Akshara

The start of the festive season marks the beginning of a much needed dopamine surge, where my Instagram feed was inundated with Navratri looks & now the much awaited Diwali shift is coming through. Brands are gearing up for the most wonderful time of the year, after two years of mellow celebrations, this year feels like a big party.

Personally, Diwali has always been a time of celebration, gratefulness, positivity, tons of food & of course new outfits. Ever since I was a child, my sister and I would always receive new clothes to be worn on the day of. Now, as a twenty-something, I have kept that tradition of buying new outfits, however, over the years I have seen a change in spending habits and have now have adopted purposeful shopping.

Whether you identify your self through the clothes on your back or see clothes as more like a routine, discovering where you stand on this pendulum of nothing but everything is what drives you to spend cash on. I love clothes and what draws me to fashion is not just the brand but the story behind the mini skirt that walks down the runway, as Mrs. Prada says herself “inventing your own way and deciding what you want to wear according to your [own] thoughts”. Investing in an outfit is more or less trying to feel the need to make their clothes seems like more or less than they really are.

For Diwali, I craved something light, like mango sorbet but still packed a strong punch. I didn’t want a night out, but a raining day, curled up with a book and tea. What I was looking for was depth, which was missing for a longtime during the pandemic, clothes where an after thought and much was said about the need of new clothes during a global crisis.

After searching through my save posts on Instagram, I found my lemon sorbet (literally & figuratively):

This beauty is from PDFK Store. This store is a contemporary adaptation of Rajasthani crafts. It aims to showcase the work of talented women trained by the Princess Divya Kumari foundation. Every item is made to order.

I was scrolling through Instagram at 11PM on a Tuesday night and saw this stunning designer wear a red version of this kurta set, with little white love hearts. When I woke up the next morning, this kurta set was on my mind. I opted for this version. The ease this kurtas set exudes is what is most captivating. The little hearts are a bonus.

Besides the two outfits above, the below are on my ‘to buy in the next few weeks’ list.

I’m a sucker for love hearts, especially when they are hand emroided on linen, on a lehenga paired with combat boots.

Is it a saree? Or is it a skirt? No, its pants right? It’s a Hybrid, double pallu saree. Plus, it was three pockets. Wearing this in my Alien-chic era.

Diwali is a time for new beginnings, as we go into the festive season with love and light, I aim to find more meaningful in my consumption and find something in nothing.

-A