There is storytelling in what they wear: Anjali Phougat on Bollywood's most stylish actresses

There are designers who study fashion, and then there are those who live it. Anjali Phougat - an Indian-origin designer who has built her career between the creative worlds of the United States and South Asia - belongs firmly in the second camp. And when she talks about style, people pay attention.

In a candid conversation about Bollywood's fashion landscape, Phougat didn't mince words. She named Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor as the two actresses who, in her view, genuinely understand what it means to dress with intention - and she explained exactly why.

"Deepika carries a very powerful, timeless elegance," Phougat said. "Whether it's a red carpet look or minimal airport style, she embodies structured simplicity, confidence, and global sophistication." What truly sets Padukone apart, the designer argued, is something rare in celebrity fashion - an effortlessness that doesn't look effortless at all. "She doesn't wear the outfit," Phougat put it simply. "She becomes it."

Sonam Kapoor, by contrast, operates on an entirely different wavelength - and that's precisely the point. "Sonam treats fashion like art," Phougat said. "She's not afraid of silhouettes, drama, or cultural fusion." Where Padukone commands a room through restraint, Kapoor does it through fearlessness, pushing Indian couture into global editorial conversations in a way few others have managed.

But what unites both women, according to Phougat, is something far harder to manufacture than a good outfit: intention. "Their style choices feel deliberate, not accidental," she said. "There is storytelling in what they wear."

The designer didn't stop at praise - she had concrete advice for each actress too.

For Padukone, Phougat envisions a direction that leans into structured couture softened by spiritual undertones. Think flowing drapes married to architectural silhouettes, handwoven Indian textiles recut into modern global forms, and palettes - muted jewel tones, deep monochromes - that amplify rather than compete with her presence.

For Kapoor, Phougat's suggestion is equally specific: keep pushing, but root the experimentation in heritage. "Integrating more heritage craftsmanship with avant-garde design - Banarasi, zardozi, or temple jewelry elements reinterpreted in futuristic forms - would elevate her already strong editorial identity into something even more iconic and timeless," she said.

Together, Phougat believes, the two actresses represent something significant - not just for Bollywood, but for Indian fashion's standing on the world stage. "Both represent two powerful poles of fashion: one rooted in elegance, the other in expression," she said. "And together, they define the modern face of Indian style globally."