Neha Kapur Nayyar has fashion chops to spare; the New Delhi born talent attended design school before being tapped by Elite and spending more than a decade as a model. Those experiences never left her, and when she relocated to Los Angeles with her husband, actor Kunal Nayyar, she found herself filled by the impulse to create "something that was fluid, and really easy, that did not conform to any trends. My upbringing was classical in terms of music and Indian dance how my parents were at home. I wanted to put together something that mixed my Eastern sensibility with something that had a kind of storytelling behind it, because that's what dance is." And so Hensely, the designer's luxury brand, began to crystallize, debuting for Fall 2016 exclusively with Moda Operandi.

Her Resort collection boasts a free-form kind of ethos, and an air of uninsistent luxury; many of the looks, an evening gown among them, were inspired by the artfulness of the kimono. In an earthy palette, simple fabrics like puckered linens and crisp poplin give way easily to pieces like a glossy, silk trench. "I wanted it to be not just a classic brand. I wanted it to have that extra niche," she offers of her distinct--and distinctly top-shelf--fabrications. The effect is mature, without a doubt, but far from fussy. You get the impression that these are the clothes of a woman who has plenty on her mind beyond her wardrobe.