The Art of Style

by LOOKBOOK, featuring Rhea Gupte of The Girl From Fuss • January 12, 2016

We're so inspired by how Rhea Gupte of The Girl From Fuss continues to wow us with the incorporation of whimsy, artistic vision and a magical surrealism into her shoots. Clever costuming, bold make-up, paintbrush strokes and creative photo editing and lighting techniques make for images you wouldn't be surprised to find in a gallery collection of contemporary art. 

Each image from her creative collaboration with colorful Indian brand Chumbak seems to tell a poignant story, bursting to the seams with something profoundly personal, its vulnerabilities lying just below a slightly melancholy exterior. A fervent fan of enterprising success stories, Rhea shares about her journey getting to know the team at Chumbak and working with them to bring out the playful, artsy kid in every person — in the best way possible. 

"There is something so wonderful about success stories. Nothing gives me more happiness than seeing somebody’s dreams come true. Apart from being the girl who wells out happy tears at the end of movies for fictional characters and the wonderful life they may have ahead, I am also the type to cry at the end of Miss Universe pageants, heart-warming award acceptance speeches, rags to riches stories, or when a small, singular enterprise grows to become an empire over time. What inspires me about successful people is not their pay cheques or their power but their hard work, vision and passion. 

Chumbak is one such success story. A brand which started out as a couple’s hobby project with groovy magnets and attractive tidbits has since expanded into 12 exclusive stores across the country selling everything from mason jars to sofas. Though the brand has evolved into a sleeker aesthetic without compromising their fun, colorful vision and their too-cool-for-school attitude; what resonates with me most is the happy, positive spirit of the brand reflected right from their founders to their employees, their work ethic, and consequently within their products. 

A conversation with these folks had us discussing the state of blogging in India, passion projects, each other’s beginnings, food, and trading in my watermelon juice for a beer. When a set of people come together without an ulterior motive and only to celebrate creativity, it's bound to be an experience to look forward to. I am ecstatic to have FUSS be a part of this happy, colorful empire in the smallest way. Here is my color-filled ode to the brand — enjoy!"

Photography and Editing by Praveen Muniyappa
Hair and Makeup by Kashish Gupta

10 Tips For Making It As A Style Blogger

February 25, 2016

Persistence, clarity, resourcefulness and vision are just a few amongst the many qualities required to differentiate yourself in the world of blogging. The online space is growing increasingly crowded by the day so it’s more important than ever before to be strategic when it comes to carving out an effective and unique space for yourself, your friends and your constituents. 

Though there’s nothing wrong with blogging for personal expression or as a hobby, the path towards transforming it into a self-sustaining business or career requires far more than jotting down a post every time you’re hit with inspiration. In fact, it requires adetailed action plan. 

After interviewing and asking around some of our lifestyle and fashion bloggers to find out how they got to where they are, we discovered some underlying similarities amongst the responses that were scoured. And we’ve narrowed them into a list of Top 10 essential tips — from having a desire to learn and the ability to be flexible to looking into the future and understanding what it truly takes to produce high quality content.

DO IT OUT OF LOVE

“This is not an easy business to be in. Start your blog for the right reason, because you need to have the passion and drive from within.” — Malin Richardson 

“Make sure it is something you love, and enjoy what you do.” — Philippe Girard

“Have fun!” — Caroline Roxy

DO IT WELL

“Keep at it. Success does not come overnight, in anything, especially in an overly saturated field like blogging.” — Rima Vaidila

QUALITY PHOTOS ARE OF THE ESSENCE

“Choose or be a good photographer.” — Philippe Girard

“Invest in a good camera. The pictures make 80% of the blog experience, they need to have the best quality possible.” — Malin Richardson

“The days of point-and-shoot selfies are over. Invest in a DSLR camera – I love the Sony mirrorless A7. Even if you work with photographers, you should learn the basics of photography, composition, posing and more.” — La Carmina

HAVE YOUR OWN STYLE

“Do your own thing. Authenticity is key. People want to see the real you. They follow because they like what you’re doing.” — Rima Vaidila 

“Find your niche, this will make you stand out.” — Malin Richardson

HUSTLE

“Do not expect handouts from anyone. Show people why you deserve their attention.” — Rima Vaidila

STAY INFORMED ON DESIGN, SEO AND CSS

“Put your full energy into the building blocks of blogging. Even if you hire someone to make your blog, you should stay informed about all the other elements that make a site enjoyable to navigate and read. I urge bloggers to buy their own domain name and use Wordpress or Squarespace.” — La Carmina “The design of your blog is extremely important.” — Malin Richardson

PUT EFFORT INTO YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE

“Set up social media accounts under the same “brand” name, on all the major networks — Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Facebook. Social networks are great for interacting with readers, and adding value (whether it’s useful news, or a funny personal anecdote). However, I urge bloggers not to get too obsessed with social media or hung up on numbers.” —La Carmina 

“Comment on other blogs, engage on different social media channels! This will make the blog grow. When I started my blog back in 2007, I read so many blogs and always left comments which created many new readers.” — Malin Richardson

WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

“It doesn’t take a lot of money to start a blog. Utilize your resources. Family and friends make for excellent photographers, proofreaders or web designers.” — Rima Vaidila

POST UNIQUE AND INSPIRING CONTENT

“Content, for me, is what matters the most. Compelling, well-written blog posts can make a difference and lead to unexpected paths. For example, I did in-depth posts about the “kawaii” food-decorating trend and theme restaurants in Japan, and these led to book deals. Quite a few of my articles were picked up by media sites, and resulted in numerous TV appearances and interviews on this subject.” — La Carmina 

“If the content you post isn’t going to inspire, help or advise a reader, it isn’t necessary. Don’t post just for the sake of posting. Distinguish yourself in a sea of Valencia-filtered macaroon images.” — Rima Vaidila

LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

“Don’t depend on a single source – such as one ad network, or traffic from Pinterest – to sustain you in the long term (just look at MySpace!). Fashion blogging can veer to the superficial side, so I encourage bloggers to push aside distractions (online fame and numbers), and keep their eye on a long-term career with a meaningful mission.” — La Carmina

Top 8 Trends for 2016

by Gloria Tran for MITH Magazine • January 20, 2016

We’re living in a post-minimalist world as embellishments, embroidery, layers, lamé, frills and neck bows enter the scene with sharply modern updates for 2016. There’s a modernization of retro silhouettes and a move toward femininity and maturity, as grown-up versions of childhood favorites like ruffles, braids and bows resurface. 

Designers this season are also seeking to awaken a sense of reflection, gravitating toward a palette of gentleness and tranquility. There’s a yearning for softer shades and natural, classic and quieting tones that offer a sense of calm and relaxation in an increasingly uncertain world. The color grey, which epitomizes this move towards stable elegance and a quiet composure, will become as much a staple as distressed denim and the classic white tee. 

From the sleek, soft silhouettes perpetuated by thin, thoughtful layering and the silky Parisian neckerchief to the season’s focal point on bare shoulders, this is my go-to guide for styling the top 8 defining trends of the season!

1. BRAIDS GALORE

Hailing from Germanic origins — whether simple or elaborate — braids are having a major moment this season. Formerly reserved for summer or schoolgirls, this effortlessly chic style can be not only beautiful and elegant, but surprisingly practical, and much easier to style than it may look. From no-fuss fishtails to charming milkmaid braids, the more mature versions are abundant and infinitely cooler. Though this style works best on longer or thicker hair, it’s nothing a clip-in extension can’t solve.

Photo by: Chloe From The Woods

2. SILVERY STRANDS

According to celebrity hairstylist and British Hairdresser of the Year Nominee Jamie Stevens, “grey is the new blonde.” Formerly reserved for top style bloggers, silver hair hues are slowly working their way into the mainstream. What’s most interesting about this empowering and slightly intimidating color is the ageism element, or desire to appear more mature. It’s a trend that is showing us that aging is something beautiful and to be celebrated, offering an alternative narrative for the societal standard of beauty. Start off with an ombré and maintain your locks with silver shampoo — or if you’re feeling ultra-bold, go all in with a full head of silver. 

Photo by: Ebba Zingmark

3. MODERN RUFFLES

Ruffles dominated the SS16 runway shows this season, getting an elegant makeover for the new year. Designers indulged in the idea of celebration as they added frills, flounces, sheer tiers and leather ruffles to nearly everything they could think of — dresses, tops, coats, skirts and more. Types of ruffles ranged from slouchy and loose to bold and dramatic, delicate and restrained to charming and frilly, robust and leather to light and gauzy. The trick to pulling off flounce is to turn it into a signature aspect of your outfit. Dries Van Noten did an excellent job of doing this by playing with transparencies and multidimensional textures, resulting in eye-catching ruffled tiers with a soft, romance-inducing element. 


Photo by: Anne-Miek

4. PUT A BOW ON IT

Ready to tie one on? Bows are apparently one of the biggest and long-lasting fashion trends to expect for the coming year — particularly super skinny or oversized ones, wrapped around the neckline. Try a gauzy organza one around the neck for a large, fluffy look, or experiment with double bows against a transparent top as they did at Gucci. You can also go the route of Marni and tie one up on the shoulder in an earthy color. 

Photo by: Paz Halabi Rodriguez

5. NECKERCHIEFS & HANDKERCHIEFS

What began as a Parisian trend, and evolved into long, thin knots and silk foulards in the 70s and 90s has been revived this season by major fashion bloggers as an alternative to this year’s statement necklace. Neckerchiefs are pretty little things that can spice up any outfit, infusing a basic outfit with some life and personality. Fashion blogger Beatrice Gutu of The Fashion Cuisine says that hers never fails in having others mistaken her as a legit fashion editor. Not to mention the neck is not the only place you can wear one — it’s just as chic on the wrist, as a headband or around the waist.

Photo by: Jenny Tsang

6. CLEVER LAYERING

Thoughtful layering is the key to looking sleek and flattering for winter. Piling on several thin layers of body-conscious knits can provide just as much coziness as your favorite chunky, cold-weather sweater. Opting for a stylish shawl over a light cardigan will help eliminate arm bulk and tucking your pants into sleek boots will make for a clean look. As the things begin to warm up, take a cue from Clueless and give reverse layering a try. With the slip dress returning, now’s the perfect time to wear it over a sheer top or a patterned t-shirt for that spring-y, playful vibe!

Photo by: Anna Pogribnyak

7. MOONSTONE GREY

The embodiment of elegance, unity and stability, moonstone is a shade of grey that creates of a sense of calm and relief from a chaotic world. It’s a mature and practical color that tones down the stronger, brighter hues, while illuminating those that are softer. Liven up neutrals with a cozy turtleneck, a trendy sweater dress or long, felt coats in this color. The pervasively gentle tone provides a sense of relaxation and composure, even in the most uncertain of times. 

Photo by: Anna Pogribnyak

8. SHOW OFF THAT SHOULDER

Bare shoulders and collarbones will be abundant on everything come spring, from workwear to special occasion dresses. Coming in the form of off-the-shoulder tops, asymmetrical necklines and cut-out gowns, the shoulder peek will be presented in a way that is mod and ultra-feminine. Romantic ruffles and frills will be the most common lining for off-the-shoulder, while asymmetrical necklines will appear with a single shoulder or in strange prints. Cut-outs will vary in color, design and style of cut, though primarily accompanied with long, flowing sleeves. 

Photo by: Nina Schwichtenberg