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G E RSeptember 13, 2017
A week of outfits: Bani Nanda
On a Wednesday morning we met Bani Nanda, a choux-making wizard of sweetness, in her workshop: Miam Patisserie. We’ve met Bani before, but since our last encounter (you definitely want to try making this recipe) she’s set up a brick and mortar home for MIAM in a shared space with Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters and Big Fat Sandwich right by her home in SDA market.
Bani’s signature style is equal parts sweet and sauce: pencil skirts, chunky shoes, ruffles for days, and her raven hair always parted down the middle. “I like to dress well all the time!” she told us laughing. “Sometimes I’ll wear the same look for the day and for night. I love prints, flared jeans, chunky shoes, big earrings and structured tops. I also love monochromes—black and white particularly (it's an obsession).”
Nanda spends quiet mornings at home prepping for her day at the café, a daily ritual she observes Monday through to Sunday. When in uniform at the kitchen she ditches traditional chef whites for a custom jacket in the same pale pink hue as the rest of Miam’s packaging, with pretty cursive font that spells out her name in mahogany. Comfort over style also goes a long way with Nanda, who picks clean, structured cuts over fussy layering. “I don't like spending a lot of money on outfits and I love shopping at flea markets and finding good deals online! I don't own a single designer,” she confesses.
On days experiencing a lull at the small café, between her colleagues at work, and the neighbours at Big Fat Sandwich and Blue Tokai, Nanda has formed a warm working camaraderie, where she spends long evenings and Sundays alike. “My day begins at the studio and then I spend time with my family and dogs at home. I drop into the café some evenings to play Jenga because I'm obsessed with it (she beat a bunch of us).
Zoey my fluffy Labrador accompanies me often since our place is dog-friendly!” she finishes. “When I have to come to the café for meetings I'm in a pair of jeans or fun skirts, sometimes dresses, that I’ll usually accessorise with a statement bag and a pair of nice shoes. Being a chef always meant working in chef whites, trousers and protective black kitchen shoes and it was always my wish to be able to dress up for work. I think I secretly wanted a career in a corporate set-up just so I could wear nice clothes to work! Luckily now when I have meeting or if I'm spending the day at the café I can dress up,” she laughs.
Bani’s signature style is equal parts sweet and sauce: pencil skirts, chunky shoes, ruffles for days, and her raven hair always parted down the middle. “I like to dress well all the time!” she told us laughing. “Sometimes I’ll wear the same look for the day and for night. I love prints, flared jeans, chunky shoes, big earrings and structured tops. I also love monochromes—black and white particularly (it's an obsession).”
MONDAY
DAY 1Nanda spends quiet mornings at home prepping for her day at the café, a daily ritual she observes Monday through to Sunday. When in uniform at the kitchen she ditches traditional chef whites for a custom jacket in the same pale pink hue as the rest of Miam’s packaging, with pretty cursive font that spells out her name in mahogany. Comfort over style also goes a long way with Nanda, who picks clean, structured cuts over fussy layering. “I don't like spending a lot of money on outfits and I love shopping at flea markets and finding good deals online! I don't own a single designer,” she confesses.
TUESDAY
DAY 2
WEDNESDAY
DAY 3
THURSDAY
DAY 4On days experiencing a lull at the small café, between her colleagues at work, and the neighbours at Big Fat Sandwich and Blue Tokai, Nanda has formed a warm working camaraderie, where she spends long evenings and Sundays alike. “My day begins at the studio and then I spend time with my family and dogs at home. I drop into the café some evenings to play Jenga because I'm obsessed with it (she beat a bunch of us).
FRIDAY
DAY 5
SATURDAY
DAY 6Zoey my fluffy Labrador accompanies me often since our place is dog-friendly!” she finishes. “When I have to come to the café for meetings I'm in a pair of jeans or fun skirts, sometimes dresses, that I’ll usually accessorise with a statement bag and a pair of nice shoes. Being a chef always meant working in chef whites, trousers and protective black kitchen shoes and it was always my wish to be able to dress up for work. I think I secretly wanted a career in a corporate set-up just so I could wear nice clothes to work! Luckily now when I have meeting or if I'm spending the day at the café I can dress up,” she laughs.
