Grounded Narratives

Another year older! September is one of my favourite months of the year. Not only is the month  when I started my blog  but it also happens to be my birthday month.  For years I've let this day just go by, smiling whenever people wished me a happy birthday even when deep inside I wasn't too happy. But I wanted to make this birthday different. I was determined to spend it in the best way I possibly could; taking care of myself. I made sure to dress up, even with nowhere to go and did my nails (something I'd been postponing for weeks!). I also decided to do something that I enjoy but hardly make time for i.e. take photos and update the blog! I've wracked my brain trying to think of what to gift myself this year and I couldn't make up my mind. This year being what it is has made me rethink many things. I don't really need to add anything to my wardrobe, my jewellery collection is sufficient although I can't help but admire beautiful accessories online, but do I...

It's been nine years since I wrote my first blog post and in that time, I have evolved even as my blog struggled to catch up and reflect that change. I've gone through many life changes: motherhood, journey to finding myself and dealing with my mental health. Despite all that, I have been unable to let go of my piece of internet real estate. Nine years! Come to think of it, this is the longest relationship I've had, hahaha! It sounds funny just thinking about it. So, just as I did for my eighth blogging anniversary , I'll give you a little life update.  What's been happening... As I celebrate nine years since I took that bold step to put myself out there and my pursue passion for writing and sharing this with you, I can't help but wonder if I will ever get my old mojo back. I know that I can't force myself to put out content that doesn't resonate with where I am now and the things that I'm enjoying even though they might not always be fashion-relate...

Hi there. It's been a while. I've been meaning to update you and even started several blog posts but none of them seemed good enough. I know, #overthinking, but here we are. I thought a life update would be the perfect way to get back to blogging. Last week I marked my 8th blogging anniversary. I must confess that the date almost passed me by. Eight years seems like a long time, right? I can hardly believe it. But I'm so proud of myself for at least keeping this space alive, albeit partially. I was reading a post about habits that will improve your life and having a creative outlet was one of them. This blog has been my creative space since its inception. As time went by it became the space where I documented the various stages of my life key in point becoming a mother, starting my online shop and eventually transitioning to full-time employment. However, as I embraced these new phases of my life, I also lost love and found it again (that's a story for another d...

Where has the time gone? I realise this phrase is a little overused but I honestly can't believe how fast time has flown. While I was working on getting back to blogging, I spent quite a bit of time contemplating what I wanted for this blog. Over the years, I have slowly let go of my passion for fashion starting by reducing the number of fashion related posts that I upload here. This situation left a hole in my heart that I haven't been able to fill. So after all that soul-searching I decided it was time to give myself that final push to see if I could rekindle my love for fashion. Let's be honest. When you dress up you feel amazing, you feel like you can conquer the world and I missed that feeling. Working from home meant that I didn't have to interact with the outside world too much and I used this excuse to slacken in my dressing. I spent my days, Monday to Saturday, in jeggings and a tee and while I am extremely in love not to mention comfortable with my casu...

Merry Christmas to you all, loves! I hope you are enjoying this holiday season. I thought it would be fun to share with you (and document) my Christmas this year. I had been dying of excitement from about mid-November. Christmas is my favourite season of the year and I couldn't wait to sing along to carols, decorate the house, buy Christmas presents, plan meals for Christmas day and most importantly, share the excitement of the festivities with my little one. Elly is now old enough to take part in all this. She was so excited when I brought out the Christmas tree that she kept saying, "Mummy, let's decorate the tree." She happily took part in putting up the baubbles and when I got back home she told me that she had put up all the purple ones. Come Christmas morning, little missy was bursting with excitement when she saw the gifts "Christmas Father" (as she calls Father Christmas) brought us. She couldn't wait to open her gifts. I was a bit ne...

I'm a confessed thrift-a-holic (is that a word?). Apart from the huge chunk of change that I get to save when I thrift shop, I love the fact that each item is unique and that I will not find every second woman wearing the same thing that I am. Nevertheless, my love for thrift shopping does not mean that I discriminate against store bought clothes. Believe it or not, my most memorable purchase was bought at a clothing chain. And what might that be you ask? My most memorable purchase is this black trench coat. I bought it at Wills, in Saket Mall, New Delhi. I bought it about 6 years ago at the start of a very very cold winter.   Why is this my most memorable purchase? By the time I was buying this trench coat, I had been thinking about acquiring a coat for the cold North India winters for a long, long time. Winter was just starting and I thought, why not? You know how sometimes you think about buying something but you keep delaying it because you can't justify the cost? ...

Happy new month lovelies! I hope you have all been well. It's been three weeks since I last posted on the blog and I have missed you all! For those of you who follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you got the news of the arrival of my little angel. On the 11th of March at 11.20p.m. I got to meet my gorgeous baby girl. Little Miss Elly was 3.5kgs. She is now 3 weeks old and growing very fast! As you can imagine, I've been getting used to having a new person in my life. Managing with a baby has been an eye-opener for me. I was so used to doing things in a certain way and at a particular time, having time to do all my cleaning and organizing and running my errands whenever I saw fit, but with a baby around I have been forced to learn how to let go of my control freak ways and just go with the flow. This means that I have to sleep when the baby is asleep (mostly in the daytime) and let go of all the things I want to do (like getting back to blogging and runni...

Happy Valentines to you all! Today, instead of putting up posts with outfit ideas or gifts, I'd like to keep with Inches To Style tradition and spread the love this Valentines. I know that we should show love at all times, but it's nice to have one day a year when you get a chance to tell all those people who matter to you how much you love them. This year in particular, I have so much love to share. I have seen a different side to my family and friends especially since the announcement of my little angel's arrival. To my parents, whose support was and still is such a treasure to me, I'd like to say I love you very much and I wouldn't be who and where I am without you. To my brothers and sisters, you are a crazy bunch but I love you just the way you are. Life would not be the same if you were not there. You drive me crazy at times but hey, that's what siblings are for right? To my aunts, uncles and cousins etc., thank you for all your support. You...

Hi all! I hope your preparations for Christmas are coming along well. I'm always so happy and giddy this time of year. Be it the presents, spending time with family, the fantastic food, Christmas carols and of course celebrating the birth of Jesus, it all makes me feel like a little child again. Monday was spent  completing my Christmas shopping and today I was putting the finishing touches to the decorations and gift wrapping. Now I just have to complete the menu, ensure all the ingredients are in the kitchen and wait for tomorrow morning.  Christmas day usually begins with breakfast and gift opening followed by Church. Then it's back home to start the cooking. This year my family is meeting up with some of my extended family members and some family friends. I think it will be a memorable occasion. A quick note about this outfit. I wore white linen pants and a peach sequin dress top to Church last Sunday. This was a warm weather outfit seeing as the weath...

Hi all!! I decided to start monthly feature called Mid-Week Reflections one Wednesday, or in this case Thursday, a month, to give you a brief summary of what has been going on in my life. I thought it would be a good way for you, my lovely readers to get to know me on a personal level besides my love for fashion and personal style. Sequin top, black skirt, patent leather flats. Post here ON BLOGGING First and foremost, I would like to say a big WELCOME to all my new readers and THANK YOU to all of you who have stuck around as I struggled to start blogging again. After a looong hiatus, I started blogging again and this time with new found passion. A number of people have told me how much they enjoy my blog and my style. If you have ever been praised when you are feeling down, you know what a morale booster a little praise is. One of my new found loves when it comes to blogging is trying out new styles, experimenting with hair and make up more and not being afraid...

2012 has been an epic year for me. So much has changed since the beginning of this year. I've discovered a lot of things about myself and taken steps to take my life into my own hands. On the blogging scene, my blog has evolved from a mere dream to a reality I face every single day. There are days when it's the reason I wake up and then there are those few moments when I have absolutely no motivation to blog. In line with the IFB project this week I've decided to put together some of my most memorable blogging moments of 2012 are:- 1. Getting a new blog design and name I finally managed to come up with a name for my blog that encompasses all that I would like it to be, Inches To Style, and redesigned my blog . 2. Relocating from New Delhi, India to Nairobi, Kenya My move back home has really helped me focus my blog content more towards a Kenyan audience. This is keeping in line with the reason I started Inches To Style. 3. Style Evolution My style h...

Hi all!!! I hope you are having a good week.  According to my blog schedule, I'm supposed to be doing a post on accessories today. But so much has happened in my life over the last couple of months that I thought I'd share a little with you. This is my latest profile picture. My brother has mentioned a number of times that I am scary. I don't know what he means by this but I do know I have a terrible temper. I don't get angry quickly but when I do it's really bad. In a bid to get a hold over my temper I've decided to take these words to heart. Image And when I do open my mouth to speak, I'm going to be very careful with what I say because people's reputations get ruined and their self-confidence goes down with every hurtful word I utter. Image Sometimes I sit back and wallow in the mistakes I've made in the past and get myself down for no reason. But with time I'm starting to forgive myself and move on because I know I...