Merging my eastern roots with my western upbringing through clothing has become a real source of creativity for me. I know there are brands out there offering indo western styles for events like weddings and parties but how do you make it work in your everyday wardrobe?
I find myself so lucky to be able to lean into both the eastern and western elements of my identity. In doing this I think it speaks so much about our character and our story which I think is such a powerful way in which we can explore and utilise our personal style.
The thing is there don’t need to be any hard and fast rules. But if you aren’t sure where to begin let me introduce you to three easy ways to show the true you through your style.
Unusual Colour Combinations
I talk about colour a lot! But with good reason. This has to be one of the easiest ways to start blending our eastern culture with our western upbringing. From the east we are so lucky to bring bold and beautiful colours together. You can’t visit an inch of countries like India, Sri Lanka or Pakistan without meeting an element of colour. Whether it is in the mouth watering food with all of the colours of the rainbow, to the way in which places of worship like temples are adorned and most notably in the pops of colour we seen in eastern fashion.
In the western world there has been a big trend for neutral palettes with the little pops of colour like reds and burgundy which we have seen of late. But what we don’t see often is high contrast colour pairings like greens and pinks or purples and yellows, which we see throughout eastern pieces.
When playing with colour in your western styles I think it’s important to take the trends with a pinch of salt. They can feel a little restrictive, they might not always be the best tint, tone or shade for you, and can mean your wardrobe dates pretty quickly. Instead pick one to three colours you love and start adding these gradually into your wardrobe. Whether in head to toe ensembles, accessories and bags or the colour of your make up, colour can give us that subtle nod to our identity that is missing from those all neutral palettes.
Play With Pattern & Print
In the eastern world we see beautiful motifs like the mangos adorned in henna patterns to the depiction of love stories and fables spread over bridal wear. You’ll often find beautiful scenes from nature in everything from home accessories like cushions and throws to the carvings in furniture.
Patterns and prints are a sure fire way to start showing cultural elements in your style. And this can be done more subtly through things like scarves or waistcoats or in more bold pieces like dresses or jackets.
What I love to see as well is print clashing. Try pairing a more traditional mango or henna print with something like a gingham or check like Bhumika Arora in vogue India.
Accents with Accessories
When we were younger, my mum took my sisters and I to have our noses pierced. The nose piercing is such a beautiful signal of our eastern culture. The piercing lasted for my eldest sister but sadly mine fell out.
So in 2018 I went to have mine done again and it’s now become a part of me and my identity. That little nose ring gives me a little connection to where I am from. I absolutely love it and what it represents.
And we can do this through other parts of our clothing and accessories too. Try adding a pair of jhumkas to your favourite denim and jumper look or maybe a set of bangles in vibrant pops of colour. Sometimes I’ll add my Mangal Sutra (the necklace a woman is gifted when she gets married) which has beautiful elements of gold and black beads to my more western looks.
Creating fun and playful outfits like this that tell a story is something I am experimenting more and more with. I love how much more connected I feel to myself when I do this and a part of my heritage.
Are there any other ways in which you blend your cultures together through your personal style? I would love to hear!
And if you feel like you need some help with this, why not book in for a FREE 20 minute Style Call with me. I would love to help you!
