Soooo our deepest and most heartfelt apologies go out to you Gems for our basically having fallen off the
face of the earth. As many of you now know from Ratty's previous post, the majority of our August was spent
visiting Ratty’s extended family in Bangalore, India (eek!!!)- so not exactly off
the face of the earth, just the opposite side of it. But besides being one of
the coolest experiences of my life thus far, this was a great opportunity to
take our fashion experimentation to the next level. As a foreigner in any
country, and particularly in one as religiously and culturally diverse as
India, the key to fitting in (or at least as much as my innate Americanness
would allow) was to keep it conservative. One would think this would be
restricting, but any true fashionista sees limitations as challenges rather than as
barriers. Ratty and I took advantage of this opportunity to capitalize on a
trend that’s literally exploded in popularity recently: the maxi dress/skirt/anything.
In Indian culture, its customary for women to dress fairly modestly. Bare arms aren’t too big of a deal, but
women rarely show their legs at all, either wearing long skirts, pants, or leggings underneath tunic tops. As a traveler or foreigner, one can obviously
dress in whatever way she so chooses, but be forewarned: people WILL stare at you.
So in my mind, it’s better to not attract attention as that culturally ignorant
American wearing the daisy dukes or thigh-exposing skirt when there’s an easy
way to avoid it. Thus, when shopping/packing for India, I knew it was the
perfect time to stock up on as many maxi dresses and skirts as possible. And let's be honest- who really fights a legitimate excuse to go shopping?!
Hence, some of my attempts at expressing my sense of style while at the same time remaining respectful of India's more modest fashion culture (while Ratty modeled all the latest traditional Indian fashions- see her previous post for pics!):
Left: Flower pattern maxi skirt for my first rickshaw ride! (C'ville Goodwill, literally $3..)
Middle: Paisley navy blue and white maxi skirt for the henna event (C'ville Goodwill, also $3)
Right: Black maxi dress for the wedding reception (TJ Maxx, $15.99)
This trend isn't just for India though- fashion divas everywhere in America (specifically UVA and VT shown here haha) are working it!
Kierstin R.: Brown & Cream Strapless Maxi Dress (Urban Outfitters, no longer available)
Chelsea J.: Navy Strapless Maxi Dress (Body Central, $25)
Maggie C.: Black Silence and Noise Goddess Maxi Dress (Urban Outfitters, $79)
Teaba S.: Lilac Maxi Skirt ($10, Marshall's)
And now, for our first edition of 'Who Wore It Best':
(JK... kinda.)
Me sightseeing in India and Kate K. tailgating for the UVA v. Penn State game, both wearing a striped maxi dress (Urban Outfitters, no longer available).
Sister face-off: Ratty out to dinner on a fab weekend getaway and Shikha G. frolicking with Winnie the pup on the Lawn at UVA, both sporting a zig zag black and white striped maxi dress (NYC boutique).
So just to recap, 1) don't be afraid to take advantage of your travels as a way to test your ability to interpret other cultures' customs into your own personal style and 2) there are a rainbow of colors and plethora of styles of maxi dresses/skirts available for very affordable prices at literally every store right now. If you haven't already given this fun trend a try, it's not too late! Pair it with a light sweater or leather jacket and fun flats or boots for an quick and easy fall version. I know I plan on it!
______
XO, NB & RG
