Text by Sitanshi Talati-Parikh and Photographs by Tina Dehal

I love glamour. I can be trendy and spunky or softly feminine but I never wear anything I am not comfortable in. I never blindly follow a season's fashion statement. Even if the latest trend is short hair, you won't catch me running off to snip my locks! I am extremely picky about everything: food, shoes, my look...

My personal style keeps evolving. I believe that is really important, otherwise one begins to look stagnant. People have seen Sophie in pretty tops and jeans and in the dresses I now wear. The cut of an outfit is very important. The way it falls on me, the interesting detailing. I never go overboard on jewellery; I believe the outfit should make the statement and the accessories should just add to it.

I spend more on shoes and bags than on clothes. For me, clothes are a mix of high street fashion and classic designer. When I shop in London, I find myself mixing something I picked up at Kookai with a piece from Dolce & Gabbana. But my shoes and bags are always designer pieces.

Shoes are my style fetish. I will only go for the best - Jimmy Choo, Prada…. I like to buy classic pairs, which means I cannot own hundreds of them! I buy trendy shoes when in season, and also like to hoard a collection of the classics. I abhor badly kempt feet. Whilst people look you over from up to down, my once-overs are always from down to up… Feet first!

Milan is the ultimate style destination. While I stayed at the Hyatt, in Milan, even the window cleaners (good-looking Italian men) were formally attired. I was bowled over! London too has an eclectic fashion scene, from designer stores to Camden Street. The women are always immaculately turned out, in prefect attire and stilettos even as they leave home for work.
I was born and brought up in London, and even after moving to Mumbai, I continue to follow that style, of being well turned out wherever I go, even as the women here wonder...

I look up to the classic style icons… Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly. And in India, definitely Rekha and Maharani Gayatri Devi, who are both so stylish and timeless. Sushmita Sen is also the epitome of style, and I admire Jennifer Lopez, who makes the transition from cute to sexy diva in no time.

I am tired of the Vj-ing scene. My focus is going to be on acting. I find it challenging, and despite the cliché, I really want to act. The image of sex and glamour associated with me makes it difficult for a moviemaker to see me shedding tears for instance. But believe you me, I can cry!

I could be a different person each day... if I am able to garner a decent body of work. Shaadi No. 1 was frivolous and fun, Pyar Ke Side Effects had the glam quotient. My upcoming roles are also in a different vein. As for music, it will always be a part of my life. I would rather sing, than dance for ten minutes on stage.