How to Combine Western and South-Asian Style

**The items featured in this post were provided by the brand for review. This does not affect my opinion of the item.**

Yesterday all the Bengalis around the world celebrated the first day of Bengali new year….(which, in our language, is called Pohela Boishakh). Though I love living here in the USA, sometimes I do miss my Bangladesh immensely. I miss rickshaw rides, the childhood memories and everything in between. So today I am talking heart to heart about the things I miss most and the little steps I take to balance those. I will also share how to combine Western and South-Asian Style, so keep on reading.

Family:

I am an introvert and very attached to my parents. So it was a very hard adjustment for me when I moved to the USA 5 years ago. Celebrations and festivals feel incomplete without them present here. If you are also closer to your family and living abroad is getting on your nerves- take a deep breath and focus on your goal. Keep a fixed convenient time when you can talk with your family members. Spend at least 10-15 minutes before starting your day with them, it gives so much strength! Even if it’s just a hello, you will feel a lot better if you can keep up the routine.

Food:

I absolutely love South-Asian foods, I love the rich aroma, spiciness, and the variety. We have a Bengali version of every cuisine. Thai, Chinese, Italian, Indian, American….etc. You can get many restaurants here and there all over the USA but the food that Bangladeshi mothers and aunts make are just perfection. Though I am nowhere near as expert as my mother, I ask about her techniques and apply those. You can also watch Bengali cooking youtube channels and try to recreate the recipes. It won’t be perfect today, but one day it will be much better.

Fashion:

Weather at Fargo is mostly very very cold, so whenever I am going out I am wearing jeans, a t-shirt, hat, boots, and a sweater or jacket. Sometimes I really miss wearing a simple cotton salwar kameez with long earrings, kohl liner, and lightweight summer sandals.

Yes I know it’s impossible to wear a cotton dress right now, but I improvised and picked this mustard sweater dress from Femme Luxe and paired it with a beautiful cotton maxi skirt I got from Bangladesh. I also wore a Wine Faux Leather Leggings underneath for warmth and edge. I topped the look with red lipstick. (Check here for red lip inspiration).

I recently discovered Femme Luxe and loved how affordable the clothes are! They offer trendy, fashion-forward styles and there are many styles to choose from. If you are into modest fashion, try the following tricks.

• If a sweater dress is really body-hugging, try pairing it with a jacket, even a shirt or a scarf with a skirt on the bottom.
• Pair the faux leather leggings with a loose shirt or t-shirt to cover the hip and bottoms. Or tie a plaid shirt on your hips to cover up the bottom.

The sweater dress or jumper dress and leggings can be found at Femme Luxe website.

It’s not possible to bring out the Summer sandals yet, so I chose these pairs from  Arcopedico’s shoe, in the style- LS. It’s not heavy like the Winter boots rather lightweight and extremely comfortable to wear. What I love most about these shoes is that these can be easily worn in warmer months too. These come in 29 (!) colors, so there’s one for everyone! These are also washable and good for someone with flat feet (like mine).

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