Vol II: 6 More Indian Fashion Bloggers We Love

With ‘Vol I: 8 Indian Fashion Bloggers Whose Style Sensibilities We’re Loving’, we explored some personal style blogs that ultimately just left us feeling like we wanted more. So we went right ahead and reached out to a couple more bloggers who were fashion kingpins in their own right, just to satiate our thirst for a diverse range of styles. Making the cut are six more fashion bloggers who are populating our virtual world with happy snippets of fashion advice as they take us through their visual diaries and lend us some insight into their respective unique ethos.
Come along on the journey with us, we promise it’s going to be a colourful ride:

I) Masoom Minawala - Style Fiesta

“If it makes you feel like you’re ready to kick ass, you’re wearing it right.” 

Seduced by the business of fashion, 22-year-old Masoom Minawala is a Mumbai-based Fashion Entrepreneur and the founder of e-commerce label Style Fiesta, who blogs at Style Fiesta Diaries. An online destination for fashion jewellery & accessories, the idea is to keep you updated with the latest trends with the aim of ‘delivering fashion at guilt free prices with the help of live stylists’. More than fashion seasons, it’s spoiling their customers for choice that takes precedence, with biweekly new arrivals keeping it fresh. ‘If we love it enough to wear it, only then is it worth selling,’ is the drive behind their ethos, and they channel their efforts into creating an experience rather than just selling a product.
“The filtration on my blog is my opinion, and that’s what makes it special,” Masoom tells us about her approach to her content on Style Fiesta.
When it comes to what is important about fashion, she believes that it is the way a person carries fashion that takes centre-stage. “You could own a turquoise fur vest that screams fashion, but if you don’t carry it well, it’s doing nothing for you.”
Social media has become an irrevocable part of crafting a virtual identity and as to whether anyone medium’s acquired more importance than another, she explains, “This is constantly changing. At the moment, it’s definitely Instagram topping the charts because it allows followers to touch base instantly, but I’m just as sure that there’s a new platform just around the block that’s gonna be the next ‘it’ thing.”

“I come from the belief that the way a person dresses talks miles about them,” Masoom relates, when asked about how a complete stranger’s outfit influences her perception of them. “A lot of is defined by the details, the accessories - however muted, the neatness of the outfit etc. that definitely do allow me to make a judgement about them before I know them on a personal level.”
A typical day in the blogger’s life includes a solid 8-hour day at work usually spent in the HQ’s at Lower Parel or running around for meetings, followed by a yoga session or a quick workout. She confesses she likes having dinner with my family and then goes on to either meet friends for coffee or watch a movie, almost always ending the day curled up in bed with a book.
If you’re an enthusiastic, confident girl between 15 - 30 years who knows what you want and is out there to get it - head right on over to Style Fiesta where we’re sure you’ll feel right at home.
Follow Style Fiesta’s website, blog and keep up-to-date by checking out their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well.  

II)  Smrithi Rao - Vintage Obsession

“Try investing in pieces that are not seasonal.”

28-year-old Smrithi Rao is self-confessedly obsessed with narrating tales about design, art, people, and places and make things with her hands. Reading conspiracy theories, watching documentaries on people, and lip syncing to pop songs constitute some of her guilty pleasures along with unearthing vintage finds. Quoting Sylvia Plath, she explains, “I am so busy keeping my head above water that I scarcely know who I am, much less who anyone else is.”
Started in 2009 as a visual diary of my pretty voyeuristic encounters with people, fashion and travel, Vintage Obsession became Smrithi’s sole focus in 2014 when she quit her corporate job to pursue the things that are dear to her.
When it comes to her content, she explains, “Heterodox is my propensity. Therefore, the content that I scout for has to adhere to the norms of freethinking. I write about designers, contemporary Indian brands, weavers, artists, places and people I stumble upon while travelling and idiosyncrasy is always a common factor among them.” 
“Instagram has been my favourite,” she opines on social media and how she goes about using it to craft a unique online identity. “Even with an attention deficient problem, it has had me hooked for a while now. Facebook is too noisy for me so I intent to stick to Instagram till something better comes along.” 

As for what’s important in fashion, Smrithi tells us, “Understanding your personal style, making sense of it and evolving with time requires a fair understanding of yourself. Anything that nudges in the direction of self-awareness gets two thumbs up from me, and I think fashion does exactly this.”
Working as an editor by day and moonlighting as a blogger and a content strategist, Smrithi juggles her tripartite days with admirable skill. When asked how a stranger’s’s ensemble would affect her impression of them, she says, “Goes without saying, the first thing I would notice in a complete stranger is what they are wearing. Fast trends are not my ideal go-to fashion choice, therefore if the ensemble consists of all things ‘fast trends’ I may not get curious about him/her. However, if the outfit is an intelligent mishmash, my antenna goes straight. Sometimes I embarrassingly fixate, trying to form a story about where they might have been, what they do or where they are going. This gazing is definitely my vice too!” 
If you’re someone who is captivated by aesthetic designs, who has a keen interest in Indian art forms, people watchers and romantic travellers, it’s you that Vintage Obsession is speaking to.
 Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedln. 

III)Roxanne D’souza - Head2Heels

“Not everyone woman wears the same dress the same way. So even if I end up picking something common,

I style it in my own way. ”

25-year-old fashion stylist, blogger and designer Roxanne D’souza’s penchant for fashion has seen her branching into several verticals of fashion over the course of her career. Studying fashion in Mumbai, she explored everything from design to styling as well as footwear design and development and then hopped off to Milan for advanced courses on lingerie design and couture dresses pattern-making.  Kicking off her stint in the industry by working with a stylist on several ad campaigns and Bollywood movies, she’s also done considerable editorial work with a fashion magazine, after which she went back to Bollywood. Mid-2014 saw her quitting her job in search of a sabbatical and she started working full-time on the blog which was just turning an impressive four years. Roxanne exudes the nonchalance of someone who knows what she’s doing and isn’t afraid to experiment with different styles.
“Well, I hope it’s the relevance of my posts,” she tells us when asked about how she approaches her content. “I try and make all of it relevant, whether it’s brand collaborations or just a post of my own. For brands, I only work with what I would genuinely use/wear. Also instead of a generic outfit post when I’m supposed to be decked up from head to toe with a handbag in hand, since I love to write, I also try and add a different spin to it and really push myself for more engaging content.
“So it’s not just pictures, it’s a mix of both. I also share my own experiences, sartorially and generally as well, and if it’s a holiday/festival, I try and cater my posts to match themes and share more ideas for readers, in case they are stuck in a rut for the same.”
A distinct clarity sparkles from her answers, and when we ask her about what is important about fashion, she says, “Understanding and research. Most people don’t know the difference between fashion and style and just try to fake it. Once you’ve developed your own sense of style it’s much easier to experiment with fashion. Most fashion trends don’t work for all body types as well. For example let’s take the whole crazy crop top trend - since women come in different shapes and sizes, a trend like this is a bit dicey when it comes to actual wear-ability. Once you understand your body type and how each trend will make you look and do your research, you’ll definitely be one to look out for, in terms of fashion and style.”

Social media is something everyone’s tapping into and when asked if any one medium has acquired a more important place than others in helping her build her brand, she says, “Not really. I’ve always liked Instagram because I like clicking pictures. Most of which will be shoes and my cats. I send all my IG images to Twitter as I hardly tweet much. Then I’m addicted to Pinterest and I have over 200 boards, but then that counts more as my research than anything else. Then Facebook is of course my no.1 especially when it comes to link sharing. But, I don’t think any of them are as important as my blog. I’d like to concentrate there as I can write a lot more and share as many images. Also with the comments section, it’s easier to exchange ideas as well.”
When asked how a person’s ensemble affects how she perceives them, she says, “Not as much. I really don’t analyse the way people are/can be, by what they wear. There are times when I’m in my dirtiest jeans and an over-sized sloppy t-shirt and I wouldn’t like to be analysed either. Everyone has their good and bad days, but I won’t form an opinion by just looking at a single outfit. But that doesn’t mean I won’t pass judgement on it (laughs).”
Roxanne’s life apparently consists of two kinds of days; one, where she wakes up late, sorts out and plans shoots/concepts/posts (and sometimes shoots as well), plays with the cats, attend to emails and watches two hours worth of YouTube videos, and spends hours on Pinterest while also getting some writing done.The other sort will have her rushing from event to event, all cab rides and rickshaw rides, impromptu shoots and mall meetings which ends with getting in some happy hours at the end of the day with blogger friends.
Roxanne tries not to envision a particular target audience, and her work is really for anyone, from a girl fresh out of college to a working mother. The idea is to make it relevant for all, and the one thing she ensures is that she keeps it real. If you’re into style outfits that are very wearable and not staged just for the sake of getting pretty pictures, her sensibilities might just agree with you. Experimenting with trends from runways, shows and magazines, it’s the ‘real girl’ spin she adds that really does it for us. .
Follow Roxanne on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest to stay in the loop.

IV) Drashta Sarvaiya - The Brunette Bird

“Where style meets honesty, comfort and playfulness.”

The Brunette Bird is dedicated exclusively to sharing founder NIFT graduate Drashta Sarvaiya’s passion for high-quality content related to fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Her innate eye for detail and discerning sense of style is quite evident in her work, which she produces for various brands as she shuttles between Bombay & London.

“I would say style over fashion,” Drashtra opines to us. “Fashion is something you buy but style is what you create. To have your clothes represent you and your image, you must be honest about your size, shape, lifestyle, and budget. Fashion isn’t defined solely by our clothing choices, but is also conveyed through the way we carry ourselves, our personalities and our views of the world.”
“The uniqueness of the blog lies in the way I create and share visuals,” she elaborates on her content ideology. “The photos are informative, styled carefully and have a signature style. I try and inspire my readers to live a healthier and stylish lifestyle. I often share DIY (do it yourself) projects and recipes which are fun and achievable along with sharing tips on fashion trends and outfits I love.”
As for what’s important about fashion, Drashta says, “The newness. We all love change and fresh ideas. Fashion provides that these days rather too often and too quickly, but it is important as it is a reflection of a culture or a society.”
Social media has taken over our lives with its mind-boggling reach and Drashta tells us her view of it, “This is an ongoing process and it keeps changing however in recent days I’m more active, enjoy sharing creative content and interacting on Instagram over other social mediums.”

When it comes to a quintessential day in her life, Drashta explained that she wasn’t sure there was any such thing for a blogger, but that some of her activities that remain constant over the course of the week include waking up as early as 6AM if she’s planning an OOTD (outfit of the day) shoot (otherwise she cheats and sleep an extra hour). A coffee and a fruit bowl with yogurt are listed as absolute essentials in the morning, after which her day usually consists of checking mails, comments on her blog and other social media platforms and responding to pending questions. She also edits photos and creates content for new blog posts before grabbing some home-cooked lunch at home if she’s in India, or heading out to grab a quick bite if she’s in London. Emails and brainstorming for new ideas make up the rest of her days, with a one-hour gym session in the evenings after which she enjoys cooking dinner and then closing shop and unwinding and watching ‘Dragon’s Den’, a TV show she’s in love with. Some downtime with a book and a magazine is her favourite way of rounding off the day with.
“Your outfit is your first impression,” she contemplates when asked about how her impression of a person is influenced bu what they’re wearing. “Your silent language hence I would say it effects me quite a lot in how I perceive someone, however the impression only lasts or may change once I start a conversation.”
Anyone with an eye for beauty, art and a good appetite for breakfast feeds is bound to fall for the Brunette Bird’s irresistible charms. 

V) Namit Sirohi - Valley of Chic

“For me, fashion needs to crisp, clean yet elegant.”

Barely out of college, 21-year-old Namit Sirohi is quite the trailblazer. Founder of Valley of Chic, he is pursuing his bachelor of design in Fashion from NIFT, New Delhi. Founded in 2012, the blog was born out of a need to express his views on the various aspects of the Indian and International Fashion and design industry. Recently, he’s also started a new column focusing on fashion followed and worn by college goers.

“The majority of the content you will find on VOC comes from the fashion weeks,” Namit explains how he approaches the content on the blog. “Pictures of the garment details are the stars of my posts. They give you the perfect zoomed in view of the details which are easily missed. Designers work really hard on putting up the collections, especially with the minute details and its extremely sad that the official fashion week photographers end up missing out them.”

Namit believes that the most important thing about fashion is to remember that it’s a business. He elaborates, “Just the way all the businesses are a pain, this one is as well, only it comes in the wrapping of glamour. The hard work which goes in making one collection by some of the designers is remarkable. It starts with an intense design process to the final prototyping for the preview. In India, the good designs are appreciated by only few people, majorly the ones sitting in the front row of the media section and the buyer section, and probably a handful more. These are the people who have either studied fashion or have enough experience about this glamourised and design-oriented business.  They deserve a position to be able to review the works of fashion designers. The reason you will never find any reviews on my blog is because I haven’t earned the position yet.”
When it comes to how he uses social media to build his brand, he says, “Initially, it was Facebook but in recent times, it’s Instagram that’s taking over. I prefer Instagram because it’s all about visuals and I love visuals.”

“Clothing defines who we are,” Namit says, when asked about how he might perceive a stranger’s personality based on their outfit. “People’s dressing sense speaks about their personality. Moreover it shows how well they know themselves. I find girls who like to follow subcultures like hippie or grunge more true to themselves than the ones who blindly like to wear Zara’s black jeggings with crop tops. The latter ones are the most difficult to understand, not because they don’t have personality, but because their style has been highly overshadowed by a fashion trend. Well, that is just my opinion.”
A typical day in Namit’s life rolls out like this, “Being a fashion design student, most part of the day time is spent in the college labs; doing everything from pattern-making, garment constructions to discussing about who-wore-what in which event. The reason why I have used ‘discuss’ is because we love talking about the various different possibilities there could have been instead of that particular look. If it’s a perfect look, then we love to decode the components of the look. So yes, my typical day does revolve all around the fashion.”
Anyone who nurses an immense love for details is in for a treat with Namit’s work. Whether he gets the maximum traffic or freebies from XYZ brand is irrelevant to him, and even if a limited number of audience (who actually understand fashion design) visit his blog, he seems quite content.

VI. Sarthak Raswant - Plaid It Well Style Blog

“Personal style needs to be ever-evolving and unless you step out of your comfort zone, you will never be able to revamp it. It’s all about rediscovering & redefining yourself.”

22-year-old Sarthak Raswant really knows the value of getting ahead early in life; the Digital & Brand Marketing head at Gaurav Gupta, one of the leading couturiers in India, he’s also involved in modelling and shooting for his blog. When he’s not doing any of these, he alternates between binge-watching American TV Shows or binge-eating. Plaid It Well Style Blog stands out in a the vast, rather empty desert of men’s fashion blogs in India, and let’s just say, this is a man who knows how to keep away the chirping crickets. Started in Jan 2013, the blog has gone on to diversify into women’s fashion as well to ‘test his strengths as a self-taught, passion driven stylist’. Citing researching, shooting and blogging as veritable stress busters, he admits he really looks forward to going out shooting on weekends or even after work on weekdays even as he juggles a hectic 6-day work routine. There’s no stopping this one, who once worked on an editorial consisting of 5 looks for 30 hours straight without sleep. Can somebody say go-getter?
When it comes to said much-revered blog, his content to approach sparkles with clarity, “I do not follow current trends or styles blindly as dictated by magazines or celebrities and I’m aghast using run-of-the mill or off-the-rack pieces from malls and doing a simple T-shirt and denims look. The unique things about my blog are my thematic editorials and off-beat garments like dhotis or fur coats for men. These could be inspired by the sartorial styles from history (The Suket Dhir & Nappa Dori editorial titled ‘Fiza’) or even my favourite TV shows (my soon-to-be-released new look is something a 21st Century Jon Snow would wear).”
”For me blogging even a simple outfit post is an intensive 2-week job. Researching, sourcing the right garments & accessories, location-scouting, content-writing and strategically promoting & sharing the content are all equally important.”
Sarthak cruises through the virtual world with similar ease and confidence, “Yes, certain social media platforms have become more important than others. Instagram and Facebook are more beneficial for me in terms of attaining outreach and interacting with my followers than Twitter or Tumblr. In fact, posting regular content on my Instagram is my priority than regular posts on the blog itself since it’s faster, increasing the outreach of content is easier and the results are measureable.”
 

“The most important thing about fashion,” he explains, getting to the crux of it. “Is understanding your personal style and wearing what you’re comfortable in instead of aping others. This being said, it’s extremely important to be not afraid to experiment and rediscover your style. Personal style must be dynamic. Another very important thing is balanced dressing. Your entire outfit for any occasion must not be over the top because fashion is something that must complement your personality and not overpower it.”
His typical day makes us wish we could swap places for just one day, “I wake up (late), spend 30 minutes on picking out what to wear, rush out of the house, spend 15 minutes on fixing my hair on Snapchat, then reach office (extremely late) and play the Top 100 songs playlist on Spotify. I then go on to pester my blog partner and photographer Dhruv Sethi with new outfit ideas while blackmailing him to edit and send my photos ASAP (laughs). When I’ve finally settled in (after 2 hours), I try to manage my office work with my online window shopping addiction. Online shopping websites are my browser’s homepage and bookmarks instead of the important ones like Google or Gmail.”
”I risk sounding shallow when I say this, but a stranger’s outfit definitely does affect what I think of them,” Sarthak admits frankly. “First impressions are important and yes, as much as I’d like to respect everyone for their personal style, I’d definitely identify with someone who’s wearing Nike Air Jordans than someone wearing Bata chappals or someone who knows that a pocket square and tie worn together should never be of the same colour.”
For those in the age bracket of 15 – 35 years of age, it is definitely worth checking out the range of looks Sarthak’s assembled in the treasure trove of his blog. Although, he does add, “Frankly, people older than that also can benefit from my blog because I often advise on what’s perfect for which body types, which skin tones, which silhouettes to opt for, how to carry off print-on-print, distinguishing between shoe styles and so on.”
Follow Sarthak on his blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr to stay in the loop.

[Just in case you missed it, here’s ‘Vol I: 8 Indian Fashion Bloggers Whose Style Sensibilities We’re Loving’.]