Rufai: When you learn to love something and you appreciate design and appreciate the effort that goes into creating it, you develop an evolved mindset. You learn to love something irrespective of whether it’s been worn by somebody else or not. That’s the most important thing, and truly loving fashion more than anything else.
currentMood: Do you think Bollywood would be open to wearing vintage fashion?
Allia Al Rufai: I think the younger crop of celebrities would. They’re cool and quite progressive and fashionable. So it is possible, I don’t believe that its not. In fact I’m planning a look with Anushka soon, I hope she wears it. It depends on the celebrity. One needs to appreciate fashion in order to buy it, wear it and be photographed in it. I think the Indian way to introduce sustainability is through the sari. It’s something that everybody owns, it’s a family heirloom. It would be beautiful to use that.
+ The white Marni shirt is about 12 years old and a staple that’s grown and evolved with my style over the years. Its unique construction makes for an ageless piece that I see being current even 10 years from now.
currentMood: What are the best places to buy vintage clothes and accessories?
Allia Al Rufai: There’s a place in Paris called Pretty Box, which is where everyone from Oliver Rousting and other designers go to find unique things. Other treasure troves are Berlin, St. Tropez during summer and Shoreditch (London).
currentMood: Whats the oldest piece of clothing you own?
Allia Al Rufai: A Leivs t-shirt that I’ve had since I was ten. It’s a hand-me-down from my cousin brother. It says take anything but my 501’s. And now I wear it to sleep at night.
currentMood: What’s the one thing you wish you hadn’t thrown away?
Allia Al Rufai: To be honest, I haven’t thrown away things that I find beautiful and that I love. Although looking back, I think I should’ve keep some of my mothers clothes. I feel bad that I didn’t. She used to shop Dorothy Perkins when I was all of three years old, it had its own charm at that time. I really wish I’d saved some of her things. But unfortunately I was too young to know its value.
+ Allia’s mother (left)
+ Allia’s mother
currentMood: If your clothes or shoes rip, do you end up mending and reusing them or do you throw them?
Allia Al Rufai: Usually, if I love something and it’s not very expensive, I buy it in triples. If I can even dare to say that! I know it goes against everything sustainable. But yes, I’ve mended several pieces and worn them. I had a floral Cavalli gown that got stuck in one of my shoes when I’d worn it and the whole thing just ripped. I ended up fixing it and made something with it. So I definitely believe in mending and reusing things. Being a stylist, you have to be innovative with everything.
currentMood: Whats the oldest piece of clothing you own?
Allia Al Rufai: A Leivs t-shirt that I’ve had since I was ten. It’s a hand-me-down from my cousin brother. It says take anything but my 501’s. And now I wear it to sleep at night.
currentMood: What’s the maximum number of times you’ve repeated an outfit?
Allia Al Rufai: I have a pair of white Guess shorts in my closet that I literally live in during the summer. When I say I live, I mean I just change my top and I have the same shorts on. Those shorts have probably served me every summer for the past 12 years.
Interview, Creative Direction & Styling: currentMood
Photographer: Boa Campbell – @boacampbell
Art: Arunima Chauhan – @preteribo
Makeup: Nitti Goenka – @nittigoenka
Hair: Richard Joseph – @richie_reveal
Fashion Assistant: Sakshi Agrawal – @sakshiagrawal123
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