Jeena J. Billimoria

This dapper, dynamic and dashing actor brings something unique to the sartorial table, so to speak. HELLO! discovers how he stands head and shoulders above the rest—and why originality and charm are irreplaceable.

HELLO! Loves: Jim Sarbh is a whole mood. His versatility off-screen is beautifully reflected in his edgy, intriguing, boundary-pushing fashion choices that allows him to canvas himself like a no-nonsense rockstar, rather brilliantly. When he’s schooling, we’re listening!

HELLO!: How would you best describe the word ‘style’?

Jim Sarbh: “I wouldn’t.”

H!: Is your sartorial sense something you’d consider innate?

JS: “Well... it can’t be innate. I didn’t pop out of the womb wearing sunglasses and a sweet onesie. It is definitely learned. I can’t put a finger on exactly where I learned it, but I suppose it goes back to my early days in Sydney; my parents dressed me quite nattily. Then, as you grow older, you are drawn to certain musicians, actors, sports figures, etc. You pick up a bit from them, from the people around you, and from more or less anyone you think is ‘cool’.”

H!: What’s your signature look?

JS: “Black Reebok/Maison Margiela sneakers, black socks with little white dots on them, black jeans, a purple rain velvet shirt and a necklace.”

H!: Brands that a man simply cannot go wrong with?

JS: “I don’t know about brands. But things I like: flip flops with a great grip, flexible sole and soft but dense base; a very comfy pair of black sneakers; really neat and clean black formal lace-ups (the kind that make your feet seem smaller, not bigger); a great fitting straight cut pair of black jeans; a great fitting straight cut pair of blue jeans; a velvety brown gold pair of pants; incredibly fitting black-and-white T-shirts; a bunch of oversized, interestingly coloured T-shirts (perhaps with graphics, patterns or text); a couple thin floral shirts; a long black or tan overcoat; goofy sweaters; a white, black and brown turtleneck; a very thin chain necklace with a stone pendant and round or hexagonal framed black or cream pair of sunglasses.”

H!: An heirloom that’s been passed on to you that you’ll forever cherish?

JS: “My dad [Jimmy Sarbh] gave me a beautiful Vacheron Constantin watch. It is blue and very quietly elegant. It has an unorthodox face, not round or oval or square, but a trapezoid.”

H!: What, according to you, will never go out of style?

JS: “A sense of humour.”

H!: One thing you never leave home without?

JS: “My sexy all-black Moncler backpack.”

H!: Men you admire for their style?

JS: “David Bowie. He was wild, provocative, androgynous and yet somehow polished and refined, simultaneously. Kurt Cobain. He could not have cared less about looking any particular way, within the overall grunge he wore exactly whatever caught his eye. And Timothy Chalamet—he is always dressed very interestingly. He jumps genres and styles, and pulls it all off.”

H!: One may be dressed impeccably—but how does one command a room with his presence and character, in your opinion?

JS: “I have no interest in commanding a room with my presence and character. I like to flow with a room, sometimes invisible, sometimes at the centre, sometimes happily observing another at the centre, and sometimes, hopefully, the group itself is the centre and everyone has a chance to express themselves, if they so wish.”

This is an interview from HELLO! India’s November 2023 issue. To read other such stories, check out the latest issue right here.