My personal style is: I love statement dressing, but I’m also too lazy to put in the work. So my personal style ranges from basic monochromatic athletic wear to once-in-a-bluemoon Comme Des Garcons head-to-toe moments.
A monochromatic athletic wear
My personal style icon: Tilda Swinton, no one else compares.
An item in my wardrobe that means a lot to me: My Rick Owens Kiss Boots. I have gone to the clubs in them, attended formal dinners, ran through midtown Manhattan, even fallen off a flight of stairs multiple times after the afterparties. They’ve seen me through almost everything.
Ikshit Pande's Rick Owens Kiss Boots
My favourite souvenir from my travels is: I’m not a souvenir person. I think I subconsciously do not like to bring back tangible memories only so that I can long to return there someday.
The best gift I have received: Bouquet of flowers along with handwritten notes from my boyfriend every time I get back to the city from my travels. I have over 100 of these notes.
Handwritten notes
The best gift I have given: I once wrote a poem for someone’s 25th, I think it was a pretty neat piece of literary work.
The last thing I bought: Contrary to what may seem like, I’m not a big shopper. I buy less, and I use it over and again. So I really do not remember what I bought last. Perhaps it was a Jean Paul Gaultier turtleneck or a Y/PROJECT pair of jeans.
Pande in Jean Paul Gaultier turtleneck
The last book I read: ‘Em and the Big Hoom’ by Jerry Pinto.
The last film I loved: It’s been a decade but I’m still not over ‘Interstellar’.
My Spotify list would include these songs: I rarely do playlists. I’m a cover-to-cover album listener. Some of the records I listen to the most are: Stranger in the Alps (Phoebe Bridgers), Graduation (Kanye West), MassEducation (St Vincent), Plunge (Fever Ray), and Body Talk (Robyn).
My beauty/ wellness routine is: Collagen every day. Retinol every night. I round it off with a protein smoothie every morning (the recipe is a take on Naomi Campbell’s daily morning shake, look it up on YouTube—it will change your life).
My favourite holiday destination: I’m a homeboy. I run off to the hills of Kumaon every chance I get. Spending days at length in Binsar with no WiFi and nothing much to do is my ideal holiday.
The hills of Kumaon
I love to collect: Objects but with no related themes. I have plenty of masks, wooden sculptures, prints, metal trinkets, textiles and such from all across the globe that adorn my house.
Pande with a wooden sculpture
My fridge always has: Everything! I love a well-stocked fridge, and even though I may not consume most of what it has, my fridge will always have everything. From sweet treats to VOSS sparkling water (pretty useless), its a museum in there.
Minimalism or maximalism: Both. I’m a person of extremes and I love both with equal measures. Only thing I don’t do is neither-here-nor-there.
My home looks like: A well-lived place with objects, furniture and art that is old and new. Everything has a story. It’s a place for conversations with plenty of conversation starters in every nook and corner.
My favourite mix of traditional and contemporary is: Ladakhi women in Sulma and sneakers driving around Leh.
My best ideas come when: In my dreams. Or even if I’m in bed trying to sleep.
The best way to spend Rs 20,000 is:
- Sign up for a fitness class. Boxing, pilates, HIIT, basically anything that shoots the adrenaline up and clears the mind.
- Buy some skincare, but only the good kind.
- Order groceries, must order groceries.
- Get a bouquet of flowers or two.
My idea of happiness is: Being content. The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime. Being content is the biggest happiness one can achieve.
