Top 4 brands to shop affordable indo-western/ethnic looks

 We all love to wear and style ethnic clothes with our jhumkas and bangles. But what we find difficult is to find the right designs and the right destination to shop these from. If that’s your problem too, we are here with our top 4 recommendations to shop ethnic wear.

• Max Fashion- Established in 2004 in Abu Dhabi, Max is a affordable brand that caters to men, women and kids. It is known for its good quality and ethnic wear especially kurtis. One can find daily wear clothes and their Chikankari kurti is the bestseller and one of my favourite.
• Taavi- The brand is currently available on Myntra and Flipkart. The prints and the styles that brand offers is amazing. Kudos to the designer working hard behind the brand and creating beautiful designs we love.
• Indya- Owned by Shivani Poddar and Tanvi Malik, the ethno-fusion brand was started in the year 2016. Brand is a perfect blend of Indian and Western wear. Designs are trendy with intricate detailing and good quality for the piece you pay.
• Ajio- Ajio is known for shopping ethnic wear. One can find so many inhouse brands under Ajio to shop indo-western looks. Designs are versatile and one can find the perfect fit to their taste with the right pricing. 

Upgrade your wardrobe with latest Saree styles

 

Saree , India’s national costume is not just any traditional attire for a women. It has evolved, transformed yet true to innate qualities. The first trace of saree can be witnessed in the sunga period around 300 BC. Men and women used to drape a rectangular piece of cloth over their lower body.

 

After years of experiencing change, Saree is still considered to be the most experimental outfit in terms of fit, drape, fabric, etc. Here are some of the latest saree trends we love:-

1. Cinch it with belt-  Be it a Sabyasachi belt or a metal belt, celebrities and coutourists have approved this ethnic combination time and again. Adding a belt makes the overall look clean and gives definition to your waist.
   
   
   
2. Power dressing with Blazer- Saree with a blazer is such a empowering look to flaunt. Pair your saree with a blazer to give it a formal look with a touch of Indian heritage.
   
   
   
3. Bohemian Romance- Boho print incorporates hippie aesthetics, clubbed with retro and vintage elements. Style these prints with bunch oxidized jewellery and voila! You are good to go. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Print On Print-Pair similar but different prints together and drape your saree in the most traditional way possible.
   
   
   
5. Bikini Blouse- Take out your beach wear and use it as blouse for that sexy supermodel saree look. Pro tip- Pair a neon bikini top with a neutral color saree. 

Fashion Blogging: The Blooming Industry

 

Fashion has seamlessly moved from ramps to our social feeds. Today, blogging has become a medium of translating the number of followers into big bucks. Gone are the days where blogging was considered as a hobby and not a proper job. There was a time when everyone wanted to be stylist or a designer. Now, becoming the blogger has become the new career goal. While millennials are open to exploring a plethora of opportunities, the perks of blogging seem to have captivated the attention of many. This could be confirmed with the growing number of new bloggers on social media this year, experimenting and making their way into the industry.

This is a field where you are the boss, a field that allows you the  freedom to work from anywhere and everywhere, where you enjoy flexible hours and financial independence. Imagine writing your posts in the midst of gorgeous views of sunrise over the ocean while relishing your coffee! It allows you to travel the world, visit the most beautiful places for free, receiving gifts from brands, etc. The perks are endless!

While zillions of bloggers have turned their passion into a full-time job, there are several who have distilled their learnings to come up with a new venture. Delhi-based Kritika Khurana aka That Boho Girl’s label, The Hype, Juhi Godambe’s Arabella, Paperlillie by Gia Kashyap are some examples to take a cue from.

Covid 19 has made a positive impact on every brand's digital presence . During these unprecedented times when everything is happening virtually, it is very important for every company to use digital platforms efficiently for their brand marketing and promotion. It can be clearly seen that brands who used this time in strengthening their digital presence have succeeded and have made immense profits.

 While the fashion industry thrives on being exclusive, the internet is ceaselessly yearning for something new. The advent of social media has totally changed the way we look, speak, discuss and buy fashion. Having a label is just not enough, what matters is your social presence and the engagement with your followers. That’s where the influencing power of the blogger community comes into the picture, which has become a very important part of the Indian fashion-scape. With followers swearing by their advice and brands chasing them for collaborations, bloggers have emerged as voices that are shaping the fashion choices of thousands. Right from roping them for events to reviewing the new product range, brands are showing endless enthusiasm to cash in on their popularity.

Cottagecore : the booming aesthetic in Pandemic and its roots

     Cottagecore: Romanticism of Rural Life

 

In 1783, Marie Antoinette commissioned artist Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun to paint a portrait of her in cotton gown, gaulle. The painting resulted in a scandal as it was considered immodest for royalty to be depicted so informally. It gained a lot of attention which snowballed into the public’s hatred but queen Marie had set a trend. It was the result of queen’s desire for simpler lifestyle. Queen with her friends used to dress up like milkmaids and shepherdesses and pretend to be peasants, living and frolicking in the countryside, in her own estate.

Many bourgeoisie’s women followed the queen’s suit with simple muslin gowns. The desire for romanticizing rural life has returned in all its glory in 2020. The cottagecore subculture started in 2018, and although it was relatively popular then, it has strengthen its roots during the pandemic as a need to slow down in life.
The subculture focuses on nature, sustainability, simplicity, self reliance, rural living, farms, and gardens.Dried flowers, picnic blankets, meadows, prairie dresses, mushrooms and frogs are the main elements of this subculture. The aesthetic mainly has feminine elements. It celebrates womenhood  and LGBTQ+ community is a big follower and supporter of this aesthetic. The LGBTQ+ community sees cottagecore as a movement that allows people to express queerness in a rural space, contrasting the homo/transphobia many who reside in existing small towns face.
At a time when many feel trapped and overwhelmed, cottagecore offers a wholesome, back-to-basics escape. In that way, it might be seen as the antidote of "doomscrolling," a habit that's intensified during today's crises in which one scrolls through the endless feed of bad news. "It was comfortable and soothing and kind of helped people process things," said Amanda Brennan, the content and community associate with Tumblr who's better known as the company's "meme librarian.“ When the pandemic hit, idle homemaking became less escapism and more like an inescapable reality. Under lockdown, Cottagecore became a way to spin the terror and struggle into something adorable, directly correlated to how bad it was the outside world. People were curious and ready to explore the life without technology, big cities, pollution and wasteful fast fashion gaints.

It is difficult to conclude if the subculture is going to stay with us post pandemic when the life resumes and people get back to work. But certain elements like sustainability, slow fashion, floral motives, color pallet and certain details may stick around with slight exploration in silhouette.