Style according to you is...

A fashionable projection of the self.

Wardrobe classics that will look great even 10 years down the line

Slim checkered pants, hats, scarves, skinny ties and simple, classic belts.

Five items in your closet you can’t do without

I have quite an assortment of funky necklaces and bracelets. Some come with dog tags (identification tags worn by military men) and others are adorned with crosses and Red Indian feathers. The other items I cannot do without include my Calvin Klein underwear, a pair of skinny jeans and my bandanas.

Most extravagant buy

A limited edition pair of Prada glasses that cost me Rs 21,000. But sadly, they were stolen.

If a fire broke out and you could save just three things, what would they be?

I would rescue the necklaces, skinny jeans and a pair of white, formal shoes.

What do you like to mix and match when it comes to dressing?

I’d like to wear a waistcoat over a formal shirt and team this with skinny shorts. I would throw in a tie and suspenders too and accessorise the ensemble with a pair of leather ballet shoes. Let me say that it would look better than it sounds.

You have a fetish for

Currently I have a fetish for shoes and I usually buy Aldo, which is my favourite brand. I have also been getting shoes custom-made. Before this I was mad about beaded necklaces and bracelets but they’ve become common now so I keep mine away unless I am travelling abroad.

Your favourite shopping destination

I love shopping in Melbourne.

Latest buys

V-necked tees from the US. I love the necklines as they allow me to dress up the look with accessories. I also got a few hats that go well with my long hair.

The biggest fashion faux pas a person can make

The biggest mistake is to wear a pin-striped shirt with a pair of pin-striped pants. Wearing sunglasses inside a nightclub is a big no-no too.

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

It’s extremely well-organised because a house help takes care of it.

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

I would get a carpenter to make me a wardrobe that could get bigger with time.

The trend you are sporting at the moment

Skinny jeans, slim shirts in soft kurta fabrics and T-shirts from stores like Topshop and Five Crowns.

You would never leave home without...

My Havaiana (an international brand known for its rubber footwear) slippers. I have seven pairs of them.

Indian designers whose clothes you love wearing

Narendra Kumar because his clothes fit me like a dream, Rocky S for his Jodhpuri pants and Arjun Khanna because I like the cut of his suits. My best friend, designer Govinda Mehta, mostly tailors my suits and shirts.

Vacation essentials

The shortest shorts I own, my Havaiana slippers, a pair of shades and a few singlets.

Did you ever go through a wild fashion phase?

At one point I dressed in baggy jeans that I teamed with singlets. I ended up looking like a tent, but you do strange things when you are young, right?

Which aspect of fashion bugs you the most?

That only the big names get recognition and importance.

(As told to Arundhati Basu)