The Style Edit: Personal Style with Susha

"How do we arrive at our own sense of personal style? What influences us to dress the way we do?" 

We spoke to Subiksha Rangarajan aka Susha about personal style and how her lifestyle influences the way she dresses. We love Susha not just because she's an old-time Ela India customer, but also because she's one of the most talented people we know. She's a true multi-hyphenate; a trained Indian classical singer & a jazz musician who also just happens to be a talented artist and aesthete. We especially love how she styles the thrifted with the new. We spoke to her about her personal style journey, and how it’s evolved over the years. Read on…

My personal style is all about comfort.  I like to dress in a way that feels good on my skin so I like wearing clothes that have softened through the years. I like to buy clothes that last a long time, and I have gotten better at looking after them. There are a few comfort pieces that I keep going back to. I like neutrals and playing around with textures and prefer collecting classic pieces- a statement white shirt or a classic pair of denims.   

Yes, I have one basic rule. Start off with a classic piece and then offset it by making all the other pieces and accessories work around it. I used to be the kind of shopper who bought things in new colours. Now I tend to shop for pieces that would go well with existing wardrobe outfits. My dressing is usually simple, but I like to add unusual footwear. I am a big fan of hoops and have a couple of them in my collection. I bought a few pieces from Mejuri on a recent trip abroad, which I love. Eventually, I want to invest in a solid gold pair. 

I like there to be a story around the pieces that I wear. Most of my unusual pieces come from thrifting, because those are usually one-off pieces. I do a lot of blazer and denim thrifting, and once in a while I will buy a really good graphic tee. You won’t find a lot of prints in my wardrobe otherwise. I recently thrifted some Vans and Stan Smiths at ridiculously cheap rates.  Sneaker culture is so interesting especially when you’re into design and the study of form and shape. 

I love the idea of a uniform. I know that sounds like an unusual choice for someone who loves fashion. But I can get carried away sometimes and feel like having a mini wardrobe of 6-7 pieces that I could wear through the week, would afford me so much more time in general. And I love the Boxy Top in Kora cotton that I bought from Ela India two years ago as one of the pieces if I were to create a uniform set. 

I really like looking at the overall line structure, and prefer boxy shapes on myself. I like unusual shapes and I’ve learnt to pick unusual shapes that work really well with my body. Growing up, I had a lot of reservations around my body and didn’t feel very confident about myself. I didn’t always feel like the best version of myself. But evolving from there has been a process, and today, I feel like the best version of myself. I look after myself in a way that I didnt before. I have found certain routines and rituals that work for me and I feel confident to try something new that’s out of the box.  

I paired the Ila Shirt in Ochre handloom cotton with this Accordion skirt from H&M. The blazer is a thrifted piece. The boots are from Truffle collection, bought on Asos.com. The earrings are from a small label a friend found for me. 

All Photography courtesy: Gowrishankar from Chapterlight.

Shoot Styling and concept by Subiksha Rangarajan  

CLICK HERE- SHOP THE ILA SHIRT IN OCHRE HANDLOOM COTTON FEATURED HERE