Style File: Decoding the debonair Nawab Saif Ali Khan's sartorial choices

He may step out for a party with his stunning wife Kareena Kapoor Khan or be seen taking his super adorable son Taimur Ali Khan for a walk, but Saif Ali Khan always grabs as many eyeballs as his better half and the little munchkin. There’s a cool confidence that the Nawab of Pataudi exudes, whether he’s dressed in a traditional sherwani, a three-piece suit or even when he is sporting a simple tee and a pair of blue denims. Stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania, who has been working with the Sacred Games actor for a long time, calls him a “rockstar caught in a gentleman's mind”. “You see him wear formals with elan and then you see him take Taimur for a walk dressed in an old tee and shorts. Saif makes no bones about who he is and I love that he's not apologetic about wearing his socks pulled up!” she says with a laugh. 

HE’S BORN WITH IT

The 48-year-old star had once told a leading fashion magazine, “I think style reflects individuality and clothes reflect the way you feel, or should, or can. So, it’s limitless, what you can do.” Perhaps that’s what Anaita means when she says that Saif has a “very knowing element to his style”. “This kind of sophistication is not something you can buy or acquire,” she adds. According to her, having spent quite a few of his formative years in the United Kingdom, there is an English influence to the way he dresses. “He’s always had the right suits or the right shoes — whether it’s his custom-made Berluti leather shoes or Tom Ford suits — there is a knowingness to the way he wears them,” she explains. 

However, that doesn’t mean that Saif has a penchant only for formal wear. The actor, in fact, is the king of cool when it comes to casual wear too. “There is that flip side to him as well. A large part of his personality stems from humour, which pulls off what he does. He is a varied dresser, so sometimes you see him in a simple white kurta pyjama and sometimes, in Abercrombie cut-off tees. That’s the mark of a man who has a strong sense of self,” says Anaita.

IT'S IN THE DETAILS

Recalling the time they were working in Cocktail (2012), the celebrity stylist says that the actor would even come down to the bar dressed in a crisp white shirt, tweeds and cowboy boots. “It’s a vibe. He might be going to a wedding party, but he could be in a cool leather jacket and shades. It’s a very individual take on different occasions,” she adds. The one thing that the Nawab of Pataudi admires is craftsmanship. “He’s really knowledgeable about cuts and what works on him. He appreciates the minor details of the way a jacket has been cut or the way the shoes have been crafted, down to the correct kurta buttons or cuff-links. The beauty of Saif is that he’s extremely comfortable with his self and his body, whatever shape or size he is in, and that confidence does reflect  in whatever he's wearing,” she concludes.