Where to Buy Stylish, Long Dresses

Hi everyone! As most of you who read my blog are aware – I love makeup and fashion and the creativity involved with putting together my looks. I do also love shopping! So, when someone reached out to me on Instagram recently with an interesting request, I decided to answer it with a full blog post. The request?:

“Pls suggest where to buy nice dresses from. See you wearing such lovely long ones.”

Now, there are two operative parts of this request – where to buy nice dresses (presumably this means they shouldn’t be run of the mill or from chain brands) and specifically, where to buy long dresses.

Were I asked to describe my style, I would call it comfortable yet creative. I have no single aesthetic (because duh, boring!), and I love the added challenge of dressing as per the occasion or event. This means I’m inspired by a variety of factors when choosing my outfits. It helps, therefore, to have lots of options to choose from!

Now, let’s get to the request. Here are some places I turn to when shopping for unique dresses that are also comfortable and longer in length.

When Travelling in India and Abroad:

I love shopping when I’m travelling around the world because the clothes are distinctive and have a memory attached to them from that trip. Many people, especially when travelling on a budget, prefer not to spend money on shopping. However, with just a bit of research online and on social media, you can find places to shop that won’t break the bank. My absolute favourite shopping haven is London, and I’ve written about shopping there extensively: budget-friendly, street markets, luxury designer shopping, and in Cambridge (which is another town in the UK).

However, it’s also fun to shop while travelling domestically. If you are fond of shopping and know what you’re looking for, you can find gems in the most unexpected places. Goa is a shopper’s paradise as you can see in this article I wrote for Splainer. But I have even scored fun clothes and other items in places as seemingly remote as Solan in Himachal Pradesh and Haridwar in Uttarakhand!

Exhibitions and Pop-Ups in Your City:

Before globalisation and privatisation, the only exposure people had to exquisite goods from other parts of the country and the world, was through trade fairs. Traders would take stalls at travelling exhibitions and people would be able to stock up for special occasions. Now, this trend has gone a step further with the proliferation of small businesses. There are dozens of exhibitions organised in big cities like Delhi every weekend. Even smaller cities now boast exhibitions which attract indie designers and brands. In Delhi, my favourites to shop for dresses are The Sorbet Soiree, Fashion Design Council of India’s open exhibition day at the end of Lakme Fashion Week every year, and Dastkari Haat Samiti. Jalsa and Bridal Asia are good for heavy Indian occasion wear. And in case you want to save some money, here are some tips on shopping on a budget in Delhi.

Local Markets:

Before the entry of mall culture in India, local markets were everything. It was where we shopped, stocked up on life’s essentials, socialised and hung out. Though their popularity has dimmed somewhat in light of the rise of online shopping, local markets shouldn’t be overlooked. In Delhi, places like M-Block market, Greater Kailash Part I for mid-level shopping and Sarojini Nagar and Lajpat Nagar for budget shopping are excellent options. In fact, the dress I’m wearing in my cover photo for this post was purchased at a local designer store called Stitch Stories in GK-I market.

Shopping on Instagram:

This is not my preferred option because I have seen people get duped with their Instagram shopping purchases. However, I have discovered some interesting brands by following influencers. I have also shopped for a couple of dresses by approaching the brands directly on DMs instead of click-through shopping. I find this personalises the experience and leads to better results. Do bear in mind – online shopping for brands you are unfamiliar with may lead to hit or miss results, especially when it comes to sizes and the quality of the fabric. Also, sometimes, when an outfit becomes viral, there is a chance that you will see many people wearing the same one – so be prepared for that! If you do love digital shopping though, here are 5 ways to save money while shopping online.

Harleen Anand’s Exhibitions:

My list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning my super talented designer mother Harleen Anand. A very large chunk of my wardrobe – Indian and western – is designed by her, but it’s her dresses that I live in the most. They are stylish, unique, comfortable, vibrant and modest so they work for a large number of events – formal, semi-formal and casual! Though ordinarily, she works only on custom-order basis, she organises seasonal exhibitions where she showcases readymade dresses, tunics, shirts and Indian outfits. Follow her Instagram page to stay updated about upcoming exhibitions. https://www.instagram.com/harleenanandcouture/

Now here are some examples of recent dresses I shared on the gram:

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A post shared by Noor Anand Chawla (@nooranandchawla)

1. Blue dress: bought in Goa (I don’t know the brand)
2. Denim dress with embroidery (bought at Sorbet Soiree exhibition): @younglings_india
3. Ikat print collage dress and green dress with embroidery (no. 6) @harleenanandcouture
4. Beige dress (Bought at FDCI Lakme Fashion Week Designer Sale): @notebook.official
5. Green dress (bought in London): @primark
6. Denim dress (bought in London): @johnlewis
7. Yellow dress (bought in London):  @marksandspencer

Where do you shop for dresses? Do share in the comments below!

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This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Ratna Prabha.

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*This is not a sponsored post.

**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action.

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