Page 89 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 4 | April - May 2024

YOU SHINE BRIGHTER THAN THE STARS

It’s date night, and Annie is resplendent in a Lynn Around baby doll dress in gold,
with copper floral detailing and striking red shoes from Everbest, earrings from
Style is a very personal thing,” Anushka House of D’oro, a purse from Dune and makeup by Allisa Watthanaphokhinkul.
‘Annie’ Sethi Saluja tells me, as she slips on eye-catching, Meanwhile, Karan stays dapper with a dress shirt from The Angrish, with leopard
feathered shoes in fuchsia. “While I like to know what’s print detailing, bespoke trousers, and Gucci shoes to match.
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!”

*All photos were taken at
Bangkok Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit.