Delhi-based Suneet Varma, recently won accolades at the Rome Fashion Week with his elaborate saris, slim lehengas and Jodhpur pants, fit to drape a goddess.

If Suneet Varma had authored the hugely popular, Notes to Myself (by Hugh Prather), his version would surely have contained these lines: 'Clothing should have an expiry date' and 'Nothing scares me more than mediocrity' or 'I have learnt that nothing succeeds like hard work and discipline'. And, of course, 'A certain calm comes over me in the last four days before a show. I step back and look at things more objectively'.

Why? Because, in a largely synthetic world, style guru, Suneet Varma, is a real person - he has his set of beliefs, dares to dream and has the courage to own up to foibles and fears alike. ("I do regret that I wasted one-and-a-half years trying to go international. I thought I was ready for it. Also, I was judgmental and arrogant - that can be a horrible mistake," Varma had confessed in an interview. Get the drift?).

This 'real' guy prefers to design for 'real' women - strong-willed, funny, from the wrong side of the tracks - all divas against the grain. His original muse? "Madhu Sapre," he states. "Another woman I find extremely beautiful is Shabana Azmi." In fact, it takes strong women to bring out the best in Varma even as his designs evoke strong reactions. "I am too serious about my work - in fact to the point that sometimes, before or after my collections, I need to see a doctor. I fall sick from exhaustion!" he admits, candidly.

Typically, Varma is painstakingly involved in each and every aspect of designing - right from the fabric to be used, every little bit of the embroidery and choosing the models for his shows…. "I style the girls three times over, till the very last minute!" It would not be unusual to find him backstage, just before a show, painting on his models, himself. (He did that in Bangalore where the male models hit the ramp with intricately painted torsos.) In a lighter vein, he says, "My assistants switch off their cells at night fearing that I will call them at two in the morning to discuss something. I actually dream designs, wake up in the middle of the night and need to sketch them right then and there! That's the kind of involvement I have with my work and I suppose people are able to sense this when they see my clothes."

Modesty is not his strongest virtue and obviously that is not the reason that Varma's ensembles evoke such strong reactions. The thread of continuity that runs through them, is his very individual style - be it in his 'beaches of Goa' range, the 'Grecian' line, the 'Tree of life' collection or the 'Art Deco' look, Varma aims to give his wearer the unexpected. This nonconformist attitude perhaps explains his success at the Alto Roma Mod Week, (Fashion Week) held in Rome, recently. Most of the designers participating were Italian - Renato Balestra, Rocco Barocco and Gattoni, amongst others but Varma's elaborate saris, slim lehengas and Jodhpur pants clearly diverted the Italians who sat up and took notes.

Varma's sensibilities allow him to strike the right balance between the East and the West. "When you look at clothing from a European point of view, you realise that they do not want to see costumes, they want to see clothing that they can relate to," he says. "Costumes should be in museums." Building on this insights and his exposure to the western design world early in his career, the master of embellishments and embroidery teamed elaborate corsets with Jodhpur pants; zardozi saris with trousers and slim fitting, sleeveless and slitted sherwanis for women with Jaipur jootis rather than stilettos. Doing away with his trademark feathers, Varma instead asked Amrapali, jewellery designer of the Hollywood blockbuster, Troy, for the accessories used in the magnum opus - very European with a distinct Indian feel. Different yet wearable.

Slotted right after Valentino and Versace, Varma showed 30 garments in eleven-and-a-half minutes (a number far less than what is acceptable in India and double the international norm of 12 to 15 ensembles). The presentation was choreographed to music, which had a western edge with an alaap from Pakeezah, fading into drums (obviously handpicked by Varma). The result? In his own euphoric words: "A standing - almost hysterical - ovation from 450 people! It was my finest hour."

The proverbial cherry topping was the reaction of Giuseppe Modenese, president of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italian, an organisational hub of Italian fashion. He declared on national television that Varma was ''as good as Valentino!" What's more, five newspapers reviewed the show the next morning.

Interestingly, when Varma started out, his clothes sported a strong European influence that has gradually meandered closer to home. From western wear, he has made a permanent transition to ethnic garments, which he lavishly embellishes with innovative embroidery techniques.

"My final paper was on Louis XIV and Madame Pompadour and my basic education was in art deco and this shows in my work," says the London College of Fashion alumnus. And that's where his real interest lies. "Costume history! I am enthralled by what it must have been like to free women from the girdle, the socio-economic impact of what was happening in the world then, tapestry, design and cameo… In fact, my ideal job would be to work at a museum - say the Metropolitan at New York - to curate costumes." In fact, there has not been a single year, in the past 12, when Varma has not visited the Metropolitan to see the costumes displayed.

Other than his couture line (and his undying love for the Metrop), Varma is working round the clock on his two-year-old prêt line, Spice (which he calls his Old Age Fund). For the uninitiated, Varma designed the bride and groom's wedding outfits for steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal's daughter's wedding and is brand ambassador for Moët and Chandon, makers of one of the world's finest champagnes. With so much work happening simultaneously, Varma lets a professional team run the business while he focuses on designing. How does he prevent a burnout? "I know how to sustain myself. I wake up at 6 a.m., run, go to the gym and do yoga and reiki…. I recently did Ashtanga yoga for a month in Mysore," he beams, flashing his straight-from-the-heart smile.

All easily done? Not quite so. Varma has miles to go before he sleeps (if he does at all!). Till such time, being an evolved creative person, he wants to learn life and experience it to the fullest.