ByPuja Gupta

September 24, 2019 (IANSlife) Model-turned-actress Shibani Dandekar says the way she dresses expresses the way she feels on a given day. is an expression of her mood. Shibani was the showstopper at the launch of British brand Marks & Spencer's (M&S) ‘Rethink’ autumn collection in Delhi recently and spoke to IANSlife about the collection and her style mantra. Excerpts:

Q) How do you like the ‘Rethink’ collection?
SD: The brand’s idea of ‘rethink’ is all about pushing yourself outside the box. It about experimenting and doing things you have never done before. It’s about taking a basic white suit and styling it in many different ways to ultimately create a comfortable style statement. Prints, checks is what the collection is all about. And autumn is my favourite season in terms of style -- because you don’t have to layer too much. You can get minimally dressed and play around with colours and styles.

Q) What is your style mantra?
SD: For me, dressing really depends on the kind of mood that I wake up with. There are days when I feel tom boyish, so I would wear track pants and chunky sneakers. There are days when I feel a little bit more feminine or androgynous. Some days I want to look chic. Fashion allows you to experiment and express yourself even if your are not superb with clothes. Whatever you pick in the morning speaks a lot about the mood that day you are in. If you pick up a bright yellow top, you're probably in a bright frame of mind. So it is a lot about how we feel. It is a great form of expression, it is art. My style mantra has been about expressing my mood for the day and it changes through the day. But generally, a lot of oversized stuff does happen. It is definitely about comfort.

Q) Fashion hacks?
SD: When I was doing the IPL (Indian Premier League), I was expected to wear tight dresses . It took me a really long time to understand that you don’t have to fit into an outfit and you should be able to own what your put on. You are going to look comfortable only if your feel comfortable. That is probably the only fashion hack. And do not follow fashion blindly.

Q) Your preferred look?
SD: I’m a huge suit fan and wearing it with sneakers takes it to the next level. I wear chunky sneakers all the time. I cannot walk in heels. Also, I have added a whole bunch of jackets to my collection.

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Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in

Editing by Ritu Pandey and N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe