In My City: A Tale of Twin Cities (Mumbai & DC)

In My City is a series of posts about shopping and fashion in different cities. I have asked blogger friends from around the world to share their favorite local shopping spot(s) in their city along with a picture showcasing their street style.

Today we have Ashwini from The Zing of My Life talking about her favorite shopping locales in two of her favorite cities - her hometown of Mumbai and her current hometown of Washington DC. Ashwini is one of our favorite blogger buddies - sweet in nature with a sense of style that we'd describe as "easy chic". She always looks stylish and put together. Without further ado...take it away, Ashy!

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When Richa & Shruti invited me to write about the 'In My City ' feature, I got down to thinking about my shopping patterns and style...where do I shop really? Lot of stuff is from here in the US, which makes sense since that is where I live currently. But then, quite a lot of stuff is from my shopping expeditions in Mumbai. So well, I am going to take some liberty here by taking you through my fave shopping jaunts in two cities - Mumbai and Washington, DC.

Anyone who has lived or visited Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city in India on the western coastline of India, will tell you that street-shopping is an activity you have to add to your must-do activities list. There are many street-shopping nooks in the city but my fave two are Colaba Causeway, which is right in the heart of the city, and Linking Road/ Hill Road in Bandra, a hip and posh suburb.

Colaba Causeway is a historic neighborhood right beside the famous landmark of Gateway of India. It's a long winding alley with small shops set up on the footpaths selling exotic jewelry, tops, skirts, bags, watches and what not. My fave part is scoring ethnic, statement jewelry pieces for an amazing price...bang for your buck kinda deal! A lot many pieces that I feature on the blog have come from this old, rustic shopping place. Don' forget to duck in and sip on a cold beer and some urban snacks at the Leopold Cafe which is right in the center of the buzzing area.

Linking Road is another street-shopping destination in the city and unlike Colaba Causeway, which is sorta cozied away into an alley, this place is located on a high-traffic road in Bandra with a mix of brand shops and street-shopping shacks. You have shops and shacks lined up on one side of the road and little alleys joining it. On the other side of the road, you have this high-end stores. A typical irony, something for which Mumbai is famous for and you will experience it in every corner of the city you visit! Linking Road offers a variety ranging from cute tops, dresses, leggings, accessories but my fave part is the shoe-shopping. Amazing collection at an even amazing price, given that you do know how to bargain! If you want to take a break and put up your feet for some time, you have street side carts and restaurants serving delicious snacks and beverages.

Hill road, Bandra is another shopping area I recently discovered which is not too far from Linking Road. A plus point of Hill road is the Elco chat corner serving spicy Indian savory snacks.

And now moving on to hip destinations in the US, specifically near Washington DC where I live now. Most of the shopping I do here is from malls and Tysons Corner is a magnificent shopping hub in the DC suburb area. It has all the stores and brands you can imagine, both regular and high brands including clothes, jewelry, beauty, home stores and what not. It houses some of my fave brand stores - Banana Republic, H&M, Aldo, Nordstrom, The Limited.

Another upcoming neighborhood is the newly built Mosaic District in Fairfax with an array of boutiques and more specifically my most recent discovery - Langford Market. With its well curated assortment of clothes, and accessories, it is fast becoming my preferred shopping destination.

I am not a big fan of online shopping for clothes mainly 'cause I absolutely need to try out an outfit before I buy it. I do indulge in shopping for accessories on the jewelry-and-fashion-deals website Groopdealz. I have been known to receive some gorgeous statement pieces in my mail for amazing deals! And then of course, I am guilty of taking the occasional detour while grocery shopping at Target! Now haven't we all been there done that :)

Well, that was my absolute favorite shopping destinations...Thank you Richa and Shruti for inviting me to write for this fab feature. Like they say, retail therapy is a mood elevator and if you are in Mumbai or DC make sure you check out these places to get a flavor of the city!

Picture 1: Neon necklace from Colaba Causeway, Mumbai; Picture 2: Fringe necklace from Hill Road, Bandra; Picture 3: Gold-tone ring from Langford Market, Mosaic District; Picture 4: Statement necklace from Groopdealz | Print-dress from Target