I log into Zoom a few minutes ahead of my chat with Priya Shukla, senior vice president of global communications and VIP dressing at Vera Wang, and spend the extra time lost in the same kind of scrolling that first led me to her Instagram six years ago. In that time, she’s welcomed her second daughter and styled Zendaya in Vera Wang countless times. Fresh off the 2024 Emmys, where her client Anna Sawai bagged the Best Actress award for Shōgun, she’s had a whirlwind week. Yet, her warmth is instant and her attention to detail is sharp as a tack—within moments of joining our call, she’s even asked for the details of my lipstick.
A fixture on New York’s fashion scene, Shukla joined Vera Wang in 2006 as her executive assistant and rose through the ranks at the iconic house. Fashion is irrefutably central to her life—a fact not lost on her inner circle, industry peers, or the 94k Instagram followers who watch her every sartorial move. Even her celebrity clients, like Khloé Kardashian, Mindy Kaling, and Issa Rae, can’t help but gush over her looks in the comments. Always perfectly turned out for any event, Shukla says, “It’s innate. Celebrating means dressing the part. I feel like I’ve dishonoured the host if I’m not well turned out.”
A single week of her calendar puts my social life for a whole year to shame. Her days might include attending a fashion show (front-row seats, of course), mingling at Central Park’s annual hat luncheon, hobnobbing with celebrity friends at a Met Gala party, maybe even a quick getaway to the sun-soaked south of France. Through it all, there’s an inherent expectation of her, which she never fails to fulfil, to be impeccably styled. “I’ve got it down to a science. Depending on the event, theme, or season, I mentally plan my outfits for the week. Before I travel, I photograph complete looks, with the shoes I intend to wear, rather than tossing random things into my suitcase.”
Shukla’s first fashion memory is of a navy blue sari dripping with Swarovski crystals that her mother wore to a sangeet in their hometown of Sydney. “I was nine and already hoping it would be mine one day.” As a second-generation immigrant, her personal style is a mashup of influences—there’s the laidback athleticism of Sydney, the fanfare of Indian dressing, and a penchant for sleek, architectural pieces and the colour black that hints at her current home, New York. The preference for black is also the result of her years working at Vera Wang. “It’s not a mandate, but it’s Vera’s aesthetic, and the team naturally follows. But who says you can’t have fun with it through shape or texture?” she asks, standing up to reveal a fringed Stella McCartney skirt in inky noir.
Her two-decade-long tenure with Wang has given Shukla a ringside view of the designer’s genius in motion. “I’ve watched her play with proportions and create pieces that might not have ‘hanger appeal,’ but once draped, they’re incredible.” I ask if any aspect of her wardrobe has been subconsciously influenced by Wang herself. She laughs, revealing her obsession with exaggerated sleeves. “My friends joke about it. They call me Sleevey Wonder.”
