Power dressing, the Indian way!
I’m incredibly excited to be back here, to this space where I share my thoughts, my creative experiments; to these pages that detail the wonderful journey that I have had so far with ShimmerMe; to a platform where I have received immense support from many of you by way of your visits and engagement. Every now and then I have received DMs on Instagram checking on when I’d revive the blog and to all those of you, Im saying, ‘now’ :-) In 2022, I hope to find time to pursue things that bring me feelings of joy and fulfilment while also maintaining a disciplined approach to it. I have a good feeling about this, people :)
About a month ago, I received a call from a woman entrepreneur appreciating my personal style and asking if she could send me a few sarees from her collection to style. Not to sound lofty but I tend to get quite picky on who/what I work with, although when Prescila shared a few images with me, it made the decision to proceed quite easy. Also, I have immense respect for new mothers who continue on their path to pursue their own little dreams and realities. We know that it is never easy, don’t we? The black saree that you’d be seeing in the post is one of my picks from her varied collection.
So, I firmly believe in the concept of power dressing - I do believe that clothes, accessories have tremendous potential to make the wearer feel a particular way - be it in bringing out their personality, their mood or just feeling more confident. And during my corporate stint, I have spent my days in formal black dresses, girly blouses paired with formal trousers, tees and denims, and then certain special days were reserved for sarees. And I particularly loved those days when I chose to wear sarees - festive occasions, days when we had colleagues/clients visiting from other parts of the world; it was a way for me to embrace the exquisite heritage that I am so proud of. Trust me when I say this - I felt powerful, instantly beautiful and special in those 6 Yards.
So here you’d see me style a handwoven Kanchipuram silk saree from Ektha by Prescila Joseph with a contemporary blouse in silk bandhani that I designed. What a beautiful marriage of a celebrated weave from the south of India with a renowned dyeing technique from the north! That’s a lovely story that I am wearing right there :)
When I look at a piece of jewellery, I’d love to see a bit of the past and a bit of now which would have a place in the future. And that’s what I see in these stunning pair of jhumkas from AMAERA which marry a heritage design with more contemporary gemstones such as the tourmalines. An absolute versatile pair, which I’d see myself style effortlessly with a white shirt and denim as with a traditional outfit. And a Navratna bangle has been, is, and will always be a coveted heirloom, wouldn’t you agree?
Entering my late 30s, I have a fair understanding of the silhouettes, the colours, the clothes that suit me and this particular style is something that I see myself comfortable in for the decade ahead of me. A blouse style that piques interest, a celebrated traditional weave, a few distinct and heritage pieces of jewellery paired with soft eye makeup and nude lips work perfect for me….What’s not to feel powerful innit!
Saree: Ektha
Jewellery: AMAERA by Edimannickal
Styling: Shimmerme.co
Photography: Nevin Philip
Shot at: Four Seasons Bangalore
