This week on the Style Profile we have someone who at quite a young age is going places with her career, from heading one of Sri Lanka’s newest and leading television stations to now being the consulate in Sydney. Yasara’s taste in fashion is simple yet very elegant and it is always nice to see her stand out at any function. Check out her take on fashion in this week’s Style Profile.

What is fashion to you?
Fashion is a way of expressing yourself without having to use words. Most people look at how you are dressed and judge how you might be as a person, so it’s always good to dress to impress because you are what you wear.


You have to represent Sri Lanka diplomatically, how important is fashion for this?
I am required to wear saree to work and all other functions, it’s a great way of representing our country because we stand out anywhere.There have been a few instances where people have walked up to me and commented on how elegant the saree is. I think it has a lot to do with how you carry yourself in one. When you represent your country you have to always dress your best and carry yourself with confidence because you are the first impression they get of Sri Lanka.


In your sense of fashion, what would "dressing up mean"?
Dressing up doesn't necessarily mean dressing to kill. You would be in jeans and a t shirt and add a casual jacket to it or a cardigan with a necklace and look dressed up. It’s all about how you match what you have. It was Coco Chanel who said simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance, which is so true.


Are you brand conscious?
I do enjoy using branded handbags or belts but other than that I’m not too fussy.


Three accessories you would not leave the house without?
Handbag, earrings, hair clips/hair band


What do you think of fashion in Colombo?
It has defiantly improved from what it used to be in the past. Ladies are slowly coming out of the skirt and blouse phase and are starting to be braver when it comes to purchasing clothes. The men are also trying out different looks rather than the old shirt and trouser look. It is nice and refreshing to see more colourful and youthful looking people in Sri Lanka.


Something that puts you off about the way men dress in Sri Lanka?
Shabbily dressed men! I dislike it with a passion. I always think that men should maintain themselves like women do and not just throw on a pair of jeans and a t shirt and walk out of the house in rubber slippers with disheveled hair and no perfume. If we make an effort, they need to as well.


Fashion advice for everyone?
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" you should always keep it simple but classy so that you don’t drown your own looks with what you wear. You will always be the first thing a person looks at, not your clothes.

Text by Reihan Stephen