What brings them together? Do they always see eye to eye? Is their style in sync? Armed with these questions and more, we reached out to five very diverse mother-daughter duos from the Nykaa team. And after many heartwarming exchanges we were left with one conclusion – it’s a bond like no other..

Falguni and Adwaita Nayar

Business smarts isn’t the only thing that Adwaita Nayar inherits from her mother.
On common interests: When they aren’t discussing what’s next for Nykaa, they can be spotted watching sunsets and setting off on adventures together. “We’ve taken some really nice trips, just the two of us – we went to Benaras one year, then Paris and Kochi for the biennale,” says Falguni.
On their style: What Adwaita admires most about her mother is the ease with which she wears her saris to work (and around the world). “Since I was little, I always watched her put her saris on for work, everywhere we lived – US, London and even now. It would be amazing if I could learn how to drape saris and wear them to work too but I’ve not been brave enough to do so,” she says.
On sharing wardrobes: “I usually borrow her jewellery and bags,” says Adwaita. “When I think about it, I’m amazed by how good an eye she has for jewellery. With time, she’s collected so many stunning pieces from different stores and from different corners of the world.”
On shopping together: In an effort to make her daughter’s style more free-spirited Falguni frequently shops for her. From a recent trip to Mexico, she returned with a statement beaded bangle. “I want her to have variety in her wardrobe, so I always pick eclectic pieces for her,” she says. But funnily enough, fashion doesn’t feature high on their list of priorities, when they holiday together. “We are really lousy shoppers”, laughs Adwaita. “We walk out of the stores just as quickly as we walk in.”
On their go-to labels: Cos, Maje and Sandro are some of the labels that are commonplace in their closets. “We go to the same stores wherever we travel,” says Falguni.
On keepsakes: With Adwaita’s wedding on the cards, Falguni is steadily working towards curating a collection of saris for her. “I love heirloom saris like garas, patolas, bandhanis, Paithanis and Benarasis. I have collected so many of these for her and I can’t wait to give them to her when she gets married.”

Oona Dhabhar and Shenaya Lalljee

For 16-year-old Shenaya Lalljee, her mom is her closest friend and confidante.
On common interests: “I’m at work and she’s been busy studying, so we get to see fairly little of each other but the time that we do spend together, we make sure we’re not distracted by anything else,” says Oona. Their quality time is made up of breakfasts in Kala Ghoda and walks where they discuss everything under the sun (life lessons and Game of Thrones spoilers included). “We’re also a family of foodies, that’s another thing we have in common,” she adds.
On their style: If food is what they bond over, fashion is what they disagree over. Shenaya steers clear of her mother’s supersized necklaces and Oona wouldn’t be caught dead in distressed denims or sweatpants outside the house. “She wears a lot of statement jewellery and neon. My style is more casual. I like plain colours and wear sneakers with everything,” says Shenaya.
On sharing wardrobes: They may not see eye-to-eye on wardrobe choices but there’s one thing that Oona will always be Shenaya’s go-to source for. “I don’t usually wear heels so I take my mother’s. I love her shoes.”
On shopping together: The two have very distinct shopping personalities. Oona, they admit, is the decisive one and Shenaya takes her time to mull over her buys. “She helps me shop, especially at COS, but I don’t particularly enjoy doing the same,” laughs Oona.
On their go-to labels: From American Eagle to Forever 21 and of course Vans for her sneaker collection, Shenaya likes labels typical to teenagers. For Oona, it’s a mix of high-street and homegrown. “I absolutely love COS, River Island, New Look and Zara. In Indian designers, I own pieces from Cord, some amount of Ikat from Translate, Khara Kapas and The Plavate,” she says.
On keepsakes: “The one thing that any Parsi would pass down to their daughter is the garas. It goes from generation to generation,” says Oona

Lolita and Piya Shivdasani

Piya Shivdasani follows in her designer mothers’ fashionable footsteps in more ways than one.
On common interests: Their close bond is fueled by a shared love for fashion and travel. “It’s just been the two of us for a long time. She is a designer so we discuss clothes a fair bit. We also do these mother-daughter holidays where she tells me that she’s booked a honeymoon for us,” says Piya.
On their style: “My mother is always very put together from her nails to her outfits,” she adds. And while the failsafe formula of white shirts and tailored trousers has long forged the foundation of Lolita’s wardrobe, Piya, she tells us, is braver when it comes to her style. “She’s more eclectic and knows how to mix and match her clothes. She also wears lots of high heels, which I would never try!”
On sharing wardrobes: It’s not clothes, but her mother’s growing collection of accessories that Piya routinely raids. “She always steals my bags,” laughs Lolita.
On shopping together: The avid online shoppers admit to filling their free time by curating wish lists together. They also regularly run potential purchases past each other. “Quite often when I see stuff that is of interest to her, either I’ll buy it for her or share it with her and ask her if she’s interested in having it. I shop for her frequently,” says Lolita.
On their go-to labels: A dose of Dries van Noten, a ton of Theory and slew of separates from Stella McCartney sums it up for Piya. “I used to work at Theory and I like Stella McCartney because she’s sustainable. Her pieces last long.” Lolita, on the other hand, is always on the search for the newest label to add to her already extensive stock of saris. “I recently discovered this label called Swati and Sunaina. They make these saris that follow age-old traditionsof weaving and design. They really are one-of-a-kind!”
On keepsakes: Out of the many things that her mother has passed down to her, a samurai-style waist coat is what Piya cherishes most. “It has these big warrior-like sleeves. I bring it out for special moments.” When asked if there’s anything else she’s currently eyeing, she’s quick to answer. “There is but if I say it, she’ll just end up giving it to me!”

Rekha and Tanvi Koshy

“It’s like I have a lifetime-long subscription to Ted Talks by mother,” says Tanvi summing up their love-hate relationship.
On common interests: “I think it’s always hysterical when somebody slips up. We’ve got an evil sense of humor,” says Rekha. “That and food brings us together.”
On their style: “I think the biggest takeaway from my mother’s style is to never overdo it and not to chase a trend just because it’s a trend, see if it works for your body,” reflects Tanvi, who according to Rekha, has recently learnt to cut through the clutter. “Since she started working, her eye for fashion has gotten more refined. She’s able to pick out what works for her. I love that her style has evolved into an understated one.”
On sharing wardrobes: The duo find themselves rummaging through each other’s closets for tops on the daily. “Just this morning her Ahilya kurta was in my closet and she came looking for it. After pulling out almost three other kurtas she found hers and only then left,” says Tanvi.
On shopping together: Thanks to their in-house fashion critic, they scarcely struggle with shopping, “We have an in-house Anna Wintour – my dad! If he approves a look, my mother just has to get it. Even though he understands nothing about fashion, my mum would have me take his approval all the time!”
On their go-to labels: While Tanvi veers towards high-street labels like Zara and Massimo Dutti, Rekha’s style is defined by names closer to home, “I love Ritu Kumar because her pieces wear well and the crepes don’t get crushed when you travel. Ahilya is another go-to for fabulous Indian wear, Kaveri and Good Earth Sustain for there breathable pieces and lastly Payal Khandwala for her timelessness.”
On keepsakes: The six-yard staple sourced from several states is what’s coming Tanvi’s way. “She has been curating unique saris from Bengal, Chennai and other states for some time now and I want to inherit all of them! I’m like her mini-me so I know I’ll look good in them,” says Tanvi.

Jeenoo and Isha Khakhar

Their uncanny resemblance and likeminded loyalty for labels will have you mistaking them for sisters.
On common interests: “I think just having conversations with each other about everything without any filters brings us together, just like friends do. But if I had to be more specific, it would be makeup, fashion and travel,” says Isha.
On their style: Jeenoo, who tends to favour timeless over on-trend, hasn’t quite gotten around to understanding her daughter’s obsession with crop tops. “My constant advice to my daughter is to stay classy. That being said, she’s always been very fashion conscious. She has found her own style which I really love,” says Jeenoo.
On sharing wardrobes: “I’m always taking her bags and watches. I can’t have enough bags so I’m always taking hers in addition to mine,” says Isha.
On shopping together: Before she steps into a shop, Jeeno already knows exactly what she’s going to walk out with but the same can’t be said about Isha. “I take forever to decide what I want to buy. I have to find the perfect piece. I change a million times before heading out of the house.”
On their go-to labels: For the mother and daughter, it’s all about a balance between heavyweight and street labels. “We have pieces from Reiss, Karen Millen, Lovers + Friends, TopShop, Miss Selfridges, Quiz Clothing, River Island, Dune, Zara in our closets,” says Jeenoo.
On keepsakes: “Isha is getting married soon and I would love for her to have some of my heirloom jewellery pieces that my mum passed down to me when I got married,” says Jeenoo.