Hi everyone! This is my fourth post in a week-long blog series about my "Fashion Journey". Take a look at the previous posts to catch up. Go ahead, I'll wait....

Done? Okay, let's move ahead with 2015 then! 

After taking more than half a year of hiatus from the blog, I slowly regained my mojo in 2015. I felt ready for a fresh new start for my blog, this time armed with a better knowledge of what makes for good quality photos and content based on my previous years of experience and closely observing the work of professional bloggers. Instagram was becoming more popular as a social media platform too. Because I had already been on it for 3 years by then, I was also posting about my blog there. 

The common theme you will see in all the pictures below is that I tried to shoot my outfit pics against interesting parts and backdrops of Singapore, the city I now called home. I had begun to shed my inhibitions of shooting in public places and worked with photographers to elevate the quality of my photos. 

Jan 2015: I was still honing my styling with color combos. I know it sounds cliched but I think a coordinated purse and pair of shoes looks good together. Which is why the yellow heels and green purse seem discordant in this outfit. In retrospect, I would have preferred to go with a cream or light colored purse to match the shoes. 

March 2015: Blazer love brewing! I still own that pink blazer and i just love my outfit here. It's cute, no? Picture taken at Henderson Waves Bridge.

April 2015: Just a basic white tee with distressed denims and heels.
Perfect for a casual weekend look! Pic taken at Haji Lane.

May 2015: Tried my hand with printed floral pants for the first time here in this pic! I think it's a cute bright look! Pic taken at Chijmes. 

May 2015: Sporting a flowy maxi skirt and looking boho. I just love the framing of this shot. Pic taken on the old railroad tracks in the Green Corridor.

June 2015: This is a Zara brushstroke dress which I absolutely loved and wore for a long time until it was really worn out. Pic taken in downtown Singapore.

July 2015: These were my first high-waisted pants and I still own them (purchased from a Bangkok brand called Jaspal). The striped top was from Forever21. And oh, that Zara necklace makes an appearance again (if you saw my pic from 2013 Fashion Journey blogpost, you'd know!). Pic taken at the National Museum of Singapore. 

Dec 2015: The sad part about living in Singapore is that there are no seasons so all my looks have a spring/summery look year round! Oh well - here's me trying printed bottoms and a crop top and going for an edgy look. I felt a bit conscious about my tummy but decided to get over it lol! The fringe necklace is from Accessory Concierge. Pic taken at Somerset Skate Park.

Fashion Journey Series:
The Year of Discovery 2012
The Year of Change 2013
The Quiet Year 2014

Hi! If you're just joining in now, I'm doing a series of posts this week looking back at my fashion journey from the time I started my blog in 2012. Yes, I've been blogging for over 8 years, can you believe it? Over the years, I learned and picked up styling ideas, tips, and tons of inspo along the way. I thought it would be fun to share my looks from the past.

Today, we are talking about 2014, which I call the "Quiet Year" because the blog was mostly dormant. This was the year we made an unplanned move back to Asia after 16 years of living in the US. And so, after about 2.5 years of blogging about fashion, travel, and other lifestyle related things, I decided to take a break. I wanted to focus on my baby and my postpartum recovery, the new move and settling in, and being with my family. So blogging and Instagram not only took a backseat, it was put on hold with no definite plans to come back.

But towards the middle of the year, I started to post again. I missed having something I did just for me. I missed having a creative outlet. So there was a slow but gradual comeback.

Here’s a look back. You'll notice that in all the pics, I'm either wearing a black/white combo or some bright color combo. No in-betweens! 

Feb 2014: This is actually a dress I purchased from Promod. I was about 5 months postpartum and had shed some weight. So this was my first outfit purchase after a long time. I still like this look, it's classy and elegant.

March 2014: I paired this Ritu Kumar top with this pleated skirt I purchased from a store in Bangkok. I think this was probably my first pleated skirt and since then, I've never looked back! You'll find TONS of pleated skirt looks on my Instagram page! I loved how I mixed the combo of green and blue here. I'm wearing a bib necklace from Stella & Dot, a US-based jewelry brand which I love for its statement jewelry. This piece was expensive and more than I typically spent on jewelry at that time but I took the plunge and got it anyway! It's still one of my favorite statement pieces from my collection.

April 2014: Clearly I was beginning to experiment more with bright color combinations. I paired this floral pencil skirt with a blue top and a pink Ralph Lauren bag. I was playing off the pink and blue colors in the skirt. I probably would have opted for nude heels now rather than these red ones, which I find distracting from the overall color scheme. What do you think? 

Dec 2014 - Taken in Hawaii, this pic is from our first trip as a couple without Krishnav! I had purchased this maxi dress from Target just before I had moved out of the US the year prior. And believe it or not, I still own this dress. It's loose and flowy, so even after 2 babies I can manage to fit into it! :)

My fashion tips:
- Black and white is a classic combo. Can't go wrong with that!
- Trying experimenting with colors but keep one or two colors as the dominant one in the whole look. Adding in too many bright colors can look distracting.


Fashion Journey Series:
The Year of Discovery 2012
The Year of Change 2013

Hi! I'm doing a week long series of posts where I share my style evolution over the past 8 years. You see, I'm largely considered a mom blogger now. But my blogging journey didn't actually start off that way. I started blogging as a newly married girl starting a new phase of her life, wanting to document her big city adventures and personal style journey. I shared more about that in my first "Fashion Journey" post from yesterday along with somewhat cringe worthy pictures, so do you check it out!

Today I'm digging into my fashion archives circa 2013.

2013: The Year of Change!

By this time, I had graduated from a Canon digital camera to a proper Canon DSLR camera which many aspiring and serious bloggers sported at the time. I even took a course on photography to learn how to maximize on the features of my new fancy camera. It was also in 2013 that I attended a blogger conference in NYC and attended interesting sessions about blogging tips and tricks, photography techniques, and iPhoneography (the art of taking great photos with your iPhone and editing them through apps, such as Snapseed, etc). I was seriously interested to hone my photography skills, learn how to develop better content, and connect with fellow bloggers (it doesn't mean the pictures were great but you'll notice a gradual improvement!).

By now, I was beginning to feel more confident in transitioning from fashion choices that would be considered "safe" to a bit more bold and experimental! Not only that, I plucked up the courage to even share that on a public platform on my blog. Colored bottoms, leather jackets, bold floral blazers - I tried it all!

Besides the change in camera and shift in bolder fashion choices, I experienced the biggest change of all. I became a Mom. I look back at this phase incredibly fondly. Check out my pics below!

Jan 2013 - I was in the first trimester of my first pregnancy but you couldn't tell yet. I wore an animal print top with a military green jacket. Pulled the look together with a yellow belt and clutch. The picture is fuzzy but I would totally still wear this look today if I could. I liked the combo of these different colors.

Feb 2013 - I wore this look for a post I had written on different ways to style a scarf. Here, I tied the scarf with a statement ring. I also liked the pairing of the striped top with the olive green pants - a classic look with a twist. Man, I looked fit back then! 

May 2013 - I was definitely showing by now but I was hiding it in my photos. Hence, the strategic placement of that clutch! What do you think of this look? This bright floral blazer was definitely something that was outside my comfort zone. But I gave it a shot anyway and liked how it came together. I kept everything else muted with the plain top and black jeans. 

May 2013  - Okay, now my pregnancy was clearly beginning to show on my face and if I stood sideways, my bump would have been obvious. This is a regular top I bought in a larger size from Macy's and paired it with leopard print heels. I wore this outfit for my "Pregnancy Announcement" post (you'll see the bump more clearly in that post). This is a top I kept and wore even during my second pregnancy with Arjun so my clothes definitely keep and last for a while!

Oct 2013 - Freshly postpartum! This was my first outfit shoot after the delivery. My mom was visiting and helping out during my maternity leave. She soon became my photographer as well! I love these red jeans paired with a lighter pink sweater. To this day, I still wear the combo of red + pink. But beyond that, I just feel like there's too much going on in the look. I'm going for a two-tone look plus an edgy look. I added that faux-leather jacket along with leopard print heels. Now when I look back, I would remove that jacket and change the type of heels I wore. Also, not a fan of that clutch but it was trending back then and I followed suit.  Since then, I've learned to follow what looks good on me! Not trends!

Nov 2013 - Post pregnancy shoot in Central Park! It was clearly fall weather and I had purchased this funky sweater from H&M because I liked its funky, boho Aztec print. I stole out for a quick outfit shoot with my mom while my husband watched 2 month old Krishnav! I'm not a huge fan of this look - kinda of a lot going on, I feel. I could have done without the belt and that bag. Maybe go for something more muted against that funky sweater. But to this day, I still own this sweater and take it out when traveling to cooler climates. I wore it as recently as last December during a trip to the US.

Nov 2013 - Doing outfit shoots while on maternity leave was my only outlet and excuse to dress up. So I'd rely on my mother to do a shoot for me once a week. This was taken on the roof of my NYC apartment. I knew it wasn't a pretty backdrop but I was too shy back then to go to public places for a shoot. Here, I wore a plain white blouse against dark purple tights and black boots. I wore this Zara necklace with it (which I still own!). Again, not a huge fan of this look. In fact, I recall wearing these tights and then deciding I really didn't like them because it felt too skin tight and not comfortable - promptly returned them to the store after this single wear! (Oops, don't judge!). Similar to the previous pic, I have come to realize that I like one piece of clothing to do the talking. If there are too many competing pieces, the overall vibe clashes. 

So lessons learned:
- Don't follow trends - follow your style mantra!
- Don't mix different styles together, like boho chic with edgy or something like that. Looks too confusing.
- Don't be afraid to bring colors into an outfit! But I prefer to have one or two colors be the dominant ones for a cohesive, put together look. Beyond that, it just looks messy and uncoordinated.
- The pieces that have lasted the longest in my closet are those that I truly love to wear and feel comfortable in. If something doesn't feel comfortable, don't buy it or just return it if you can.

Fashion Journey Series:
The Year of Discovery 2012

I have been blogging for 8 years now, far longer than I ever imagined when I first started! During this time of Covid-19-induced reflection, I decided it would be fun to look back at how my style journey has evolved over time.

How did it all start? Well, I published my first blog post on a February afternoon in 2012. I had just gotten married, completed my PhD, and moved to New York City. Indeed, a new phase of my life was beginning and I was truly excited to explore new neighborhoods, try new restaurants, and have my "big city" experience. It was also during this time that I discovered fashion bloggers online, such as Extra Petite, Brooklyn Blonde, Atlantic-Pacific (all of which have endured and flourished to this day!) and started to get inspired by their ways of styling and dressing. I have always enjoyed fashion but these bloggers opened up a new world of fashion where a regular, 'non-celeb' person could style like a boss and post about it - it make fashion approachable to me!

And so began my blogging journey on all things related to lifestyle, central to which was documenting my own personal style journey. Over the next seven days, I will be putting up a daily blog post sharing some pictures from my blog archives about my fashion choices and styling lessons I learned along the way - one for every year starting from 2012!

And here goes my first one!

2012: The year of discovery!

A year of discovery on so many fronts - I discovered blogging and also joined Instagram! I discovered a new way of styling myself for the new phase of life I had embarked on. And lastly, I discovered fashion accessories and styling pieces to add to my wardrobe. 

Having just come out of grad school and starting my first job, I wanted to upgrade from my casual grad student attire to something more professional and put-together. I also started following fashion bloggers (an emerging concept at the time!) to get ideas on how to elevate outfits for work and social meet-ups. Also, anyone who has visited NYC knows that it’s one of the fashion capitals of the world! Just walking along the streets of Manhattan gave me so much fashion inspo!

Here's a look at some old pictures from back then - mind you, the blog and Instagram world were still a brand new concept and I was barely just figuring out how to take good "blog-worthy" pictures. It was a combination of using my Canon digital camera or iPhone pics transformed with hazy Instagram filters at the time. Haha!

This was a dress I had bought online and I loved its three-tone colors.
I remember having worn it numerous times for all sorts of parties and get-togethers. 

I clearly remember this day - my husband and I had visited Governor's Island (an island accessible by boat from Manhattan) for a food and arts festival. I had worn this white lace dress purchased several months ago from Dress Barn . This is a store normally meant for more matronly looks but this dress had caught my eye. I had just discovered how belts could drum up an outfit so I took a stab at it - I paired the dress with a thin gold belt and this reddish-brown bag for a pop of color. 

This is the outfit I wore for a New York Fashion Week event that was open to us common folks. I was so excited to get the opportunity to attend a real runway show in NYC! I had purchased this blazer from H&M just for this event. This was probably my first ever purchase of a blazer and discovered how much I love them for dressing up even a casual outfit! I own so many blazers now. And guess what? I still own and wear this blazer to this day - just goes to show, fast fashion is only fast if you cycle through it quickly. But if you rewear and restyle it for a long time to come, you have done your part for fashion sustainability. 

So indeed, 2012 was the year of discovering the as-yet untapped social media world, new wardrobe pieces of fashion and fashion accessories (belts and blazers), and my own style mantra. :)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post!

So I know I skipped a month for my "Look Book" series (the last one being from August 2018). But here is a combined September-October look book which I wanted to share with you. As I consider back to what I wore, I realize I was gravitating towards simple yet classic cuts and silhouettes. No crazy, funky patterns or bold looks here – just your regular polka dots, stripes, and solids. A touch boring? I beg to differ! But I’d love to hear from you - what is your style mantra is and which of these looks below did you like best? 

1.       Maisha Concept is a new label based in Singapore that I have discovered. I absolutely fell in love with their “Jaipur Chic” collection with its airy summery vibes. The brand works with small, independent artisans to support the traditions and knowledge of local communities (e.g., block printing in Rajasthan). Here are two outfits I wore recently from Maisha Concept – the first is the Pichola jumpsuit which I love for its pattern mixing. The other is the Amber Blue maxi skirt with a side leather strap which ties to a button so you can wear the skirt in two different ways. LOVE! Be sure to use code URBANMAISHA to get 10% off your order with free worldwide shipping.

Pichola jumpsuit from Maisha Concept | Tassel earrings from Just Gaya's |
Sandals from Ammos Accessories

Blouse from Zara (old) | Amber Blue Skirt from Maisha Concept | Rebecca Minkoff crossbody bag

2.       Linen n’ More is another local Singapore brand which carries Indian clothes as well as fusion and Western resort wear. With the fabrics sourced directly from India, this store has a lovely collection of cotton and linen outfits. Don't go by just what's listed on their website - the actual store houses a much bigger collection of clothes. I loved this cream-colored kurta with sharara pants. The “gota patti” details (the gold border along the outfit) adds a touch of fancy for the outfit. It’s perfect for a daytime event and that’s exactly what I had worn it for. Doesn’t the outfit just flow beautifully?

Cream Indian suit from Linen n' More 

I also wore this white eyelet dress and it was just perfect for a recent trip to Bali. I threw on a Maisha Concept scarf around my waist just to add a dash of color and flair. What do you think? (you can see an old post of mine about the different ways to style a scarf!)

Eyelet dress from Linen n' More | Scarf from Maisha Concept | Sandals from Ammos Accessories | Earrings from Stella and Dot

3.      Jodi Life is my recent fashion find in India. I love this site for its Indian fusion and ethnic-inspired designs. So totally unique and eye-catching with its prints. I had ordered a couple items from their site and will be sharing those looks soon. Their pricing is quite reasonable for Singapore standards but be prepared for shipping to take a while. Here is a cotton polka dot top which I paired with a pink skirt. You can easily dress it up as I did here or wear it more casually with shorts (try denim shorts with gladiator shoes!).

Jodi Life Polka Dot Peplum Top | Skirt from The Limited (old) |
Shoes from Charles & Keith | Earrings from MegaFash | Kate Spade Purse

4.       Mango is a known brand which offers all the latest on-trend apparel. I’m not the biggest fan of their fits (somehow the dresses don’t always fit right, which is why I always try them on and choose very selectively). However, you can get all the trendy designs here at a decent price.I had picked this simple white striped dress a couple months ago. Very wearable for a weekend! I can imagine throwing on a denim jacket and turning it into an appropriate “Friday casual” work look. What do you think?

Bucket bag and dress from Mango | Sandals from Zara | Tassel earrings from Just Gaya's |
Hat from Bangkok street shopping | Wooden bangles from Amrita Singh Jewelry

5.      eShakti is another recent e-shopping site I wanted to share with you guys. I was blown away by the fact that this site customizes clothes just for you and the prices are still damn reasonable! You can pick an outfit and choose the type of dress length, sleeve length, neckline cut, and other details that you want. Even down to deciding whether you want pockets to be included in a dress. Now that is something unique with an online store! I definitely would recommend you to try it. I had ordered this animal print, wrap dress here and I was quite happy with the fit. I felt that the pictures on the website were reflective of what the actual dress looks like. I have a referral code to share: urbanmantra_es1 for 10% off your next order (valid only until December 2, 2018).

eShakti dress (similar here) | Shoes and sunglasses from Charles & Keith | Mango purse 

6.      All Would Envy is a Singapore fashion brand with a sweet and simple style aesthetic. It is evident in the two dresses I have worn here.  One is a solid color lavender A-line dress and the other is a floral dress. Both are cute and comfy for daytime wear. The price point is around $28-35 for dresses by this brand.

All Would Envy floral dress | Shoes from Charles & Keith | Gorjana bracelet

All Would Envy lavendar A-line dress | Bag from Michael Kors | Shoes from Charles & Keith

There are days when you want to just walk out the door without having to think about what to wear. And then there are days when you don’t mind putting some extra effort into your look. Depending on which side of the bed you woke up on, the color black is a reliable friend for us moody mavens. To be precise, the black dress can be the single more versatile piece in your closet. The LBD never goes out of style and there are any number of ways to dress it up or down. 

There are no rules, just play around with the different accessories you have to create different looks. For example, you can add one or a combination of the following:

• Blazer 
• Statement necklace 
• Scarf 
• Belt 
• Plays with color: Add pops of color or, conversely, use muted tones 

Here are 4 looks I styled wearing a black dress.

Look 1: I call this the “Basic” Look. Hey, basic doesn’t have to be mean boring! In fact, basic can be understated but well put-together. Here, I chose to keep the look understated and let the dress be the main focus point. The accompanying accessories of the handbag and shoes are in muted beige and brown tones which are complimentary colors with black. Simple and chic!

Look 2: I wore a scarf here and opted to cinch it with a belt. This red scarf with embroidered flowers is from Sue Mue and it’s the right length to be paired with the dress. Note that a shorter scarf would not have necessarily looked right. In such cases, just wear the scarf in a different twist.

Look 3: Add instant boost to the black dress with a smart belt and a blazer that pairs well with the shoes (this doesn’t mean the two have to match but their colors should compliment each other).

Look 4: For this look, I chose to wear a fringe necklace and throw in some color to the mix – a yellow blazer and lace-up flats. Hope I don't look too much like a banana but oh well...:) 

So tell me - which look did you like best?