There are pockets of the virtual world, little coves hinging on your visual senses, that are always abuzz with colours, styles and cuts, run by icons (in their own right) for whom turning heads is second nature. Bred on the dynamic nature of trends, the excitement of pushing boundaries and most of all, being comfortable in your own skin to traipse into little-known terrains, fashion bloggers swirl and brew the tasteful concoction of fashion that's bound to have you hooked.
Everyone wants a swig of this heady brew, and we caught up with some of the leading fashion bloggers from Mumbai who are the torchbearers heralding the trends with their online platforms. Scouring the space for blogs that discuss lifestyle with a keen eye for detail and a discerning sense of style, we found some prominent trends that emerged - such as the fact that Instagram is definitely on a roll - and the nuanced editorials have had us riveted. We're pretty sure once you've checked these guys out, you're going to be logging in more regularly than anticipated as well, just to get your weekly fix.
These are some of our personal favourites - hopefully soon to be yours too. Indulge yourself in the sartorial suggestions of these style icons:
"Find your voice and express your personality through what you wear no matter how crazy or how simple that expression is."
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Creative director, model, stylist and content creator, 24-year-old Rhea Gupte rules as queen in the world of FUSS, a place 'where fashion is a way of expression, rules don’t exist but proportions matter and black is always a good idea'. Definitely our sort of thing. Beaches, inspirational quotes and Arctic Monkeys are what does it for her and her personal style website is a visual diary where she documents her every day style and her taste in clothing, accessories and beauty.
Take a plunge into the fashionable world of FUSS where fashion is a way of expression, rules don’t exist but proportions matter and black is always a good idea. FUSS (Fashion Unzipped | Street Style) is a personal style website of Rhea Gupte where she creates an online visual diary of her every day style and documents her taste in clothing, accessories and beauty. With a degree in Fashion Communication, Rhea has secured a spot as one of the top bloggers in the continent in Top 10 of Asia magazine and has also been featured in publications such as Grazia, Cosmopolitan, The Juice Magazine and Vogue Italia to name a few. Her creative shoots and individualistic styling have been used by brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Maybelline New York, Nike and Quirkbox while her model career has seen her walking for and lending her face to brands and publications such as L’oreal, Wella, Estetica, Zovi, Tata Docomo, Mandate, Maxim and The Leather Boutique. She's also documented Lakme Fashion Week, India in the year 2013 as the Official Blogger and has been covering the event in various capacities since that season.
"I don't know if this is a unique approach, but I put a lot of thought into what goes up on the blog and how it is presented,"
"Almost nothing is by chance, every frame is carefully planned as is every aspect of a shoot. Also I never wake up thinking I'm good at what I do, although I am very happy with how FUSS has turned out, I always feel the yearning to get better, be better, create better content."
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"It allows people to be themselves and express themselves," she reflects on what is important about fashion.
"Apart from that, the documentation of the history of fashion has always fascinated me."
"For me the website will always be most important and my focus in building FUSS as a brand. It is the only channel where I can control every aspect from the quality of images, design, fonts and presentation. Social media is great to pass the message on and interact with newer viewers but it will always be an extension to building the brand on the main platform."
"It gives me a sense of their aesthetic and at times their story."
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"I usually have a 10 - 15 hour work day depending on what is happening on that day. I always have an early start and the tasks throughout the day include a mix of replying to emails, taking care of accounts and couriers, styling looks, location scouting, shooting, modelling, writing, editing amongst other things. I listen to music the whole time I am in front of my laptop and take breaks for meals, a work out and watching anime or sitcoms. I try to have relaxing weekends where I explore different parts of Goa with my boyfriend and friends."
Follow FUSS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Check out her blog right here. II. Kayaan & Shereen - LoveAndOtherBugs
“Our fashion philosophy is to keep it simple, wearable, relatable, effortless and clean, of course being true to your personal style!”
Kayaan-&-shereen
“We try to keep our content relatable and wearable,”
“We, as individuals, are very approachable, and we try to bring that out in our content as well. What’s great is that our readers/followers get two completely different styles (Shereen's and mine) in a sort of cohesive one story/blog post.”
“Instagram, we find, has become our power tool for sure. It's where everyone comes out to play(laughs). It’s definitely fast growing and one of those 'race-to-the-top' social media platforms in this digital age!”
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“To us, what’s important about fashion is that it should be effortless, yet well put together, impeccable, approachable and available. There's so much one can do with one's personal style.”
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“You guys know our typical days! Well, sort of… thanks to the Nike 'day in the life of...' series we did with HG!(laughs)”
“Honestly, it all comes down to one's personal style! People may look at us sometimes and wonder what the hell we're wearing. Anyone's outfit is an expression of who they are as individuals and shouldn't be anyones right to judge. Having said that, there's always exemptions! (laughs)”
“Be you, wear you, do what you love and love what you do!”
If you’re in your twenties or in college and love a no-fuss only-personality ensemble that’s always a careless sort of chic, LoveAndOtherBugs is going to be right up your alley.
Follow LoveAndOtherBugs on Facebook and Twitter & Kayaan and Shereen on Instagram. III. Aien Jamir - A-J-Store
“I really don‘t care what I wear, what I care about is how I wear it.”
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how
“I believe in giving a breath of style or life to the most insignificant item in the horizon. Apart from the styling, I put my heart and soul into the imagery for I feel pictures speak volumes.”
“It all began with the blog which went on to gain more leverage through Facebook, since I had a larger following on my A-J store page. Together, it just did well for me as a blogger and a store owner. Lately, I would say Instagram plays a bigger role and I just need to get my hashtags right.”
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“It is something none can be denied and interestingly expresses an individual’s personality and preference. The universality it owns, and the ability to connect people with the same taste and style from the most unexpected places is something you cannot ignore about fashion. It is a form of connection on its own.”
Of course, I would not judge a person completely on his/her get-up but in terms of styling sense, I might be quick in rating them. In my defense, I would like to think that is something that inevitably comes to a person with an affinity for style.
The range is roomy with this one, and from the 16-year-olds to the 30-somethings who believe in achieving style with the most basic items, Aien’s style has a way of lending enough legroom to have everyone extract something from it.
Follow Aein on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and check out her website. “Fashion should be simply comfortable, easy to put together, be an extension of your personality and add to your self confidence.”
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‘hardcore Army kid’
NIFT
“All the content is produced by me. I do not have guest writers on my blog and it is a depiction of how I would personally experience and use products/ wear them in my life.”
“Each medium has a different set of followers that have separate characteristics. Lately, the one that has been most engaging is Instagram even though I have the least followers on it as compared to my other social media profiles.”
“Apart from that there is no point taking fashion seriously. It literally changes every damn day.”
“Editing photographs, shooting/ client meetings, answering a number of emails no one person should be doing by themselves, yoga/weight training and spending too much time on social media,”
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“Being a personal style blogger, I probably shouldn't say this but I don't pay attention to a stranger's outfit at all when I meet or see them for the first time. It's only after I get to know someone that my eye may get caught by something interesting they may be wearing. Oops!”
“Me! That's why I started blogging in the first place. I have to like what I put out.”
While her content is a potpourri of lifestyle and trends, from trendspotting at the Indian Fashion Weeks and reviews of collections, to outfit posts and unique products, jewellery and accessories that catch her fancy, like-minded people are bound to be drawn to it eventually.
Follow Akanksha on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Klout to stay updated on what she's up to. “Nothing but comfort matters and it’s always wise to keep it effortless, with a personal touch and an offbeat factor. Also, my personal style sense is highly influenced by my state of mind.”
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Bangalore-based Ritu Arya’s utterly unaffected sense of style has been always been a refreshing change for us, and we love how she has injected the same vibrant personality into the narrative of her fashion blog that she has into her sartorial decisions. While the 23-year-old Design graduate from NIFT spends much of her time running Razzle Dazzle Pickle, she also works as a freelance Stylist and a Design Advisor. She’s also one of the two co-founders of Drum and Bass India, a community pushing underground drum and bass sounds in the country.
“Music is definitely one of the few things that I really enjoy, apart from fashion and blogging,” Ritu shares with us. “A very deep thinker, I often find myself staring into nothingness, wondering about my goals in life and these dreamy places I would like to escape to.”
“The first thing that I look at is, how connected I feel with the subject that I am going to work around. It’s all about expressing my thoughts, through pictures and a few words. I try to create something new and interesting each time, mostly working around themes and stories. The content I generate is very individualistic and personal.”
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“It’s been a while that I have been more obsessed with Instagram compared to other social media. But one platform that was, and will remain, significant in building my brand is Facebook. It’s amazing how Facebook lets you target the right crowd for your brand, and is also immensely useful when it comes to spreading a word about your work/talent.”
“Individuality, experimentation and change.”
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“Usually, I don’t let anything else affect my perception about someone, apart from their behaviour and artistry. But it is an established fact that the very first impression is marked by the way you are dressed. Of course, until you speak. Because one’s outfit says a lot about who/what they are. So yes, my judgement is based on someone’s style and attire to an extent - a great extent in fact. Also, I find it very unappealing when someone doesn’t look comfortable in what he/she is wearing.”
If you’re
someone from any branch of the cultural sphere
seeking something unique, fresh and who has an understanding of what style and expressionism is
Keep up with Ritu's shenanigans on her blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. VI. Mitali Sagar & Summiya Patni - House of MISU
"It's not who you wear or what you wear, its how you wear it."
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"Why be a pigeon when you can be a peacock?"
“We come as a pair – two points of view that almost always differ but when brought together; they result in something truly fabulous."
"Instagram has helped our brand gain a lot of attention after Facebook."
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House of MISU
"No two days in the House of MISU are the same. We go from meetings across the city , to photo shoots in covert locations, to fun projects, to random downtime at our favourite haunt to working from our bedroom, just because we can. There is never a dull moment in our schedule."
"Fashion is extremely essential,"
"It helps people express themselves, hide or shine, gives people confidence and strength to take on the world or even helps them just fit in. It's ever-changing and growing much like human nature in general and says a lot about what's going on in the world as a whole. It is a multi-billion dollar industry and it gets our blood pumping!"
"The way one dresses is very telling, but just because your dress is sloppy doesn't mean you are. We know this because we have worked with countless ordinary people by revamping their entire image through styling. We got to know them individually before we could work our magic, and realised that just because they dressed in ways that made them seem dull or slovenly, or even careless, did not mean they were that way in life.
"Every element in a person's ensemble gives off subliminal messages and a lot of people pick up on these messages and judge that person accordingly. Hence, we try to get people to dress the way they want the world to perceive them and feel confident in their skin."
"Anyone who is or wants to be stylish" is the free-range of patrons and audience that House of MISU caters to, bringing together two well-defined points of view to craft one classy sensibility.
Follow House of MISU on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and check out their blog here. VII. Allen Claudius George - Bowtiesandbones
"If you like it and it fits well (on your body and your wallet) then buy it."
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"I focus on regular people. I think readers (as much as they love the models) relate better to every day folks when it comes to fashion. You know, it sort of hits close to home."
"I try and leverage all platforms for their strengths. With fashion, the focus primarily being on visual appeal, I think Instagram is a great initiator. Having said that, Pinterest has had minimal impact, relatively. Facebook enables a larger reach than Instagram or Twitter but also has its drawbacks like having to opt for paid promos for your content to get visibility. Twitter is really my last arrow."
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"What do you want your image to tell people? Identify that and then work around it. Nothing goes out of style. Except boot cut denims and cowboy boots. Unless you are a Texan."
"Mondays through Friday evenings, I am a working class nobody. I try and squeeze in a work out and a short walk with my dog - Scratch. It is the weekends that I really live for. I begin my day as early as 7AM, throw in a delicious breakfast, movie, drinks at the bar or a gig and so on."
"It varies when am at work and otherwise. For instance, if someone turns up for an interview in casuals or unpolished shoes for that matter it is quite a put off. When I'm out, though, I appreciate people who dress easy for a gig or bar night. If you appear like you have taken a lot of effort to 'dress up' I just think it wasn't worth it."
If you're someone who likes a bit of story-telling, scratching at the surface of the visuals and looking beyond it to the content. Al's work is probably something you can relate to, crafted for those who aren't necessarily entirely fashion savvy, but most certainly are self aware.
You can follow Al on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and check out his blog here. VIII. Urmi Daga and Hemal Ved - What Wear How
"Redefine fashion and live your style."
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"We do easy-to-wear fashion. Something what every person can relate to. Affordable and wearable,"
"Its about expressing yourself and moulding trends into your own style. It means being confident and comfortable in whatever you wear. The key is self confidence and elegance."
"Audience is more active now on Instagram definitely.. Maybe because its more visually appealing to audience. The focus hence has shifted from Facebook to Instagram."
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"Early morning blog shoots, sourcing for projects (which ends up shopping with us for ourselves), some work out time, sleep aand repeat."
"We are not judgey,"
"But a few jokes once in a while are healthy."
Targeting an age bracket of 18 - 30 years, both men and women are bound to be drawn to the stylistic sensibilities of this tasteful twosome.
Words: Aditi Dharmadhikari
[If, like us, this has left you wanting more, check out 'Vol II: 6 More Indian Fashion Bloggers We Love'.]