A fashion designer from NIFT, Sarmistha has worked with some of the leading apparel/textiles firms of the country such as Arvind Brands, Arvind Mills, MTV Clothing and Accessories etc. She thought about starting a blog of her own when she started reading blogs online and realized that she can do something similar. Thus began Style Over Coffee. ‘Being from the fashion industry, styling outfits and talking about fashion in general comes naturally to me and the blog gave me a platform to share my thoughts with the world.’
For a long time, she decided to blog on the side but then she started to enjoy the experience so much that she decided to leave her job as a design manager in one of the leading textile firms in Ahmedabad, and started working as a full-time blogger.
Needless to say, the blog has grown quite a lot in the past few years. ‘It’s been an amazing journey so far. We have learnt a lot and have been constantly growing and evolving with time. Fashion changes every year and so does one’s style. And being a fashion and lifestyle blog, change is the only constant for Style Over Coffee. In these 5 years, my personal style has changed a lot and that reflects in my posts. The quality and content has improved a lot too and we are meticulously trying to do better with every new post. Style Over Coffee has also grown from being a fashion only blog to a lifestyle diary as we have added categories like ‘Travel’ and ‘Beauty’. As we keep getting a lot of questions from our readers on how to start a fashion blog, we have added a ‘Blog Tutorial’ section as well, which aims at helping aspiring bloggers.’
Sarmistha tends to post 3-4 times a week. Although she has a few high street brands that she turns to for good fit and quality fabric, she does not believe in wearing only branded or designer clothes. ‘ My wardrobe is an eclectic mix of designer, high street and flea market finds which I mix and match to create my signature style.’ The most expensive thing in her closet is actually her wedding ‘main set’ (Mulberry Silk Mekhela Chador) in off white with golden woven patterns.
She shares that style is all about self expression. ‘Style is all about personalizing fashion and the ever changing fashion trends in a way that suit one’s individuality and comfort level.’
Many think that blogging is simple but it comes with its own set of challenges. ‘My blog is primarily personal style based and we often shoot our photographs outdoors. In a place like Guwahati, where the concept of fashion blogging and street style photo shoots is almost non-existent, getting our regular photo shoots done has been, by far, the biggest challenge. We often get hurled with lewd comments and harassment while shooting. I have been blogging for more than 5 years now and have lived in Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata but I seem to be facing such problems only after arriving in Guwahati!’ Another challenge Sarmistha reveals is staying consistent. ‘There are times when I am out of ideas or lack the motivation to keep blogging. Taking some time off and looking for inspiration often helps get through such phases.’
But at the end of the day, she feels that none of these challenges can ever de-motivate her from blogging. ‘It is always fun no matter what. It never feels like work because I enjoy every moment of it. I have also come across some really incredible and inspiring people through blogging and that is wonderful!’
In the future, Style Over Coffee plans to diversify into all the aspects of fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle. We wish Sarmistha all the very best!
Follow her on YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
By Meeta Borah
