Rahul Khanna: How to not be a slave to style

Match the following

Is the match your shoes with your belt and watch strap phase finally over?

—Jagan Rathi, Lucknow

I’m not a fan of traditional match-making. Isn’t it better when unions occur more organically? I would introduce a belt and shoes from similar colour families and see if they hit it off. The aim is for them to complement each other, rather than be an exact match. For instance, one of my personal favourite couplings has been a dark brown watch strap with black footwear. While that may distress some conservative dressers, I take it as validation that I was still asked to write a style column!

Stubble trouble

When is a beard “too groomed”? I like the Middle-Eastern style close crop, but my girlfriend says it looks like black paint on my face.

—Dhroov M, Via Email

IMHO, I feel us men should always be presentable and, above all, clean – not overly manicured. But that’s just me. You should do “you”. Do your whittled-down whiskers make you feel like a million bucks? Do you love that Mughal garden-like mug-manscaping you see in the mirror? If the answer is yes – then own that sculpted stubble! If not, surrender to some scruffiness.

Rahul Khanna is a “boutique actor”, whose sartorial statements and good looks often send hearts aflutter. He goes by @mrkhanna on Instagram

From HT Brunch, October 04, 2020

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