Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Winter Coats, But Make Them Cheap

In my world, money has always spoken the loudest. It has been the driving factor behind most things - where to study, what to eat, where to rent when to start working, how to travel and so on. 

Naturally, money or the lack thereof, has also dictated my sartorial buys. This rings particularly true for all the winter coats I own. The day I decided to buy my first winter coat, it took me very little time to realise that I didn't have the budget for it. Disappointed, I decided to make do with the sweaters I had. And then, my colleague introduced me to the place that had answers to every broke fashion question I had - Sarojini Nagar. We went early in the morning to avoid the crowd, and she took me to the exact lane where they sell the trendiest coats starting at 300 INR! Before I knew it, I had three coats (if memory serves me right). Two of these coats still hang proudly in my closet, including the one in these pictures. 

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Never Not Sure Of

There are days when I have it all figured out - where to live, what to do on weekends, who to meet, the vacations to save money for. And then there are days when I feel as lost as a ball in dense shrubs. Days when I stare at a fully stocked fridge and still unsure what to cook. Moments when I have absolutely no idea how to spend an entire day.

Today is one such day, so I don't know what to write about. And then I stumbled upon these pictures from my library and I decide to upload them because this is one outfit I will never not be sure of. A grey chunky sweater, black pants and black boots. Nothing can go wrong.

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Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Simplifying Winter Dressing

For some people, putting together a winter outfit is more complicated than an intern trying to figure out their first job or someone trying to find a balance between their cravings for coffee and anxiety management resolutions. Here are three things that have simplified the art of winter dressing for me.

Owning versatile outerwear: Owning a few coats and jackets in colours such as black, grey, tan or navy has allowed me to throw them over almost everything.

Shoes that do the trick: Shoes with minimal design, e.g. black or white sneakers with very little print or typography, or flat boots can easily go with layered winter outfits.

Solid t-shirts and scarves: When it comes to solid t-shirts and scarves, I think we can opt for almost any colour. If it's muted, it will look like an organic fit; if it's a bold colour, it will add a pop to an otherwise monochrome or basic outfit. 

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Monday, December 11, 2023

Being Sad in a Sadder World

In times when everyone posts their best pictures and videos showcasing their perfect lives on social media, it's easy to feel lost. It's easy to believe our life is nothing but a big bag of meh (sorry, I couldn't find a better word). According to some, posting about sad things can bring a much-needed sense of reality. But I often wonder, if we talk about the problems and challenges of our lives on digital media, will there be any takers? Will anyone care to go through paragraphs of pouring hearts and streaming tears? At this point, I am not even looking for answers. It's all just a big blob of ramble.

And then I wonder if I even have the right to ramble in a world where children are being killed. In a world where islands are drowning, people are losing homes because of natural disasters, in a world where half of the population still struggles to live a decent life.

If you have managed to read so far, you must have guessed that all is not well and that the smiling pictures in these blogs do not tell the complete story. I am going through one of the most challenging phases of my life - in terms of health (both physical and mental) and my parents' health. Throw in some money issues to this, and I have a mix I don't know what to do with. But as I said, all these problems are nothing compared to what people in the world are going through. 

So at this very moment, I take a deep breath, feel guilty for having better problems, pause only to realise I still have no clue of what lies ahead, take another deep breath and publish this post. 

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Sunday, November 19, 2023

Dressing up for winter

During winter, it's easy for my mind to wander off to the grey landscapes of old novels set in Russia or England. It's easier to lie for hours under the quilt, reading, listening to old songs while taking breaks, only to ponder the shapeshifting nature of life. 

What is not easy for me is to dress up, layer after layer, working with all the thrifted winter pieces in the closet. So, I have found a few ways to make dressing up for winter less painful. And here is the first one - I take a long coat and pair it with a summer scarf! I then find a pair of pants that are some shade of the coat colour itself. If I am wearing a grey dress, I can throw on a coat of some other shade of grey. In this blogpost, it's mostly browns. And I think it works.   

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Sunday, October 15, 2023

Things I Loved in Sweden

This year, I got this great opportunity to visit Sweden. And it was an incredible experience, of course. From cleaner air to the beautiful architecture, there is a lot to like. But here are the top things that I will never forget.

Bicycles everywhere!

Leaving aside smaller environmental footprints, bicycles for me are the best way to commute short distance. And this country is so bicycle-friendly!

Evening lights!



Maybe one gets to see these lights only during winters, but whatever it is, evening lights are magnificent in Sweden. It's as if white and yellow meet midway to illuminate the streets in a magical way. Hope this picture explains it better.

Beautiful buildings everywhere








Imagine your everyday grocery-run view to be like this. Exactly.

Inclusivity



This one deserves a separate post altogether. But this message on a public washroom is everything. 

Pedestrian-friendly roads








I don't think I will ever be less sentimental enough to describe how it feels to be able walk for hours without worrying about some vehicle owner trying to tell you how pedestrians do not belong on the roads.

Cute houses



Even during the blue of the cold weather, some Swedish houses emit warmth. An evening stroll watching brightly-coloured houses is among the best kind of rest. Try it.

Food












Frankly speaking, I wouldn't go gaga about the food in Sweden, especially after having been to Italy and living in India. But, if you do just enough research, you can get your hands of some really good pasta, desserts and coffee!

The weather and the public transport!










I know some people find Swedish winters too gloomy. I am not those people, I guess. And the public transport? Well, the entire Europe, I have heard, has done a good job there.

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Sunday, September 17, 2023

The Less-Celebrated Timeless Fashion Piece

On a breezy Sunday evening in September, I switch on my laptop to write a blog post on timeless fashion pieces. I think of structures blazers, black and navy blouses, trench coats and tan belts. I mentally picture each item under a soft spotlight in a studio and decide to place my bet on one. But then, as I scroll through my image library, I see pictures of me in a striped white t-shirt. In a sartorial world replete with expensive-looking trends, the classic white t-shirt seems like an approachable and less-celebrated timeless piece.

Look for Jean Seberg in Breathless or Audrey Tautou in Coco Before Chanel or this picture of Audrey Hepburn from a magazine shoot. And in case you are wondering how to style a striped tee in today's time, I suggest you throw it over a denim skirt (the longer, the better). Or you can pair it with a pair of mom jeans and a silk scarf for that vintage feel. And if you have shorts in the same colour as I did, try the pair at home to see if it works.

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