Indo-Western Outfit Ideas

Quite a few of my friends usually ask about my fashion choices, how do I select appropriate dresses or what style choices to go after. So when Ananya asked me to write a guest blog, I thought it would be good to start with my Indo western theme that I went with for my recent trip to India (Dec 2018). Hope you all find this blog interesting and can apply your own creativity when it comes to your style choices.

Indo western wear is the fusion of Indian and western dress styles. The combinations may be done within the clothing itself, like pairing a western top with Indian pants, or a dress made in Indian fabric but draped in a western style.. For my recent India trip where my family was traveling through Rajasthan, Goa and Kerala, I decided to go with an Indo western theme to honor India’s cultural heritage yet being able to leverage many of the dresses that I buy from various boutiques around the world. So mostly all my theming was done by pairing western wear with Indian accessories.

First we visited Rajasthan, which is famous for it’s fairy-tale palaces and epic forts to colorful festivals and wildlife encounters, this is India at its vibrant best. One of our first stops was an overnight stay in Manvar Camp and experiencing the rustic way of getting around in the desert by embarking on a camel safari. For this excursion, I picked a simple and elegant jumpsuit paired with a vibrant pashmina shawl. I paired the dress with some big dangling Indian earrings from the local H&M store.

Here’s a closer look at the dress. I love the clean lines here, and the grace with which the shawl melds with the wrap around jumpsuit.

Next we visited quite a few forts and temples in Rajasthan. For the City Palace in Udaipur, I selected to wear a polka dots printed cocktail maxi with frills. To add a little more color to the dress as well as match the theme of the dress I paired it with a polka dot small chiffon scarf. Usually I like to add a pop of color to my dresses, so I picked fluorescent orange for my scarf!

This dress did not have a good fit as I had envisioned but against the backdrop of such splendid array of colorful mirrors of these beautiful palaces and temples, I think it did not matter!

On the last day of our visit we went to the Vintage and Classic Car Museum. Although there a lot of things in Udaipur that capture the luxurious lifestyle of the Mewar royals, the Vintage Car museum is one of the best ways to witness how grand it used to back then. Many of the amazing vehicles used by the Mewar dynasty in Uadaipur have been presented at this museum. I wore a simple gown with embroidery over silk and I was delighted that it ended up looking like a royal Indian anarkali gown against the backdrop of some of these antique cars!

I just accessorized the dress with big Indian earrings that I bought at Fab India and let the pink highlights in my hair color add to the vibrancy of the dress!

In the last part of our India trip, we visited the scenic backwaters of Kerala which comprise of serene stretches of lakes, canals and lagoons located parallel to the coast of the Arabian Sea. We went on a tranquil backwaters sunset cruise which was definitely a once in a lifetime experience! For this excursion, I chose a Anita Dongre inspired skirt that I bought from Chelsea Market in NYC. Since there is so much going on in the skirt, I decided to wear a plain black top with shoulder cut-outs. I added some color to the black top by wearing a Kendra Scott necklace that I had bought many years ago in Neiman Marcus in Bellevue! The best part about this skirt is comfort and you can walk around with hands in pockets - looking super chic!