If you’ve got used to seeing Salman Khan in formal blazers, weekend after weekend in Bigg Boss, then having him breaking the routine over the weekend with a casual avatar must have come as a welcome change. It’s because this year, the channel has asked his designer, Ashely Rebello, to give him formals on Saturdays and jackets and jeans on Sundays. “Luckily, people have loved what Salman wore last weekend. So, I will be giving him a one-piece suit jacket with a semi-casual stylish shirt on Saturdays and denims, T-shirts, with jackets (denim or leather) on Sundays,” says Ashley.

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# Extreme reactions

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Ashley points out that dressing up Salman for the show for the last seven years has garnered extreme reactions. He receives flak as well as flowers. Deciding the look each year includes choosing from the current trend and colours in vogue, which often backfires. “People don’t understand that and make strange comments. This year, I haven’t received any negative remarks yet. Last year, people liked his style, but they thought it was monotonous,” says the ace designer.

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# Suits him fine

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About his choice of only suits even though the vibe of the show is not quite formal, Ashley says, “It’s what the channel wants and is about dressing Salman stylishly, while maintaining his vibe. One needs to understand that he’s 52 and not 25. Jeans and jackets are not his style anymore. Suits talk about his personality,” says Ashley. The designer has also not moved away from the suits even though Salman, more often than not, takes them off mid-show. He smiles, “It still looks cool and stylish, so I suppose the channel doesn’t object either.”

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# A new look every year

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For every season of Bigg Boss, Ashley gives Salman a new look after receiving the channel’s brief that the designer has to go with, post discussions. “In the first two years, the audiences saw him only in jeans, T-shirts, and leather jackets. So they asked me to change his style and I gave him suits, semi suits, jackets, his look from Tiger etc. Then they said give him coloured jackets; I did that, but received flak for it,” he says, alluding to maroon-red ombre, olive green, blue with bright red print jackets. (ALSO READ – Did Salman Khan’s designer Ashley Rebello just LEAK his and Katrina Kaif’s looks from Tiger Zinda Hai? View pic)

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Ashley admits that it’s a challenge for him to style Salman year after year and also adds pressure on him. “There’s pressure with every film I do with him, too. For instance, people asked me why I gave him ill-fitting pants for Tubelight. I need to remind them that I had the director’s brief and he played a slow person and not Salman Khan,” says the designer.

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# Shrugging criticism off

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All the criticism Ashely receives doesn’t perturb him, though. He says, “It used to bother me when I was young. But like Salman, I have matured. I know what looks good irrespective of what anybody says. Is there anything that can’t look good on him? People say he looks good even in shorts and a gunjee.” Just like him, Salman doesn’t pay attention to criticism either. “Whenever I tell him that people haven’t liked his look, he asks me, ‘You think it looks good, na? Then why are you bothered?’” As long as Salman is not unhappy, it doesn’t affect Ashley what others have to say.

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# All the restriction

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“I can’t give him small checks, whites, stripes, or Houndstooth suits because they all jitter on screen. Linen fabric is ruled out because it gets crumpled and looks bad by the end of the episode. I’d love to dress him up in these and make him look cool but there are restrictions. And given that, I think I do a fantastic job,” he smiles. (ALSO READ – Malaika Arora, Waluscha De Sousa and Amrita Arora Ladakh turn muses for Ashley Rebello’s bridal collection – Read EXCLUSIVE interview)

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# No Fuss Salman

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Styling Salman is never a hassle because the actor is very open to suggestions, Ashley tells us. Of course, the actor does dislike the clothes at times but it takes just about two trials before the look is finalised. At home, Salman is happiest in his shorts and T-shirts while for a casual outing, it’s denims and tees. “When it comes to formals, he wears jackets and ties only if he absolutely has to or it’s a formal shirt with trousers. He likes his pants to be well-fitting and worn out with a slight flair at the bottom. It looks nice on him because it gives him stature and makes him look taller.” Ashley also uses monochrome colours on the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor, like black on black, grey on grey, taupe on taupe, etc. “One tonal quality looks nice on him and gives him elegance,” he says.

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# His favourites

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Salman doesn’t really give Ashley inputs on style. He likes easy clothes like softer T-shirts and more relaxed fit trousers and is averse to heavy embroidery, or prints or too much textured fabric. “He likes everything simple and nice,” says Ashley. The actor has a special fondness for black, midnight blue and military green colours and has a great passion for shoes. Even though he’s not fussy, you won’t often catch him in pinks and light purples. Ashley says, “I try when I want him to wear something different but he gives me that look and says no,” he laughs, “Times like those, sometimes he wins and sometimes I do.” From all the looks that Ashley has designed for him, Salman complimented him for the tight-fitting uniform in Dabangg that became a rage and his look for Tiger Zinda Hai the most.

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