adma Lakshmi, with her long black hair, keen eye, and sexy figure, possesses all the trappings of a Bollywood meets Hollywood star. She has modeled and appeared on numerous magazine covers, including American Vogue. And she was married to one of the kings of world literature, Salman Rushdie. But clothes and books can’t seem to hold her long. Put Padma – the host of Bravo’s “Top Chef” – in a kitchen and she’s ready to tie on an apron for the duration.

Besides having been one of the famous photographers’ Helmut Newton’s favorites, Lakshmi has a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Clark University. She received the degree with honors in 1992, shortly after being ‘discovered’ while studying in Spain. Having the opportunity to travel the world while modeling for top designers such as Alberta Ferretti, Roberto Cavalli, and Emanuel Ungaro, Padma has gathered a vast amount of cultural influences and amazing ‘recipes’.

Padma’s first cookbook Easy Exotic, was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards. And her latest cookbook includes a recipe for Mexican spiced mac and cheese, hardly a light model’s meal. The cooking tome, called “Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet” (Weinstein books) sounds as if it could describe the sultry lady herself. She has had an extremely interesting and multi-faceted life and continues to move full force on this path.

Padma has graced the silver screen with her talents and hosted numerous television shows around the world. And presently she has branched into the world of jewelry design. Her line is called ‘Padma Jewelry’ and is carried by prestigious retailer Bergdorf Goodman. While attending the Alice Temperley show, MyCloset.com gets personal and candid with the much admired, woman of many talents:

MyCloset.com.com: Okay, let’s talk wardrobe since you’re at Alice Temperley’s show.

PL: I am wearing Temperley. Alice is an old friend of mine. She is one of my best mates. I love her clothes. They are timeless, feminine. They don’t try too hard. They date well. Some of them I’ve had for six or seven years, I still pull them out. I still wear them. And they’re gorgeous.

I wear a lot of Temperley on the show as well. They are colorful, timeless. I like the crème froths, the beading. You throw them on. You don’t think about it. They’re beautiful.