If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow, where would you be?
I would be in Bombay, at home, waking up in my bed.
What is your favourite shopping destination?
It used to be Paris, but now it's a tie between London and Dubai. I like Boutique 1 a lot, it's got very nice things, and I like The Dubai Mall because it has everything.
What are the three beauty products you don't step out without?
I use lip balm, under-eye cream and blush every day.
What was your first-ever luxury purchase?
It was a classic black Chanel caviar skin handbag, with gold hardware. I still wear it a lot because it's so timeless. I really think 5,000 times before buying a handbag, not because of the price of it, but because I always believe in using it until it's, like, torn.
Do you have a favourite piece of jewellery?
Honestly, my IWC Da Vinci watch. It's in rose gold and it has a brown strap on it, and I wear it every day. I'm so old-school, and their watches are so classic and beautiful. I got a watch when I was 16, I got another when I was 18, and one more when I turned 21. At any important age, my mother used to always ask if I wanted a pair of earrings or a watch, and I would always choose the watch. I'm such a traditionalist when it comes to watches; even if I have to wear something that counts my steps or something like that, I have to always wear a watch too.
What is your go-to footwear brand?
I like my Manolos. I have these satin Manolo Blahniks with crystal embellishments. I love satin shoes.
What's the one fashion investment that you get the most wear out of?
The Bottega Veneta Knot clutch. It was one of my first evening bags. I must have had it now for I don't even know how many years. I carry it a lot, and right now the clip is so [loose] that I need to hold it shut.
What three things do you always have in your bag when you travel?
My passport – god forbid I don't have that while I'm travelling; my iPhone, which I'm obsessed with; and a perfume or deodorant. I like the new Jo Malone Jasmine Sambac & Marigold fragrance, which is inspired by India. I like anything with jasmine.
You're sitting down to the perfect meal. Where are you, what are you eating and whom are you with?
I love Thai food. Hopefully I'm in Phuket with Anand [Ahuja], because he loves Thai food as much as I do. I'm vegetarian, and it's easy to have vegetarian Thai food.
What's the best advice you've ever received? and from whom?
I think it was from my dad. He said: "Whatever goes up comes down, and nobody's better than you, and you're not better than anybody. So treat everybody right."
What's the most overrated luxury?
Flying. I love travelling, but I hate flying. I just think that, no matter what class you're sitting in, it's so bad for you to fly. It dehydrates you and exhausts you. I wish we could all teleport instead.
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[ The books, music and luxuries that author Alexander McCall Smith can't live without ]
[ A who's-who of the famous Kapoor family ]
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