Style according to you is…

A very personal affair. My mood is often reflected by the clothes that I wear.

Five items in your closet you can’t do without

Good innerwear, my designer socks, Palestinian scarves, which are large cotton scarves mostly in black and white, my jackets and my Patiala salwars (which are cut from 7m fabric).

Most extravagant buy

A pair of YSL shades that cost me a bomb.

What kind of a shopper are you?

I’m an impulsive shopper and if I really like something, I can’t stop myself from buying it. I have a fixation for accessories like finger rings, pendants and hair- care products.

Your favourite shopping destinations

London, Paris and Paharganj in Delhi. London for those vintage curios and other knick-knacks, Paris for the fashion labels and Paharganj for juttis and silver jewellery.

You have a fetish for

I love hand fans. I have collected all kinds — from the simple pankis (the rural hand fans) to the exotic ones made famous by Chinese restaurants!

Favourite accessories

Silver ornaments, socks and shoes.

How would you describe your closet — well-organised and spanking clean or dreadfully cluttered?

I have converted a room into a walk-in closet and devote a lot of time organising what goes into it.

Latest buys

A ring from jewellery designer Eina Ahluwalia and a Dev R Nil tweed jacket.

If money was no object, what would you add to your closet?

Mulberry’s leather bags and the entire range of Linda Farrow eyewear.

The trend you are sporting at the moment

Currently I’m enjoying merging silhouettes — that’s wearing different layers of garments but allowing them to fall like a single piece of garment.

Indian designers whose creations you love wearing?

Fashion designer Wendell Rodricks and jewellery designer Eina Ahluwalia are my favourites.

Inherited treasures…

I’ve taken away all my mother’s silver ornaments and some stunning coral stones from my grandmother.

On a date, you’d be seen wearing?

A scowl.

Clothes, they say, maketh a man. True or false?

To an extent it’s true — you are what you wear.

Is there any outfit you love to wear but which your family simply hates?

My lungis.

Your desert uniform would be…

Something straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Stranded on an island, your uniform would be…

A Shibori kaftan (that’s the Japanese tie-and-dye technique) which I adore.

Which character out of history would you like to dress as?

Julius Caesar because of his draped garments. They look so cool.

Did you ever go through any wild fashion phase?

When I was in design school, I wore three nose rings and my hair was green!

What would you throw out on a cleaning spree?

All the denim in my wardrobe.

You have a nose for…

I can sniff a fake thing from a mile away…

Whose closet do you envy and why?

I don’t envy anyone’s wardrobe. For I haven’t seen plus-size men dress too well.

Biggest fashion faux pas…

Blue velvet trousers, which I wore when I was in fashion school.

One aspect of fashion that bugs you most…

Sequins and people’s obsession with fashion trends.

If you could change any one of your features, what would it be?

I’m looking for free liposuction.

A fashion tip...

Don’t go by trends alone. Bring out your real self with clothes and accessories that suit you.

(As told to Nandini Guha)