People who don’t fit the norm just seem to be cooler somehow, don’t you think? And Padma Lakshmi, host of Bravo’s Top Chef, airing Wednesdays, is way out of the norm.

Her beauty is off the charts – especially in person. She’s an internationally famous fashion model, yet she eats and eats well. She’s smart, well-read, a published author of cookbooks and also an accomplished actress. But it’s her cool confidence that truly sets her apart. This woman is comfortable in her own skin, and that makes her even more beautiful in the clothing she wears.

While the world’s top designers want her wearing their latest creations, she might just as easily pull something out of her closet from the early 1990s. Classics last, and quality is forever – think Ralph Lauren and Alice Temperley. So if you know what is timeless you can hold on to pieces long after fashion editors have moved on to the next new thing. But when you mingle with the fashionistas Lakshmi does, you better be prepared to take some heat. Luckily, she’s used to it from the Top Chef set.

“A lot of what I wear depends on the weather,” Lakshmi says. “It also depends on what we’re doing. The kitchen tends to be really too hot or really too cold. But normally it’s pretty hot. That is why I tend to wear a lot of slip dresses.

“I try and keep it simple. Bravo has a tendency to rerun Top Chef a lot, and when you are costuming for television, you don’t want to wear trendy because the look will date itself.”

Aside from the technical issues with television – no white, no houndstooth, no busy floral patterns – Lakshmi also has to deal with the challenges associated with the kitchen.

“I don’t like wearing sleeves with whistles or bells,” she says, “these chiffons with extraneous bits – it just gets in the way. I just tend to wear simple dresses that hug the figure while in the kitchen.”

Another danger of the kitchen is the actual eating. As a judge, she must also taste the food.

“I gain 12 to 15 pounds in six weeks time because I’m eating 16 pizzas at a time and I’m not getting to exercise,” Lakshmi says with a laugh. “We actually get clothes in two sizes because there’s basically two different seasons – first half and second half of the season.”

What’s interesting about her style on Top Chef is its range – she wears everything from Old Navy and Marc Jacobs to Herve Leger. But she really laments that viewers don’t get to see more of her shoes on the show. She just got back from Paris where she bought some 20 pairs!