The Fabulous Life Of Sonam Kapoor

It’s the second time in our 10-year history that Sonam Kapoor leads the way for our annual style list. For the recent National Award winner, fashion and film have always gone hand in hand.Vogue talks to her about her love for Russian and Middle Eastern couture and why she will never reveal her favourite vintage stores.

- Shruti Thacker

It’s been 10 years since Sonam Kapoor made her Vogue debut. While our inaugural issue saw a shyer, curvier Sonam and co-star Ranbir styled in looks from their launch film, Saawariya (2007), the former has since made it to Vogue eight times—including fronting our 100th edition and topping our Style List twice.

It won’t be hyperbolic to say that the industry got a taste of real fashion following Sonam Kapoor’s entry into Bollywood. Along with her producer /stylist / co-designer sister Rhea, she has been unabashed about the role clothing plays in their personal and public lives. At the time of going to press, the Kapoor sisters had just launched Rheson, their label geared towards getting high-fashion styles to the high street. Her love of fashion extends deeply into her personal life—Kapoor is rumoured to be dating Anand Ahuja, the man behind the hip label Bhane.

The last time I saw Sonam Kapoor in a strictly non-professional environment was at her birthday bash a year ago. Surrounded by friends (most of whom you would recognise from her Instagram), Kapoor, who turned 31 then, was dressed in wide-legged denim trousers with a matching oversized denim shirt—a stark contrast to the stylized version of her you see on the red carpet and magazine covers.

“Even if I have to look like a bum, it has to look good,” she says with her trademark laugh, reminding me of a recent shot of her outside a bakery in Bandra, where she’s wearing an oversized Zimmermann blouse and Aquazzura shoes with an Hermès Birkin. Clearly, her idea of hobo chic is slightly different from ours. But that’s Kapoor—she dresses for comfort and for controversy, for ease and for excitement, for drama and for downtime.