Fun fact: I’m half Indian. I know I know I know… I’m pale af. Pops comes from the world of curry and funky smelling everything while my mom sports flaming curly red hair and freckles out the wazoo. Thus the reason I look like ~god knows what~. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to bask in the sun, so blending into white wash walls has been super easy as of late.

The benefits of a million relatives across the Atlantic? Every once in a while you get gifts that are ridiculously authentic… like this midi skirt from a Mumbai flee market. Funny thing is, I can actually get away with wearing it to work this summer. Best part of it all? This interaction:

“Alexis where’s that skirt from? I bought something similar at ~insert boutique here~ not too long ago”

“Yeah… this is from a dirty side street in India. Probably like 5 bucks.”

It’s practically international thrifting. Something I regularly do in NYC. If you have the time and energy to search for hidden gems for a fraction of the cost… why the hell would you not? Search around, pick up a few finds, worst case scenario you wear it once and it still costs less than that ~trendy~ acai bowl you ordered for lunch an hour ago.

Crop top: H&M (black not online) // Espadrilles: Cape Robbin (similar) // Bracelets: Sashka Co. & Tory Burch

Happy searching,

Photography by the bootiful Michelle Wiese