Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Designing, chocolate and kick boxing
The lively designer behind the Haddai label, her creations are seen in trendy boutiques all over town. This weekend, as Big Brother hits the boards and the costumes she's dreamed up come under the spotlight, Sonali White shares with us her loves.
By Ishani Ranasinghe
Designing: Sonali loves what she does "most of the time," she laughs. Her ready-to-wear line is popular among many fashion-conscious women. "I also love doing fashion shows 'cos then my designs can be more creative," she says. Apart from the glamour that comes with being a designer, there is also a lot of hard work that goes into it, she remarks.

Painting: This is a form of relaxation for Sonali who loves abstracts more than any other. Her work adorns the walls of her home and her office. "Painting is something that brings me peace. It also helps me to release stress," says Sonali.

Travelling: "I love to visit places that are exotic and have an architectural history," she says. So what would be in her opinion the best places to visit? "India, Nepal and also Paris."

Music: Listening to music is one of her favourite pastimes. "I love to listen to R & B music more than any other." Enrique Iglesias and Celine Dion top her list.

Learning sculpture: This is yet another love and she is about to start classes. "It's all about starting something and making it into a work of art," she says. She loves how each sculpture has a story moulded into it, a creative mind at work making something different.

Movies: Whenever Sonali has the time, she loves to watch movies. She rates Bridget Jones' Diary and Shakespeare in Love as her favourites. As for her favourite stars of Tinseltown? "I really like Gwyneth Paltrow and Ralph Fiennes," she says.

Kick boxing: "I just started it," she says enthusiastically. For her, it's all about the exercise and hey, it could come in handy sometime. Very much into it at the moment, but she wonders if she can keep to it.

Writing: "If I didn't get into designing, I would probably be writing." For her, writing is a form of exploring the unknown and the unreachable. "You can really use your imagination."

Reading: Even though she loves reading, she is quite unhappy that she hardly gets any time to read. At the moment she is reading Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus. "I really love the book and find it quite amusing," she laughs.

Animals: Animal lover Sonali at one time had 11 cats, her favourite being a black cat named Harry. She now owns just one cat and a dog-named Zoya, whom she adores. "I simply love animals and one day I want to build an animal shelter," she says.

Family and friends: A very important part of her life. "They have been a great strength for me," she says gratefully.

Religion: A devout Christian, her religion plays a large role in her life. "It will always be a part of my life."

Food: "Chocolates are a passion," says Sonali who loves Mexican food and also Thai and Italian fare. "Out of all the Italian food, pasta is the best."

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