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Business News/ Mint-lounge / The working girl
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The working girl

The working girl

 Not a fan of real jewellery, Balsara accessorizes with colourful beads and costume jewellery Premium

Not a fan of real jewellery, Balsara accessorizes with colourful beads and costume jewellery

For Lara Balsara, being well-organized is not exclusive to the workspace. The 28-year-old business development and diversification manager of Madison World (a diversified communication group), doesn’t like clutter, and her wardrobe, with its painstakingly arranged shelves, drawers and hanging spaces, is proof of that. Edited excerpts:

Not a fan of real jewellery, Balsara accessorizes with colourful beads and costume jewellery

Your wardrobe is rather neat. How do you keep it so organized?

I am organized by nature; I like everything to be in its place. There’s a place for everything in my cupboard, so I know exactly where everything is kept and I don’t have to hunt for it. When my pile of office shirts gets too big, I immediately go through them and start discarding what I haven’t worn for a couple of months.

So there’s nothing in there that you don’t wear regularly?

No, not really. And I have dresses that are about 10 years old that I still wear often. (brings out a chocolate velour halter dress and a strappy black mini dress) Thankfully they still fit, and I like them, so they’ve stayed in my cupboard.

How would you describe your personal style?

I don’t like to bee too loud. I’m very understated, and have an almost casual sense of style. When I’m at work, I like to dress very comfortably.

Balsara pairs this embellished black dress from Goa with stilettoes and a black bag.

What is your work wardrobe like?

I wear mostly formal or semi-formal trousers in colours such as black, grey, navy and beige and team that with a blouse or top. My favourite for day-wear are white cotton or linen shirts or blouses. Sometimes I might even wear a dark pair of jeans with a formal top, or put on a lightweight jacket for meetings. And I usually wear shoes with a small heel.

I get my office-wear from brands such as Cotton World, Giordano, AND and Forever New. I pick up anything I find interesting on my trips abroad as well.

I very rarely wear a salwar kameez to work; I don’t have too many Indian outfits.

In my line of work I do have a lot of business dinners or outings at night. I might opt for trousers and a dressy top, probably in black with some shimmer. Alternatively, I would wear a dress. I love this red dress (a knee-length dress in raw silk) that I bought from AND about a year ago.

Balsara at home

I bought this thin black jacket with three-fourth sleeves in Kuala Lumpur. I wear it to formal and semi-formal occasions and it’s always useful. Another favourite is this Chinese dress from Hong Kong (a short white jacquard silk dress with black piping). I like dresses for formal functions. I prefer to wear dresses to weddings than saris.

How do you like to accessorize?

I’m not fond of real jewellery, it’s just not my style. I love funky, colourful bead necklaces and bracelets, which I wear all the time. I also prefer to wear just one piece, not a necklace, bracelet and earrings all together.

I have a collection of shoes and evening bags, which I keep changing. But my bag for the office remains the same.

If we ask you to put together an outfit for an evening out, what would you choose?

This black halter dress (with sequin and bead embellishments) caught my eye when I had gone to Brittos restaurant in Goa—it was for sale on a small shop on the premises. Since the dress is so colourful, I wouldn’t wear any accessories, and would wear black shoes and carry a black bag with it.

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Published: 09 Mar 2009, 08:51 PM IST
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