Of Old-World Ambience

A master of all, James Ferreira does it splendidly so. Fashion design, interior design and food. He lays out fabulous spreads at his heritage home for guests. Into James’ abode we go...

Text & Photographs: Farzana Contractor

When you have the flair for designing, the creative ability you possess allows you to express yourself in all forms of design, should you choose to do so. The talented James Ferreira is so passionate and motivated by all things beautiful, he is unstoppable. He pursues his instincts so fully it is remarkable. You’ve heard of Jack of all trades, but in James, we have a Master of all trades. Fashion designer, interior designer and cook, he excels at all.

Ever since he was five, James knew he wanted to design clothes. His stylish and elegant mother was his inspiration. As a toddler he would cling on to her and go to the seamstress, every time she would, for her trials. “I can’t tell you how exciting that was for me. Those days Bombay’s fashion scene was dominated by Jewish fashion designers. My mother – Thelma de Almeida whose ancestors were working with the government of the day (Portuguese) from 1635 to 1661 (when the Portuguese handed Bombay to the British and left for Goa) – was known to be among the most stylish women of her time. She was simply beautiful and loved to wear evening gowns. An elaborate affair, there used to be at least four trials for each of these dresses and I still remember the names of my mum’s favourite designers; Madame Guleb, Madame Heim, Madame Pope and Madame Pompadour.”

James was a cranky, ‘girlie-boy’ as he describes himself. He loved to do the ballet with a tall ‘70s lamp shade and play ‘wedding-wedding’ and conduct fashion shows at home, but he would not go to school if his mum did not go along and sit outside his class where he could see her. That is from 9 am to 11 am, when the short recess bell would ring. After which the teachers would take him away to the staff room and feed him cakes and biscuits while the mum slipped away. “Yaaa, I was so spoiled. I became a teachers’ pet eventually. And my mum got the title of the best dressed mother!” This was at St. Xaviers School at Dhobi Talao.

When he reached senior school his dad put his foot down when it came to him pursuing fashion designing. So James simply forged his signature and got admission for the Foundation Course at the JJ School of Art. And faced his father’s wrath when he made the confession at Rosary time at home that evening.

 “My childhood was magical. We lived at Kurla in a beautiful house on the hill called Celestino Villa. This was my mother’s family estate. The house had a huge terrace and we were surrounded by vast fields, with a waterfall on one side, a home farm at the back, with many farm animals in it. At the bottom of the hill was a carriage hall.”

 “I must tell you another story. In 1961, when Queen Elizabeth came visiting Bombay, her schedule included a visit to the Doshi car factory around there. Her entourage passed our villa where we, adults and kids, were all standing and waving to her from the gazebo at the bottom. And guess what!? On her way back she stopped at our home and had a 10-minute chat with my mum!”

The Almeidas owned 1 lakh acres of land stretching from Sion to the current Aarey Milk Colony, including the Kalina side of the airport, all of which was unfortunately confiscated when the Land Ceiling Act came into existence in 1947.

The Ferreira kids, all eight of them, did enjoy a wonderful life. At Kurla and also Gorai where their father’s side of the family had their own acres of land right on the beach! Gorai is known to be an East Indian bastion.

James went to London to work with Zandra Rhodes. This was around 1980. When he returned to India he joined Kishore Bajaj’s Bada Saab and went on to design film costumes. Rocky was the first movie. With Sanjay Dutt and Tina Munim (Ambani). Followed by many others including Shahenshah starring Amitabh Bachchan. “Mr Bachchan is among the finest of men,” says James. “We know,” I reply.

After the Bada Saab stint, 14 years long actually, James went ahead and launched his own label, never to look back. James’ designs are appealing to the bohemian chic the world over today.

This man has lived a happy and gay life. Living it to the hilt. As famous as he is for his fashion sense, he is as notorious for throwing the wildest parties while he lived in Bandra during his Bada Saab days. “What to do, I was making quite a lot of money and loved spending it on my friends and these weekly parties, so I did!”

Then James moved back into his father’s ancestral home, a charming cottage at Khotachiwadi at Girgaum, about 30 years ago and continued his ‘work hard and party hard’, lifestyle. Models and photographers and fashion writers formed the bulk of his guest list. Once here he  promoted Khotachiwadi with tremendous zeal. It’s his heritage, he says, his culture, his cuisine, which he wants to protect.

While James’ mannerisms give the appearance of being laidback, he isn’t really… He has a mind which is furiously working at all times. He knows what he is about. He has his sight set on his purpose. Speaking softly in his inimitable way, he says, “I hate drifters. They make me angry. I mean how can you sit doing nothing!” So, in keeping, James is constantly doing something or the other.

These days, alongside the James Ferreira Label, which is his couture arm, James is into helping restore palaces in Chhattisgarh, for the Maharani of Kawarahda. In July he is scheduled to go to France to recce a chateaux in Lancy, outside Paris. He has done home interiors for quite a few people and loves the liberty of doing so. His keen eye for art and artifacts, carpets and lamps and lace all help him indulge in that endeavour.

His love for acquiring beautiful pieces started when he was barely a teenager. Collecting ‘old’ things began as a hobby when he would run away to Chor Bazaar at the crack of dawn on Friday mornings to rummage through the wares on display for sale, on the pavements. Chor Bazaar which has now almost disappeared, no thanks to the gigantic construction upheaval in the Bhendi Bazaar area where it is situated, was a haven for collectors. Young James would buy whatever caught his fancy and then come home to hide his loot under the bed, where his parents would not find it. Today, eclectic picture frames, ancient vases, unique bric-a-brac adorn his Khotachiwadi cottage and are subject for innumerable conversations. My most favourite collectible of James, is a toran which has been crocheted (by some Parsi woman) incorporating tiny sepia-toned photo cards of famous actors, actresses, socialites, which used to come in Capstan and Bristol cigarette packs, decades ago. James bought this from a bhangarwala and had it pressed in between glass on a dividing panel.

These and many such stories you will hear recounted by James at his home, should you choose to book a table at his newest creative indulgence. Since the past year, James, who is a great cook and whom we featured in UpperCrust 22 years ago, has been hosting dinners at home – for a price. It can be a sit-down dinner for up to 14 people which is conducted in the dining room downstairs or a buffet party upstairs for up to 40 people. The cuisine is East Indian. The menu culled from his mother’s handwritten recipe book.

On this occasion, Shaan Khattau, holistic psychotherapist, hosted a dinner for her friends where James cooked a four-course meal, all plated and ready for you to eat. Prawn Poorich on Sannasi, Duck Moilee in East Indian Pancakes, Mutton Vindaloo with Fuggeyas and Biscuit & Mixed Nut with Guava Cheese Layered Cake.   

How come James loves cooking so much? “We always had a great table at home. My love for good food started early on. But when I was with Zandra Rhodes in London, I had a cousin who lived in Amsterdam who would fly down each weekend and teach me one dish. I really learnt a lot then,” says James.

When James talks about food and childhood, you must also understand that his father’s business was catering. Not just any catering but catering at a high level for the discerning traveller. When the British set up the Peninsular Line, the first railway line in India, from Bombay to Delhi, the catering in the grand dining cars and in waiting rooms was undertaken by the Ferreiras. It was a four-course meal that would be served, with appropriate alcoholic beverages.

“They are great memories. Until I was 16, I think, we would travel everywhere from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in our own bogie, attached to whichever train! And if we were somewhere and my mother looked out of the window and said, ‘How lovely it looks here!’, my father would have our bogie detached and we would be shunted off to a yard and parked there until we were ready to go somewhere again!,” he recalls.

Like James said, he did have a magical life. And in his own way he continues to create his own magic. He keeps himself busy all the time, that’s his mainstay, “I love fabric, agriculture and architecture. And I love to keep my mind and my hands working, that’s what I will do, till the very end.”

Ferreira House

47/G Khotachiwadi Trail, 1st Lane, Khotachiwadi, Ambewadi, Girgaon, Mumbai 400004