Samarpita Yashaswini is a Content Producer for Fashion (HT Shop Now) at Hindustan Times Digital. She has five years of experience in lifestyle writing, specialising in fashion, beauty, and trend-led commerce content. She covers everything from seasonal must-haves and wardrobe essentials to brand reviews and styling edits that make everyday dressing easier and more exciting.
Ask yourself this before buying the trend of the moment
Over the years, she has interned with Times Internet and Desi Martini, and worked with Pinkvilla and Schbang, building a strong foundation in digital storytelling and audience-first content. At HT Digital, she writes and creates fashion affiliate content for both the website and social media, blending trend awareness with shopping practicality. Her work sits at the intersection of style and strategy combined with equal parts aesthetic and analytics. A self-confessed fashion enthusiast, Samarpita has a sharp eye for colours, prints, silhouettes, and textures. She notices the fall of a fabric, the mood of a palette, and the difference a good cut can make. Her expertise lies in translating trends into wearable, relatable style and helping readers shop smarter, not louder. She later completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Advertising and PR from MICA, Ahmedabad. Samarpita believes fashion content doesn’t need to be complicated or overly eloquent. It should be simple, fun, and genuinely helpful, guiding readers through daily style decisions with confidence and joy. Fashion does not always require a completely new wardrobe. Sometimes, the difference between an ordinary outfit and a polished one comes down to better proportions, good tailoring and knowing how to style what you already own. Mohit Rai is among India’s influential celebrity stylists turned fashion designers. Online fashion shopping comes with one obvious limitation: you cannot physically feel the fabric or check the fit before placing the order. Rai recommends looking beyond the main product photograph. Check the fabric composition, garment measurements and construction details. Zoom into product images and look for movement shots if the retailer provides them. The return policy is another important detail to check before buying. Most importantly, know your own measurements. For shoppers buying clothes online, this can be especially useful when comparing sizing across different brands. Rather than automatically selecting the same size every time, compare your measurements with the individual product’s size chart. Rai’s approach to trends comes down to one question: do you actually like the piece, or do you like seeing everyone else wear it? He does not suggest avoiding trends altogether. But shoppers should be careful about allowing every viral aesthetic to dictate what enters their wardrobes. If a piece genuinely appeals to you and works with your existing clothes, it can be worth experimenting with. One of Rai’s most practical pieces of advice is to think about versatility before buying. His rule is to avoid purchasing a piece unless you can already imagine at least three versions of yourself wearing it. That does not mean every garment needs to be a basic. Rai believes in buying pieces with personality, but they should still leave room for reinterpretation. A statement shirt could work with tailored trousers, jeans and a skirt. An occasion blouse could potentially be dressed up with jewellery and heels or styled more casually with denim and flats. The idea is to build a wardrobe where individual pieces have multiple styling possibilities rather than buying clothes for one specific occasion. As Rai puts it, fashion should evolve with you. Your wardrobe should not need replacing every time your mood changes. Hindustan Times has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority.
She began her writing journey in 2020, but her love for fashion started long before that. She studied at Delhi Public School and graduated from Miranda House, University of Delhi in 2019, where she also wrote for the college magazine. A NIFT graduate, Rai has spent more than 15 years shaping the public image of stars including Paris Hilton, Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Disha Patani and Vaani Kapoor. In 2019, he co-founded craft-first fashion label ITRH with his college friend Ridhi Bansal, bringing his styling expertise into the world of fashion design. 5 Jeans styles to know this season and the wardrobe problems each one solves Tried and Tested: I reviewed 3 very different bags and this one stole the show for me Tried and Tested: The only 3 handbags you’ll ever need for office Commutes and casual outings Disclaimer: At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products.
Because it is dominating social media can quickly leave your wardrobe looking like a timeline of everything that went viral, but buying something simply.
“Your size on one website means very little, your measurements mean everything,” Rai says. Fashion should be fun, he says.
His broader shopping rule is worth keeping in mind: if you are going to spend more, choose something you can imagine wearing 30 times rather than something you will photograph once. Because it is suddenly everywhere online, his approach is particularly useful for shoppers who find themselves buying something. Because of several elements working together, including proportion, styling, posture, grooming and the work of a professional fashion team, a celebrity look often works.
As ITRH brings its collection to Curato for an upcoming pop-up, Rai shared his approach to shopping smarter, styling everyday basics and choosing fashion pieces that can work well beyond a single occasion. For Rai, building a stylish wardrobe is less about constantly buying something new and more about understanding what makes a piece work. From the five fashion staples he believes can instantly make a wardrobe look more polished to the trends he thinks shoppers should think twice about buying, his advice focuses on fit, versatility and personal style. His list includes a great white shirt, beautifully cut trousers, a jacket with strong shoulders, an interesting pair of shoes and one piece of jewellery that you never take off. But there is another item he considers just as important: a good tailor. That makes tailoring worth considering when shopping for wardrobe staples. Instead of automatically spending more on a designer piece, shoppers can also look at whether an existing garment can be altered to improve its fit and proportions. For Rai, the idea of investing in fashion trends is less important than investing in good fashion fundamentals. He recommends looking for strong tailoring, considered proportions, beautiful fabrics, interesting textures and pieces that can be styled in multiple ways. A trend can be fun to try, but it does not necessarily need to become a major part of your wardrobe. Rai’s rule is simple: if a trend becomes louder than your personality, it may be better treated as a temporary experiment. Basic clothes do not have to result in basic outfits. Rai believes the styling around a garment can completely change how it looks. A white shirt, for instance, can be worn oversized, partially tucked, belted, layered or even styled almost like a jacket. Jeans can also look completely different depending on the pieces worn with them. For a simple kurta, Rai suggests playing with proportion rather than automatically pairing it with the most predictable traditional combination. This is also a useful way to refresh your wardrobe without constantly shopping. Instead of buying another new outfit, experiment with different layers, accessories, proportions and footwear around clothes you already own. For shoppers with weddings on their calendar, Rai recommends resisting the temptation to buy something that can only be worn to one event. His advice is to look for statement silhouettes, interesting separates and pieces with distinctive surface details or drape. The goal is not necessarily to wear the most heavily embellished outfit in the room. Instead, look for something memorable that still has enough versatility to work beyond the wedding season. Not every fashion purchase needs to come with a high price tag. Rai recommends spending more on items that touch the body or define the silhouette. His examples include footwear, tailoring, outerwear and well-made occasion pieces, where construction and fit can make a visible difference. On the other hand, he believes shoppers can save on trend-led pieces, basic layering separates and accessories. Instead of copying everything, Rai suggests identifying the one element that attracted you to the outfit. It could be an oversized silhouette, a monochrome colour palette or an unexpected accessory. Take that element and translate it into your own wardrobe. That approach can make the look feel personal rather than like a costume.
A few well-chosen wardrobe staples can make a noticeable difference to how an outfit comes together, according to Rai. “A fairly ordinary garment that fits beautifully will almost always look better than an expensive garment that doesn’t,” Rai says. “If you love a very specific trend, experiment with it but don’t build your wardrobe around it,” he says. “Styling is where personal style actually begins,” he says. The ideal purchase, according to Rai, should work with jewellery and heels for a wedding but also be easy to break apart and style differently later. Celebrity outfits can be tempting to recreate, but Rai says copying an entire look is not necessarily the best way to bring celebrity fashion into your own wardrobe.
