The Perennials

SHERINA DALAMAL
The elfin beauty is the best advertisement for her own fashion label. London-born-and-raised Sherina attended fashion school in the city before picking up knowledge of exquisite embroideries in Paris, blending the two to create an extension of her aesthetic sensibilities that lend a portion of her own charm and grace to any wearer. Comfort, she says, is overrated, and she worships at the altar of Coco Chanel, practising the ‘less is more’ idea and believing that fashion permeates every aspect of our lives.

NIAMAT BAKSHI
She’s a human rights lawyer who shatters your notion of the profession as fuddy-duddy. The petite Niamat embraces her stature wholeheartedly, having learnt not to pander to trends that make her look like an adolescent. Instead, she revels in gorgeous grown-up fashion that celebrates her body – Alexander McQueen, Peter Pilotto, Tom Ford and Haider Ackermann are all closet favourites. She all but lives in her J Brand jeans and Lanvin flats. It is a credit to her understanding of her body that she wasn’t overwhelmed by the sumptuous wedding lehenga that Rohit Bal created for her.

BHAWNA SHARMA
The sliver-thin model makes her love of fashion felt every time you see her. Sharma’s years on the runway have given her a keen appreciation of Indian fashion designers – Anamika Khanna, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Manish Arora, Tarun Tahiliani and Wendell Rodricks – designers with distinctly different aesthetics are all represented in her closet. In earlier conversations with Verve, she divulged that she hates being inappropriately dressed for any occasion, and from all we’ve seen of her, she’s never mis-stepped. Her passion for dressing up sees her going the whole hog, whether it is a traditional Indian wedding or an event that calls for a ball gown.

TOTAL RECALL
The fashionistas who featured in Verve’s Best Dressed List 2012

Anushka Menon, cutting-edge photographer

Bhawna Sharma, supermodel

Drashta Sarvaiya, fashion and jewellery designer

Ira Dubey, Bollywood’s rising star

Kalki Koechlin, maverick actor

Kangna Ranaut, Bollywood scene stealer

Kulsum Shadab Wahab, CEO of Hothur Charitable Trust

Laila Tyabji, custodian for Indian crafts

Neha Dhupia, former beauty queen

Niamat Bakshi, human rights lawyer

Payal Khandwala, fashion designer

Pernia Qureshi, fashion entrepreneur

Pia Singh, director of DLF group

Poorna Jagannathan, television star

Pratima Bhatia, fashion designer

Pushpanjali Chawla, luxury and retail consultant

Sabina Chopra, fashion consultant

Sameera Reddy, Bollywood arm candy

Sana Rezwan, fashion store owner

Sherina Dalamal, designer of glam cocktail attire

Shreyaa Singh, catering entrepreneur

Suhani Pittie, bespoke jewellery designer

GRANDE DAMES OF STYLE
Some of the eternally stylish, forever on the Verve list

Parmeshwar Godrej
Rita Dhody
Haseena Jethmalani
Feroze Gujral
Karisma Kapoor
Simone Singh
Sonam Kapoor
Kalyani Saha
Maithili Ahluwalia
Indrani Dasgupta
Sanchita Ajjampur