Cocktail actress Diana Penty walked as the showstopper for Caprese X Shivan and Narresh at the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 in Mumbai last month. The Telegraph caught up with Diana — pretty in an olive structured, long skirt encrusted with shimmering embellishments and a wrap blouse — after the show.

How close is what you’re wearing tonight as a showstopper to your personal style?

It’s very close to my personal style in a lot of ways. I love muted tones and colours, I love the olive green in my outfit. I’m all about easy, breezy and being comfortable in what I wear. My style is very effortless for the most part and that’s definitely my outfit — it’s a very modern take on a lehenga. It’s very easy, very light, which is great because then it’s easy to manoeuvre, it’s easy to spend an evening in and it’s also easy to pack if you’re travelling for a destination wedding. It’s one of those pieces, it’s a pleasure to wear.

How has your personal style evolved over the years?

My personal style has evolved in a lot of ways and in a lot of ways it has stayed the same. Inherently, my style is classic and effortless. I’m not one to spend too much time in front of the mirror before leaving the house. I like things that are easygoing and comfortable. I’m all about comfort. But over the years, I’ve been wanting to experiment more now. I push myself when it comes to dressing up and experimenting with style. ...I do like trying new trends, new colours... I’m not a very colour person but I’m trying a lot of colours recently and it’s fun... It’s fun to do stuff that’s outside your comfort zone and I’m enjoying it...

What’s that one fashion myth that you want to squash?

There are quite a few myths that need to be squashed immediately (laughs). But to be fair, when you think about it, there were quite a few fashion rules back in the day that were probably relevant then. Fashion has changed so much over the years, those rules no longer hold true. My mom used to always tell me, ‘Never mix prints’. She had a point in her days but I don’t think that’s relevant anymore. If you look at the runway shows these days, there is so much mixing of fabrics, textures and prints. Fashion has become so much more interesting and exciting. Matching your bags with your shoes is also completely irrelevant these days. It’s in fact interesting to add a shoe that’s probably different from the rest of your outfit and your accessories, even your bag for that matter. Until very recently, I was against mixing metals, like mixing gold and silver. But I completely love doing that now. I feel like I’ve evolved and it’s interesting to do that, especially when you’re layering accessories and wearing a lot of them on your hands, it’s nice to have a mix of both.

Who’s that one celebrity living or dead whose wardrobe you’d want to steal?

It has to be Kate Moss’s... she’s oh so well turned out! She’s so effortless and chic. She’s the perfect definition of chic and I don’t think her style will ever go out of style.

If you were an article of clothing what would you be?

I’d probably want to be a crisp white shirt because it’s something that’d never go out of style. It’s very timeless, effortless, very chic. Also, you can style a white shirt in so many different ways — keep it casual or keep it extremely formal and dressy. I think it’s one of those staples that everyone should have and I want to be a classic white shirt because that’s something everybody can’t do without (laughs).

Who are three best-dressed people in the world according to you?

Kate Middleton, Victoria Beckham and Cate Blanchett.

If you could bring back one vintage fashion trend, what would it be?

The parasol. You know it’s really weird that so many trends from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s have come back into fashion. Like, the high-waisted jeans, the mom jeans, big shoulders, puffy sleeves but somehow the parasol has not come back yet. It’s so functional, so pretty, they make them in different fabrics, colours and prints. It can actually compliment your outfit! It’s an accessory and also functional at the same time.