If there was one thing 2026 has made clear so far, it’s that Indian celebrity style is having a very good year. The red carpets got bigger, the fashion choices got bolder, and dressing well increasingly meant having a point of view.
For The Hollywood Reporter India’s Best Dressed list, a jury of fashion editors, stylists, models, photographers and entrepreneurs looked beyond the obvious fashion moments to find the people whose style felt distinctive, consistent and, most importantly, entirely their own. There’s Alia Bhatt, who’s also the global brand ambassador for Gucci, whose fashion choices increasingly bridge Indian identity and international luxury, and the instinctive fashion fluency of Sonam A Kapoor, who continues to make experimentation feel effortless. Diljit Dosanjh has taken Punjabi heritage to the world, while Saif Ali Khan has remained the epitome of understated, old-school style.
Ishaan Khatter brought a youthful energy to modern menswear, and Sobhita Dhulipala made sensuality, drama and Indian dressing feel entirely contemporary. Vijay Deverakonda approached menswear with a willingness to take risks, while Zahan Kapoor cultivated a more eccentric, quietly individual vocabulary. Kangana Ranaut continued to champion the sari with her usual conviction, and Twinkle Khanna brought her characteristic wit and intelligence to a wardrobe that refuses to be predictable.
Together, they reflect a broader evolution in Indian celebrity dressing — one in which fashion is no longer simply about looking the part, but about knowing what the part is.
Pernia Qureshi (Entrepreneur, Author, Host)
Pernia Qureshi is an Indian fashion entrepreneur, stylist, classical dancer, and visionary who reshaped the country’s luxury retail landscape. She pioneered India’s first true multi- designer luxury e-commerce platform, Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop, revolutionising global access to Indian designers. Her latest contribution to the industry has been her podcast Fashionably Pernia, which is the only voice catering specifically to fashion, lifestyle, and luxury in the country.
Madhu Sapre (Supermodel)
Madhu Sapre is one of India’s original supermodels and a trailblazer in the country’s fashion history. A junior national champion in shot put and discus throw, she brought an athlete’s strength and striking presence to modelling. In 1992, she was crowned Femina Miss India and went on to represent India at Miss Universe, where she finished as second runner-up — becoming one of the first Indian women to place among the top three at the pageant.
Anita Dongre (Chairwoman, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, House of Anita Dongre)
Anita Dongre has spent four decades shaping a different model for the fashion industry, one where success is measured by its impact on people and the planet. House of Anita Dongre is home to three brands: Anita Dongre, AND and Global Desi. Together, they reach women through nine national and four international Anita Dongre stores, 310 points of sale for AND, and 135 for Global Desi, while also keeping the environment in mind.
Namrata Zakaria (Editor, Commentator)
Namrata Zakaria is a veteran journalist, editor and cultural commentator with over 25 years of experience in Indian media. The founder and editor of ROLLA Media, she is also the host of The Namrata Zakaria Show, where she brings her sharp editorial perspective to conversations around fashion, culture, design and contemporary life. Zakaria has held senior editorial positions at some of India’s leading newspapers as well.
Rid Burman (Photographer, Director)
Rid Burman is a fashion and celebrity photographer and director, based between Mumbai and Paris. Burman studied at the Brooks Institute of Photography in California and has assisted acclaimed photographers Steven Klein and Mark Seliger. In 2019, Burman also expanded his practice into directing ad-films. Since then, he has directed multiple campaigns for brands including Adidas, Levi’s, and Star Sports, among others.
Ami Patel (Celebrity Stylist)
Ami Patel is a celebrity stylist known for creating distinctive, personality-driven looks for Bollywood’s leading stars. She began her career at Elle India and L’Officiel India, later serving as Fashion Director and Creative Director at Harper’s Bazaar India. After styling Priyanka Chopra, she launched her own firm, StylebyAmi, and went on to work with stars like Alia Bhatt, Rashmika Mandanna, Katrina Kaif, and Janhvi Kapoor.
Here is the list of ten names in alphabetical order:
There’s a seamless, magnetic charm to the way Alia Bhatt moves through fashion today. Over the last year, her public appearances have been a masterclass in sartorial confidence, one that feels completely, authentically her own.
From making history in archival Gucci — as global brand ambassador — and serving sculpted Tamara Ralph couture at Cannes to pulling off sharp, edgy leather looks at Milan Fashion Week, Bhatt has learned how to turn her frame into her greatest aesthetic strength. Of course, her looks from the Cannes red carpet, thanks to stylist Rhea Kapoor, were the talk of the town.
Yet, for all her global luxury triumphs, the memory that also remains most fondly etched in the collective mind is her pristine, minimalist white Sabyasachi wedding sari, serving as a perfect reminder of her knack for turning restraint into iconic imagery.
What makes her style journey so captivating to industry insiders, however, is the clear emergence of her own personal taste amidst the sea of high-fashion stylists. “Alia has experimented with multiple stylists and styles and finally found her voice,” says Zakaria. “She owns her smallness, lets low necks and bare shoulders work for her, and plays up the fitness. I love how much effort she’s put into herself, evolving from looking like a young girl to this confident woman. She’s found her groove.”
Qureshi echoes the importance of that self-led evolution. “Being best-dressed means having a discerning eye and personal taste on your own — we should differentiate between an actor’s work with stylists and their actual personal style.”
Burman agrees that her sartorial shift reflects deeper, personal growth. “Looking at where she started versus now, how she used to dress on set versus today, how she carries herself, who she is as a person — there’s been a significant shift. She’s definitely had an interesting journey and grown a lot.”
Text by Justin Rao
Diljit Dosanjh doesn’t dress for fashion’s approval; he dresses like the room should catch up to him. That has been the logline of his year, and Qureshi’s first reaction says it all: “I love Diljit, I wish he could dress me!”
His landmark moments have come through collaboration. For his 2024 Dil-Luminati tour, he worked with menswear designer Raghavendra Rathore on a collection that embodied his music and his Punjabi pride. For his 2025 Met Gala debut, he wore an ivory Prabal Gurung ensemble (signature achkan, ornate kirpan, floor-length cape) that answered the evening’s dandyism brief while staying rooted in his heritage. He also became the first Punjabi artist to be named a global brand ambassador for Levi’s.
This past year belonged to the Aura World Tour, where each look outdid the last: bold without being over-the-top, loud without being overpowering. Whether he’s on international red carpets or the world’s biggest stages, the turban, the tailoring and the Punjabi pride stay front and centre.
“What I love is how he’s mapped who he is and where he comes from into something so interesting,” says Burman. “He really shows who he is wherever he goes — a very strong sense of identity.”
Zakaria agrees. “I love how he carries his Punjabi-ness with such authenticity everywhere in the world. It’s become a global phenomenon. He puts Punjabi history on the forefront; he wears it quite literally on his sleeve.”
“He has fun with fashion,” Qureshi adds. “He’s got a nice, lean frame that allows him to experiment a bit, and it’s fun while still being tasteful.”
Text by Amanda V. James
With the face of a boy next door and a closet of someone who seems like they have read every fashion week front row, it seems that Ishaan Khatter’s fashion game has been equal parts experimental and charming. One minute he’s in easy streetwear, the next he’s testing corsetry or cropped leather, never quite settling long enough to be pinned down to one look.
That range was on full display through his year as a BOSS global ambassador, front row at Paris and Milan Fashion Week, where his presence sat somewhere between menswear muse and cultural export.
It’s this experimental quality the fashion jury keeps circling back to. Dongre calls him “one of the more interesting young voices in Indian menswear today”, adding that he “brings a playfulness with the proportions and silhouettes he chooses, moving between relaxed tailoring and experimental fits without losing a sense of ease”.
“Mostly because he is so attractive,” says Zakaria. “But also, because he works with his body so well — his excellent physique and a dancer’s fluidity add to his style game, regardless of what he wears. Yes, shirtless is a fashion game too.”
For Burman, the appeal is a work in progress. “He’s still trying to discover himself, he’s very curious, quite bold. He’s fluent in the fashion language of the world right now, but at the same time he’s also trying to find his own identity as an Indian actor of a global scale.”
Khatter himself seems unbothered by the search. He isn’t dressing like a finished idea of himself. He’s dressing like someone having a genuinely good time finding out what that idea is.
When asked about his favourite look, Khatter says, "The Daniel W. Fletcher corset look would be one of my favourites. I really liked the way it was styled with the suit. The fit was sharp and clean, and I liked the way the corset layered with the rest of the look. It felt quite different from what I’d usually wear, but was still very comfortable.”
Text by Juhi Sarvaiya
Kangana Ranaut’s fashion sense has the mix-and-match essence of her best films. A blush-pink dhakai jamdani saree with an Hermès handbag. A needlework Kantha weave, paired with a varsity-style sweater vest. Trenchcoats layered on elegant linens, tussar silks and crisp khadi.
Saris, for Ranaut, go beyond occasion wear. In her recent appearances as an actor and a politician, she’s been a handloom-lover’s dream, waltzing in and out of the Parliament, airports and events in weaves that represent the diverse regional artisan communities of India. The past year has seen her elevate handlooms to a style that’s deeply lived-in and yet, stands for quiet luxury.
At the recent Monsoon Session of the Parliament, for instance, she made waves in a baby-blue Eri silk drape from Manipur with an ivory blouse, paired with a Birkin and a Rolex watch. In June, at a screening of her film Bharat Bhaggya Viddhaata in Bhubaneswar, she opted for a red-and-white kotpad weave from Odisha, completing the look with a bold red bindi and statement jhumkas.
From Kanjeevarams and Kota dorias to patolas and pochampallys, Ranaut has repeatedly dipped into regional drapes for festive wear. Her airport looks have redefined the genre altogether as she rolled up in leheriya chiffons, breezy linens and lightweight cottons, paired with pearls, thick-rimmed glasses, luxury sunglasses, shawls and handbags. “Ranaut’s personal relationship with the sari and Indian textiles makes her sense of style timeless. Her dressing sense has a very distinct identity, far from being trend-focused,” observed Dongre.
For Zakaria, Ranaut’s keen sense of style transcends her politics. She says, “She’s a terrific actor, and an outstanding dresser. Give her something like a black dress or even a handloom sari and see her make magic with it. She is a natural stylist.”
Text by Shilajit Mitra
There’s a reason people have long called Saif Ali Khan Bollywood’s chote nawab, and this year his wardrobe made the case for it as much as his lineage does. There is an unhurried authority and sense of royalty in the way he wears his clothes.
Across this year’s public appearances, he hasn’t reached for reinvention the way many of his contemporaries have — instead, he’s leaned further into a sensibility he’s clearly spent decades refining. Sharp tailoring, easy separates, an unbothered sort of polish, all of it circling back to the same thing that contributes to his biggest charm: regality that looks effortless.
The promotional run for Haiwaan was a neat study in that range where he adorned a sharply structured suit for the more formal appearances, and easy knitwear with denim for the relaxed ones. Whether he’s on a promotional trail in a beautifully cut suit or dressed down for the casual leg of it, the throughline stays the same — a clean, considered silhouette that flatters without feeling too engineered. Even his most casual street style carries a bit of that nawabi cool: understated, slightly aloof, and entirely his own.
It’s a quality that keeps coming up when the jury talks about him. “If there’s one man in the industry who knows how to cut a suit properly, it’s him,” says Burman.
Qureshi is just as emphatic, saying, “In terms of classic fashion, nobody does it better than Saif — timeless, well-tailored.”
When asked about trends he’d like to see make a comeback, Khan replied, “a good double-breasted suit, proper trousers, a pocket square, clothes that are actually cut well and don’t need to be replaced every six months”. And something he’d happily do away with was ankle socks. “If you’re going to wear socks, commit to the socks. Otherwise, just go without them,” he says. “There’s something slightly indecisive about the ankle sock.”
Text by Juhi Sarvaiya
Give Sobhita Dhulipala a sari, a boiler suit, or a couture gown built to look like inherited jewels, and somehow, it’s still recognisably her closet.
That’s really the overarching narrative of her year. There’s an ease that shows up whether she’s the finale showstopper in Rahul Mishra’s “Devi” couture at India Couture Week, draped in ivory-and-champagne beadwork built to look like inherited jewellery, or in the far less considered universe of her own personal style on social media. A boiler suit here, a black polo-neck and a bathroom mirror selfie there, with a handful of homegrown labels along the way. Nothing about either register feels performed for the other.
“She’s one of the very few actors who genuinely has a personal style,” Qureshi says. “Sexy, effortless, and a wonderful canvas for any shoot or designer.” Dhulipala has spent years being the rare muse who elevates a designer’s vision instead of simply modelling it, whether she’s closing a couture show or wearing a saree like she was born mid-drape.
That word ‘canvas’ is not incidental. It’s easy to hand a designer’s vision to someone and get a good photo; it’s rarer to hand it to someone and still recognise their own sensibility underneath it. Dhulipala seems to understand this instinctively, treating every look, couture or otherwise, less like a costume and more like a version of herself. It’s a fittingly unfussy way to describe a wardrobe that manages to look thought through without ever looking like it’s trying — proof that the most interesting thing a personal style can do is simply stay personal.
Text by Juhi Sarvaiya
Few names in Indian fashion carry the weight or the audacity of Sonam A Kapoor. Over nearly two decades, she has gone from a debutante actress with an eye for design to one of the subcontinent’s most closely watched fashion figures, and in 2024, Dior’s first South Asian global ambassador.
Her sense of style was never accidental. Raised in a home steeped in cinema and costume — her mother Sunita Kapoor once worked as a costume designer, she approached fashion with the same rigour she brought to her film choices: unconventional, research-heavy, and unafraid of risk.
That risk-taking crystallised once her sister, Rhea Kapoor, stepped in as her stylist. The sibling partnership became one of Bollywood’s most influential style collaborations, turning red carpets into runways and reshaping how Indian actors dressed for global stages.
Together, the two built a wardrobe philosophy around drama and craftsmanship pairing international couture from names like Elie Saab, Ralph & Russo and Rami Kadi with Indian designers such as Anamika Khanna and Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, often within the same season. Her Cannes appearances, in particular, became annual style events of their own: sculptural gowns, elaborate capes, and headpieces that turned the festival’s steps into a personal runway.
Patel, who worked with the actor on her very first magazine cover before her 2007 debut in Saawariya, recalls spotting it early. “I’ve styled her for magazines, including her very first cover, before Saawariya. Even then, I could tell she had a real sense of personal style. Even in conversation with her, even while sourcing for her, the response is fantastic.”
Sonam feels “very special” being on this list and says, “It’s really nice to be recognised for something I’ve always genuinely enjoyed. Fashion, for me, has always been about expressing yourself and having fun with it. And my unpopular fashion opinion: I don’t think everything needs to be timeless or understated.”
Text by Yahvi Sharma
There’s self-assurance in the way Twinkle Khanna approaches fashion today. Her style is not dictated by the relentless churn of trends, nor does it rely on the obviousness of a head-to-toe designer look. Instead, the author and entrepreneur has cultivated a wardrobe that feels distinctly personal, balancing an appreciation for luxury with a willingness to experiment, play and occasionally subvert expectations.
Over the past year, Khanna has continued to demonstrate an instinct for dressing that is as much about personality as it is about aesthetics. On her Instagram, Birkin bags, Christian Louboutin heels and Goyard pieces are regular fixtures, offering a glimpse into her luxury collection.
As Dongre puts it, “Twinkle has always approached fashion with a strong editorial eye. Her wardrobe shifts between crisp tailoring, dresses, cool denim and Indian textiles, but there is a consistency in her preference for clean silhouettes.” She adds, “It is a style that feels intelligent and personal, rather than dictated by trends.”
What distinguishes Khanna, however, is the way she brings a sense of humour and irreverence to fashion. There is a refreshing lack of solemnity in her approach to getting dressed, a willingness to embrace the unexpected without losing sight of what works for her.
In an era when dressing can often feel driven by algorithms, viral moments and the pressure to constantly reinvent oneself, Khanna’s wardrobe offers a more individual proposition. She understands the value of a statement piece, but equally the importance of knowing how to make it her own.
Talking about her fashion & style preferences, Khanna says, "I don’t follow fashion particularly closely, but I have always loved a great accessory. I’m delighted that this little hobby of mine has worked out well enough to land me on this list. I wouldn’t call it a fashion risk but for most of my life, I dressed to look smaller. Now, I take up more space in the room with pleats, layers and more pleats."
Text by Keerat Kohli
It’s no hyperbole to call Vijay Deverakonda one of the most fashion-forward modern Indian men. The Telugu actor’s style has rarely been bound by convention — a trait we’ve seen glimpses of on the red carpet, at promotional events, in his on-the-go looks and most recently at his sparkling wedding with actress Rashmika Mandanna.
In a rare moment for Indian weddings, the much-anticipated celebrity union turned the spotlight on groom fashion for a change. At his traditional Telugu Hindu ceremony, the actor surprised everyone by embracing intricate gold jewellery and alta — fashion fixtures often reserved for women in weddings — and made it his own.
Patel, who also styled the couple for their wedding, corroborated his innate sense of style. “Even at fittings, he shows up with a distinct personal style,” she said. Zakaria added, “His wedding pictures were out of the park — styled so well, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The actor, who turned heads with his maximalist take on groom fashion, also owns a streetwear brand called Rwdy, which speaks to the ‘relentless hustle of young India’. The brand often leans on one clear motto — that it is the ‘uniform of the unafraid’. This could very well also refer to Deverakonda’s disruptive sense of style.
Text by Sruthi Ganapathy Raman
One can never be quite sure whether we’ll see Zahan Kapoor looking like an old-money heir or a surfer dude from Goa. With him, it’s often somehow both at once.
That duality has defined his year. There’s the Kapoor of his editorial shoots portfolio, draped in layered jewelled necklaces, silk robes, and jewel-pinned turbans, with every frame reading like a small piece of theatre. That tracks, given his theatre background that runs deeper than most with a childhood at Prithvi theatre, stage work of his own, and a family narrative sensibility he’s said flows straight into how he dresses. And then there’s the Kapoor of his own Instagram: a cap and sunglasses, wide-leg denim and loose olive shirts, oversized tees and faded jeans. If anything, this is his more confident version, the one that isn’t really performing a look so much as just wearing one.
“He really experiments with clothing and his confidence shines through,” says Zakaria. “He layers one interesting element of whimsy or adventure into every outfit — a tux with Japanese trousers here, a peaky hat and leather shoes there.”
Sapre frames it as something almost written into him. “You can see in his dressing, the lineage that he comes from; his intrinsic style is rooted in theatre and design.” She adds that his real skill lies in the mix itself — moving between “old classics” and “a free-spirited bohemian style” with total, relaxed confidence.That instinct isn’t accidental. It’s basically how Kapoor describes himself. He’s called his own approach an “old-money-meets-boho aesthetic”, equally happy in a bandhgala as he is in a lungi. It’s that ease, that genuine lack of preciousness about getting it ‘right’, that makes his experimenting land as instinct rather than effort, and exactly why he belongs on this list.
Text by Juhi Sarvaiya