Best Dressed 2017: Lakshmi Menon And Her Proximity To Her Inner Diva At All Times

Blouse, by Derek Lam; jeans, from Onomichi Denim Project; wristwatch, from Cartier; gold rings, vintage.

Supermodel; Goa

Personal style
To put forward a sense of individualism while attempting to maintain a state of grace and elegance, keeping in mind the time and place that it is being expressed in.

Will never be seen in
OTT make-up and bejewelled wristwatches.

First brush with fashion
‘Le Smoking’ – a portrait of a model smoking a cigarette in an Yves Saint Laurent suit on Rue Aubriot, Paris ’75, taken by the maestro Helmut Newton. I was absolutely captivated by the androgynous elegance in the picture.

Trend you love to sport
I don’t follow trends. In contrast, I do believe in building a wardrobe.

Jeans, from Onomichi Denim Project; oxford shoes, from Louis Vuitton; wristwatch, from Cartier. Hand embroidered mandarin collar shirt and gold rings, both vintage.

Style icons
There are so many who are iconic – Gayatri Devi, Indira Gandhi, Audrey Hepburn, Lauren Hutton – all of whom had or have an immaculate and an individual sense of style. And then I encounter so many women in my everyday life who exude great elegance.

Looking forward to wearing
A pair of blue jeans, always.

Dressing to feel powerful and feminine
We’re all made of both feminine and masculine energies. I don’t think wearing anything, in particular, makes me feel feminine, or masculine for that matter. It’s a state of mind, a way of being.

Fashion as a tool to change people’s perceptions
I would use my intellect, wit and charm if ever I needed to change people’s perception of me.

Label love
I don’t believe in labels, but I do admire certain people who are their creators. Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, Ramesh Nair, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Savio Jon, are people who keep pushing their boundaries of expression.