Nirja Shah -- that's ELLE's belle, right?

Yes, Nirja needs to keep her hands full and whetting copy is just not enough. Which is why she decided to make ELLE the last word in style.

Remember, over a year ago, ELLE announced an all-India Fashion Week? Well that never took place but in its place have come the Black & White ELLE Style Awards. And Nirja still hopes to put together a fashion week. "It's only been delayed as we could not raise finances. But it will happen."

For the time being though she is determined to make the style awards the most happening event in the city's couture calendar.

At a gala event at the Oberoi Hotel on July 17, ELLE will reveal to the world the Country's Most Stylish. "ELLE has been doing these awards, internationally, for a while where basically people just vote in. There are 13 differentcategories, like style icon, best male model and best female model." These nominations are reviewed by a panel of judges, who then crown the style icons.

Who are this stylish judges -- passing judgement on our future style icons?

Hold your breath -- "That's a secret." But Nirja promises that the judges alone will soar above expectations.

But meanwhile, at the the ground level, ELLE has really been doing the rounds.

A team of girls have been going around pubs and discos encouraging everyone to vote. And giving Nirja a helping hand have been celebrities like Milind Soman, Madhu Sapre and Sushma Reddy. "These ground events have really been useful as they include people who are not just readers in to the voting process." The readers of course are expected to poll in on their own pull. "We have a very loyal readership as it is a very niche magazine."

So, simplify the demographic?

"It has a huge fashion section which is devoid of any advertising and it is a magazine forwomen."

How did this woman land ELLE?

"I met Hari Bharatiya of OGAAN at a YPO meeting and he said he was bringing a fashion magazine to India." When she found that the glossy was ELLE, she jumped at the chance to be part of the process.

But Nirja has never been a journalist?

No, but she has been many other things -- all of which made her eminently qualified to do the job. A random run through of Nirja's resume revealed: She has run an event management company; worked at Raymonds; put together The Times of India centenary celebrations; and worked as the head of programming at Zee TV. By the way, she is formally trained in mass communications.

Phew! Doesn't she like having time to spare?

No. "I like to be proactive. And I really love being the editor of a magazine. But it's all a joint effort." For Nirja, she is nothing without her team. In fact, she attributes her success as a publisher-editor to "delegating". "It is a team effort."

Let's get back tostyle. Does Nirja consider herself stylish?

ELLE's editor does not see herself as a style icon but she admits she has her own style. "I am informal most of the time and like to mix and match." Her style is "eclectic".

Actually, her style defines eclectic.

Nirja's wardrobe includes a Rohit Bal plastic flower outfit and a Sumeet Verma metal bustier with leather straps. And she has worn both with elan. "I don't really buy designer clothes from the main line but from the stage line." And the dramatic takes Nirja five minutes -- no make-up, no fuss, no diets. Style is in her blood, she doesn't need to wear it on her sleeve.

Where does Nirja get her distinctive edge from?

"My community, the Marwaris, are very stylish. Even though they only wore sarees there was modernity to the way they wore them. They would wear collared blouses or something new to give the sari a slight twist."

Does she twist her neck around to check out what people are wearing?

"I look at thevibrations around me more than the clothes." Though she did like the way Aishwarya Rai was dressed in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

So style is not about what you wear?

No way. "It's about more, a lot more. Style in about who you are. It's a personal statement!"