BRITISH MODEL and part-time Mumbai resident, the sophisticated brunette tells Bazaar how being soignée is more about being understated than anything else
It’s a balmy Mumbai night in December, and British model Kimberly ‘Kim’ Johnson and beau Arun Nayyar mingle with a heady mix of writers, entrepreneurs, socialites, and artworld heavies, at a party hosted by good friends Roohi and Chetan Jaikishan. Twentysix-year-old Kim, clad in a Hakan Yildirim form-fitting pleated black minidress and towering Valentino wedges, catches the admiring glances of the glitterati. Polite, approachable, understated, and always dressed right, Kim is the very antithesis of her industry brethren. No drunken stumbles out of nightclubs for her or rumours of multiple flings. Indeed, she seems wise beyond her years. Perhaps that’s to do with her steady boyfriend, Mumbai boy Arun. The couple met shortly after his split with ex-wife Elizabeth Hurley, and Kim has had to deal with being the new woman in Arun’s life. The British press have referred to her as a younger, fresher version of Elizabeth, but unlike the latter, she doesn’t seem enamoured of celebrity. Kim may be young, but she’s solid, stable, and uncomplicated.
Her style is breezy and effortless. Whether it’s skinny jeans and a leather jacket or short shift dresses paired with opaque tights or even a kurti worn over a bikini, Kim’s style is simple and appealing. One looks at her and wonders, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“If I need to go for a casting call, I dress differently than I do on the weekends,” Kim says. Discovered when she was 16 while holidaying with her mother in Paris, Kim favours day dresses paired with a leather jacket and high heels or boots for work meetings. Weekend attire is typically skinny jeans or leggings and knee-high boots. For London winters, she’s partial to fur. Her favourite designer is Azzedine Alaïa. “His clothes are structured yet feminine. They are just the right length and never make you look vulgar.”
In India, she loves shopping for jewellery, especially necklaces and cuffs at south Mumbai boutique Popley Eternal. The Oaktree is a favourite for tunic dresses by Shalini Shahani, as are Colaba Causeway and the Oberoi shopping arcade. Kim recently shot an ad campaign for designer Monisha Jaisingh and says she loves wearing a short leather cap-sleeved shift dress by the designer. New in her wardrobe are a Donna Karan jersey gown that looks like a sari, Christian Louboutin calf-length Cate boots, and double-faced wool trousers and a body suit by Michael Kors.
Like Kim’s outlook on fashion, her personal relationships, including that with Arun are similarly effortless. About him she says, “We tell each other everything. I love that he has the most amazing family and friends. Arun has become my best friend.”
Reflecting on her style, Kim adds, “I like looking sexy without it being too obvious. For me, less is more, be it skin or style.”