Sonam Kapoor talks jewellery, fashion, and personal style
The actor shares how each piece she owns has to mean something.
Few names wield the heft that Sonam Kapoor does in the world of fashion and style. We've stopped counting the times she set the bar too high as a fashion icon, and the outfits in her closet may just be the most coveted ever. One thing we've learnt after all these years of following Kapoor's iconic journey in fashion is that for her, it's deeply personal, shaped by meaningful pieces that tell a story.
But beyond the world of couture and red carpets, her jewellery, too, is of special significance to Kapoor, especially the timeless pieces from her mother's collection. In a chat with Harper's Bazaar, the actor opens up about her personal connection with bijouterie, her collaboration with Zoya from the House of Tata, and how she believes that much like fashion, jewellery is also a form of storytelling.
HARPER'S BAZAAR: Let's begin with the fact that you style many of your outfits with your mother's beautiful traditional jewellery collection. How special is it, what are your favourites if you had to choose?
SONAM KAPOOR: Every piece of jewellery I own has meaning, and I began to appreciate the beauty of jewellery from the time I was very young because my mother was a jeweller. One of my favourite pieces from her is a necklace she gave me that my father had gifted her for their 50th wedding anniversary.
HB: They always say that the role of accessories to elevate a look is powerful. Being a fashion maven, what's your taste like regarding accessorising? What's a classic daytime and nighttime look for you?
KAPOOR: For me, jewellery has to have a personal connection to me and mean something. My style is timelessly elegant and classic but at the same time, I also like maximalist, beautiful jewellery with an edge. I guess it depends on my mood! Which is why I connect so well with Zoya, because they have these delicate pieces from collections like My Embrace which can be stacked or worn singularly. I wear the earrings from My Embrace very often! And then there are pieces from collections like Alive and Her Becoming which are maximalist but still timelessly elegant.
HB: Tell us a little about how you relate to the ethos and messaging of Zoya's latest collection 'ALIVE'.
KAPOOR: I love that every piece from Zoya has a story behind it. Zoya’s Alive is inspired by wildflowers and for me it is a very powerful metaphor for a woman’s spirit in full expression. I love the patented stone cut—the Zoya Bloom Cut—which is so lovely in the way the light enters the stone and makes it sparkle. And the colour palette is optimistic, vibrant and vivid. It’s the perfect representation of a free-spirited woman!
HB: You're such an inspiration to women out there who want to use fashion as a form of self-expression, and as a role model why do you think it's important that everyone choose comfort over glamour?
KAPOOR: I think jewellery and clothes should be designed in such a way that they make the woman shine. They should not stand out separately, but become a part of the woman who wears them so they are one. That can only happen when you are comfortable in what you wear.
HB: As an actor, your wardrobe choices have become a very crucial part of your profession. Has it ever affected or gotten a little stressful for you or do you just enjoy fashion the way you see it?
KAPOOR: I enjoy fashion and design. As an actor you tell a story by essaying roles on screen, fashion does that too. For me, fashion is about expressing yourself in the form of your creative sensibilities and that’s what I look at it as.
HB: You've been such a regular at fashion weeks, what are your takeaways every time you visit?
KAPOOR: Fashion weeks are a display of great art coming alive, a cultural commentary from the designer’s lens, where talent, design, perspective, storytelling and glamour all come together in a very exciting way. As someone who is proud of India’s rich legacy of craftsmanship, it's lovely to see brands like Zoya, from the House of Tata on iconic runways like Paris Fashion Week and MET Gala.
HB: If you had to talk about an era in fashion that truly paved the way for how we see clothes over and above the glamour bit, which one would you pick and which icons would you say were truly inspiring?
KAPOOR: Hollywood had distinctive eras which influenced design. Like the 1920s with Flapper Girls, Marilyn’s iconic red lipstick, and the Art Deco of buildings like the Empire State. You see these influences in contemporary design over and again – Zoya’s Hollywood inspired collection has some beautiful pieces that pay homage to these different eras.
HB: If you had to start a fashion label someday, what would the identity be like, something that truly represents what you as a fashion icon stand for?
KAPOOR: It would be classic and timeless.
HB: Tell us about the piece you are wearing today.
KAPOOR: I am wearing a necklace from Zoya’s new collection Alive, which is called Dancing in the Wind. It’s such a lovely name! It’s got a 14 carat Citrine in the centre in the beautiful, patented Zoya Bloom cut with Zoya’s Wildflower Heart Golden Ring and Earrings. The citrines are surrounded by a vibrant palette of stones that are gorgeous.
Lead image: Zoya