Styling desi accessories with western outfits.

If you've been reading my blog posts or following me on Instagram, or just know me personally - you probably know that I'm a shameless hoarder. Among the many things I hoard are Indian/Desi jewelery - be it jhumkas or chandbalis, haarams or chokers, I absolutely cannot get enough. My recent wedding also served as the perfect excuse to explore the latest and greatest and add more gems to my collection. I'd be fortunate if I were a seasoned saree-wearer with plenty of opportunities to sport my Indian jewelry. However, the reality is that much of these pretty jewelry did not see the light of the day until Navaratri or Diwali each year.

This idea came up from couple of my friends - one who actually requested this post, and the other who had a similar struggle because she too is just as bad a hoarder as I am. So I figured this isn't a problem that is just unique to me - I'm sure there are several of us who would love to give our desi trunk more of an opportunity to shine. So, I started to explore ways to incorporate my Indian jewelry into my daily life. Even if it means wearing some extra bling to work.

Now, for those who know Indian jewelry is obviously very versatile in terms of size and craftsmanship. It's always easy to style smaller pieces with any kind of outfit, but the real challenge lies with the bigger, bolder and more bling-y pieces that you'd probably only reserve for your best friend's wedding or a big family event. Or perhaps you purchased these for your own wedding and never gave them a second glance since.

In this post, I present to you some easy ways to style your Indian jewelry with western outfits - ideal for those dinner dates, get-togethers or a girls night out!

In this first look, I've paired a kundan bridal choker with a black tank top, blue jeans, a grey chiffon jacket and black stilettos. The idea here was to keep the rest of the outfit basic and simple, while maintaining the attention on the choker. Black, white and grey are great colors to style pretty much any accessory, and would always be a safe bet.

Top & Jeans: Forever21, Cardigan: Missguided, Shoes: Steve Madden, Necklace: Jewelngem

Poser (too) much. He he.

In this next look, I've paired the same outfit with a pair of bright and chunky gold balis. I absolutely love how the earrings just bring life to the rest of the outfit!

Earrings: SuviTamara Designs

In this final look, I've paired a Guttapusalu haaram (which happens to be one of my wedding necklaces) with a plum colored bodycon shirt and black wide-legged pants. (Ideal for those body types like mine which are not perfectly tailored for a bodycon outfit!)

Top: Forever21, Pants: Westside India, Necklace: MsPinkPanther Jewelry

The key here is to work your outfit around your jewelry, keeping it basic and simple, avoiding harsh prints and textures, so that the focus can be maintained on the jewelry. I absolutely love showing off my cultural roots through my outfits, and I'd love to inspire you all to do the same :)

Hope you enjoyed reading this post!

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