<div>I vividly remember my first Indian luxury buy — it was a Shahab Durazi red jacket in the late 80s. At a time when Shahab had the who’s who queueing up outside his boutique, getting that jacket was a real thrill. My all-time favourite remains a beautiful Herve Leger dress bought 25 years ago in St Honore, Paris.<br /> </div><div>The 90s brought the ‘Fashion Weeks’ to India. They encouraged Indian fashion and saw the emergence of new designers. But they also led to a scramble for front row seats in order to be “recognised” and feel important; the rows determining some sort of pecking order for society women. Personally, I enjoyed the growth of Indian fashion and went browsing through the tents where the designers showed their creations. In fact, I bought a lot ‘backstage’ as I called it.</div><table width="100" border="0" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="7" align="right"><tbody><tr><td><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); "><strong>It's all about the attitude and the way you carry off a look that defines luxury</strong></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /> Luxury is an investment in lifestyle. But many people leave it to stylists to bring luxury into their lives. The difference is always noticed. You can walk into a space which is decorated in uber luxury and yet the host may have no concept of placing the pieces of the jigsaw correctly. You can make a high-street fashion label exude luxury, if worn with attitude and combined with an Hermes Birkin bag. Can you really cultivate style? I believe, you either have it or you don’t. Parmeshwar Godrej, in my opinion, represents luxury in India. She has an innate sense of style that most lack. Her parties, her home, even her persona embodies style, and she needs no help or guidance to get it right.<br /> </div><div>Labels mean less to me than what suits my comfort and style. In fact, white T-shirts/shirts and blue jeans, slip-on beige heels and black dresses — for when I have no time to decide what to wear — are the things I can’t do without. As for brand loyalty, I have begun to enjoy different luxury brands according to the collections they put out. One season, Giuseppe Zanotti came out with a collection that tempted me to get one of each pair, the next season it was Brian Atwood. One season I loved the Roberto Cavalli long dresses and the next I fell for the Amanda Wakeley ones. <br /> </div><div>All this is not to imply that Indian brands don’t do it for me; they most definitely do as long as their finish is up to the mark. Though couture in its Indian form may not be for evening western wear yet. As for Indian shoes, they still don’t make the cut. <br /> </div><div>Shopping for me is about exclusivity and experience. My favourite high streets are 34th Street in New York, Melrose Place in Los Angeles and Champs Elysee in Paris. I love a good bargain, especially when I hit the sale on the very first day. But quality and the product being in good shape still mean more than getting a good price. Accessories complete the picture. To achieve the desired look, the bag and shoes are most important. <br /> </div><div>To reiterate, it’s all about the attitude and the way you carry off a look that defines luxury and fashion. As for keeping up with the Joneses, who are the Joneses anyway?<br /><br /><div><em>Queenie Singh is a fashionista<br /><br /></em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: normal; ">(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 24-09-2012)</span> <em><br type="_moz" /></em></div></div>
