Welcome back! I can’t believe that blog 3 is finally here.
I have so much that I want to talk about with you guys, and choosing this blog’s topic was definitely a hard decision to make. The internal battle in my head was quite chaotic, and I don’t even know which side won. Or what each side was fighting for.
But without further ado, let’s talk about the main thing people search up on Pinterest. Our favorite thing to online-shop for. The very clothes off our back, and ways to style them. Let’s talk about fashion – what to wear, when to wear them, and how to tie everything in together.
The idea of fashion is quite copious, because it can be defined as different things to different people. To me, fashion is what I’m comfortable in. When I’m comfortable, I feel confident, and that’s the key.
And the best part of it all? Everyone’s favorite brand, Mantra and Co., is a desi-fusion apparel company that specializes in sweatshirts, and a soon-to-be-announced clothing item that I know you all will love. But anyways, comfortable clothes!! I love them and I love Mantra, so the math is there, you know? I won’t spend this whole blog blatantly advertising how wonderfully designed, manufactured, and comfortable these pieces of clothing are, but I think it’s good to point out that Mantra has something for everyone, and as I walk you through my personal fashion guide, keep in mind that Mantra and Co. has your back. Plus, we have a new launch on Friday that you should definitely check out.
As a college student, my everyday attire pretty much remains the same; pajama-adjacent. The only reason why I don’t step out in my actual pajamas is because I’m certain my green set with sun patterns on it will actually knock me out cold in my classes. I already fight that urge in my other outfits more than I should be, and to be frank; I fail quite often.
Personally, my outfit formula consists of a fitted piece and a loose one. I’ll either step out in sweatpants and a crop, or leggings and a loose shirt. There’s no rhyme or reason for this other than I tend to stay away from jeans unless I’m forcing myself to have a productive day.
My outlier in this formula would be the occasional sweatpants and hoodie combo, but I usually stick to that when I’m freezing cold or genuinely feeling like a walking-zombie. Unfortunately, I do not own a jacket. Yes, I am Canadian.
Let’s touch back on the jeans-thing. There was a point in high school where the only thing I would wear were jeans; ripped, faux-ripped, blue, black, there was a beige phase, but yeah - every day. My jean collection was wilding. But, I got a lot of work done in high school (maybe I should wear more jeans this semester).
The reason why jeans tend to make a comeback every now and then for me is because when I’m uncomfortable, I want to stay awake and actually get my stuff done. This doesn’t happen often, but it works its occasional charm due to how freaking uncomfortable they are.
Anyways. I tend to gravitate toward crew necks more than hoodies, but that’s mostly because I don’t like the way my hair hangs out of the hood and how my backpack sits. Although I love the pockets in hoodies, they aren’t enough to convince me they’re more comfortable – I’m sorry, they’re not. I’m gonna have to talk to the Mantra exec team to get pockets in their new crew necks because my life would be absolutely complete. Pockets are a godsend. I could rant about them all day, but I’ll be moving on now.
The point of this blog series is to not put all the attention on Mantra, and instead broadcast other small businesses and of course, tips and tricks centered for Desis. But, I honestly can’t help it for this post in particular. And I promise Nrithi isn’t standing in front of me telling me what to type.
Before this year, I had no idea what Mantra and Co. was. But now that I’ve been introduced, I honestly fell in love. When I tell you how perfectly thought out every detail is, from apparel to jewelry, I’m not exaggerating in the slightest (shop the Adeenah bracelet hehe).
My personal favorites create a whole fit in itself. The Sage crewneck is the perfect shade, and I love pairing it with white pants (of any material, honestly) or even sweatpants. This sweatshirt is so easy to dress up or down depending on your vibe for the day, and it will look good either way. My everyday accessories consist of the Karachi scrunchie, and of course, the Adeenah bracelet. I like to keep it simple, but these pieces always do well to stand out, and they have a very distinct Mantra-appeal to it, in my opinion. I’m not the type of person to repeatedly switch out my jewelry, but that’s just because I’m forgetful and if I’m not already wearing it, I won’t be wearing it at all. I’d love to do a jewelry tour with you all, so let me know if I should make another reel (wink wink).
I don’t have a particular place to shop. To be frank, my mom still buys me most of my stuff. I’m very particular about prices, though, when it comes to clothes, and I won’t typically make a beeline for the higher-end clothes if I’m shopping for the basics. Never sleep on Target clothes, because when I tell you that my cutest tops are from the little kids section, I hope you believe me. Amazon also has pretty cool stuff if you know what you’re looking for. Obviously this is a larger corporation, so it could be easy to get lost between the searches and accidentally end up somewhere you shouldn’t be, but I swear they have everything.
If I’m looking for something very specific, or if I just want to stroll in for fun and just happen to find something insanely cute, it would usually be at Zara. Be careful there, though, as the lines will make you want to pull your hair out and the return process will actually age you thirty years.
Nordstrom has absolutely everything, but watch out for their sales. They’re insane. I love Nordstrom because their return policies are phenomenal. Don’t shop your basics there, but if you’re looking for a particular brand and don’t know where to look for it, most likely it’ll be at Nordstrom. I tend to shop for my shoes there more than anything else.
If the vibe you’re looking for is “put together” while still dressed in comfy clothes, then the tip I have for you is to have your hair done (hair care blog is coming up soon) and maybe a little makeup done (check out my makeup tutorial on the Mantra and Co. Instagram for some ideas). Something my mom tells me is that if your hair looks good, then you automatically look good. I’ll get more into this in a later blog.
It’s important to highlight the fact, though, that you should wear whatever you feel the most like-yourself in. Never dress to impress unless the person you want to impress is yourself, and I’ll forever preach that. Stay true to yourself always, and broadcast that with your clothes.
And when in doubt, shop Mantra :)
All my love,
Adeenah