Karisma Kapoor’s style power

There are actresses, and then there’s Karisma Kapoor. The beloved Indian screen star has made 62 films since her Bollywood debut with Prem Qaidi (1991), and is the recipient of fifteen film awards, from the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress to four Filmfare Awards, including Best Actress for Raja Hindustani (1996) and Fiza (2000). Her sister and fellow actress, Kareena Kapoor Khan, has praised her as the ‘first female Kapoor’ to become a star in the film industry, following a lineage of male actors in the celebrated family – starting with their grandfather, Raj Kapoor, one of the great pioneers of Indian cinema.

Alongside her many industry accomplishments, there is – of course – Karisma’s flair for timeless style codes. “I’m very particular about what I wear. On film, on camera, I’ll wear everything and anything, like today I’m wearing this lovely green ETRO dress – but, personally, I love wearing black and white, which everyone knows. I always go for a sharper cut.”

Describing her sense of style as ‘classic chic’, Karisma’s greatest sartorial influences come from within her family. “Of course, there are many beautiful women who I really admire and appreciate, but, for me, honestly, I would say my grandmother [Krishna Kapoor] – my Dadi – because she always wore white,” she reflects. “When I was growing up, I would see her in beautiful white organza saris with a bright red lip, and I think that’s how my love for white, saris and bright lip colours came about.” She remembers fondly the tailoring of the white kurta pyjamas worn by her grandfather, Raj Kapoor, too – “my grandfather loved white” – as well as the style of her mother’s mother, Barbara Shivdasani: “She would wear a lot of chiffon saris with beautiful pearls and a lovely bag… so, I think it’s through seeing beautiful tailoring – and my love of fashion came from there.”

Today, ‘craftmanship,’ ‘versatility’ and ‘quality’ are, for Karisma, the essence of an enduring wardrobe. “Obviously, we look at which brand is making it…I love timeless brands because they’ve been around for so long, and we know the kind of tailoring and the kind of quality of clothes or accessories that they make.” For her capsule edit from the boutiques at Bicester Village, she’s chosen a do-it-all Burberry trench coat in classic black, naturally. “It’ll never go out of style and you can style it up and down. Wear it with oversized pieces [and] wear it with a dress.” And, to accessorise: a ‘beautiful’ leather Alexa satchel with a signature plaited strap from Mulberry, an Annoushka sculptural pendant necklace – “the perfect finishing touch” – and Givenchy black mules; her favourite selection “because they’re classic with a twist and that’s the way I like to dress.”

“I think the capsule is really wonderful, the kind of pieces that you can even wear ten years later,” Karisma muses. Then again, she says, laughing, “I can see myself wearing the whole of Bicester Village – definitely.”