Neelam Ahooja on Style, Comfortand Knowing What Works

Imagers via @neelam.ahooja

Words by
Juan Eckersley

Neelam Ahooja shares her thoughts on personal style, comfort, and dressing with confidence. A conversation on individuality, treasured pieces, and why the best outfits are often the simplest.

Neelam Ahooja has built a loyal following in a way that feels entirely natural. There’s no sense of trying too hard or chasing attention, just a consistent, personal way of dressing that people have quietly connected with over time. Based in Toronto, she began sharing her outfits online in her fifties, and what started around 2020 as a simple way of documenting what she wore gradually grew into something much bigger. Her audience was drawn to her thoughtful, pared back approach and her sharp eye for brands like The Row. From the outside, it feels less like a sudden rise and more like something that unfolded naturally, at its own pace.

She speaks about style in a way that feels grounded, shaped by years of instinct rather than trends. When I ask about her early influences, she takes me back to a childhood that required imagination. “I grew up in a small rural town in the seventies, so there wasn’t a lot of inspiration around me outside of what I was watching on television and the magazine clippings I’d saved up,” she says. “I straddled the eighties and nineties, which means opulence and minimalism are both hardwired into me,” she explains. Alongside that was her mother’s wardrobe, which left a lasting impression on her sense of style. “My mum’s almirah was filled with ornate saris, intricate embroidery, and bejewelled scarves. My style is really a gallimaufry of all of it.”

“A simple tee, a pair of pants, and a long coat is effortless. I can’t wear anything too heavy, I can’t wear too much of anything.”

Her path into influencing followed that same organic rhythm. There was no clear plan behind it, only a gradual shift. “Influence as a career unfolded rather unexpectedly,” she says. Around 2020, she began sharing her outfits without overthinking it, simply posting what she was already wearing. Her focus on The Row placed her in a space that few people were really paying attention to at the time, and her audience grew from there. Still, she doesn’t place too much weight on the idea of influence itself. “We all influence one another in every part of our lives... so in that sense, everyone is an influencer to some extent.”

When we talk about her style now, the word that keeps coming up is comfort, but not in a careless way. It’s thoughtful, considered, and very intentional. “I can’t tolerate discomfort anymore and I prefer uncomplicated outfits,” she says. Over time, her wardrobe has become more edited, more focused on what she actually enjoys wearing. “If you look back twenty years ago, my outfits could have looked overdone, but not anymore.” These days, she keeps things simple. “A simple tee, a pair of pants, and a long coat is effortless. I can’t wear anything too heavy, I can’t wear too much of anything.” There’s a quiet kind of chic in that, the kind that comes from knowing yourself rather than trying to prove anything.

That same practicality shows up in how she gets dressed. “The first thing I consider is how far I have to walk,” she says. “Because that dictates the shoes. And then the shoes dictate the outfit.” It sounds simple, but it says a lot about how effortless and grounded her approach is. Her style starts with real life, not with an idea of what something should look like.

She’s also very clear about how she feels about trends. “I’ve never been a fan of the ins and outs lists, and I don’t think fashion should have too many rules,” she says. With everything moving so quickly online, she thinks it’s easy for people to end up dressing the same without even realizing it. “If we all follow the same rules we end up looking the same. There’s a uniformity to it and it becomes monotonous.” Her advice is simple and feels like a bit of a reset. “Play as you like, ignore the rules and you do you.”

For anyone still figuring out their personal style, her advice is just as straightforward. “Start with what makes you feel your best,” she says. It’s about paying attention to what you already reach for. “We all have something in our closet that makes us feel good when we stand in front of the mirror.” Those pieces tend to tell you more than you think. “It’s an indication of what silhouettes we prefer, what fabrics we like, what colours work for us.” And then she adds, gently but firmly, “Listen to that voice more than any stylist.”

She remembers her first designer purchase very clearly. “It was the year 2000, our honeymoon,” she says. While traveling in Italy, she bought a couple of Prada bags, something she had wanted for years. “I’d been lusting after things well before that but didn’t have the budget until then.” There’s a small pause when she talks about them now. “I’ve since parted with those pieces and deeply regretted it. It would have been epic to still have them in my closet today.”

“What matters to me more than anything is my community and my connection to them.”

Now, it’s her vintage Dries scarves that mean the most to her. “I’ve painstakingly acquired them over a number of years,” she says. They come from a time when they felt just out of reach, which makes them feel even more special now. “Each one is so different and they’re so hard to come by.” They feel less like fashion pieces and more like something personal.

Her beauty routine follows the same approach. “My beauty routine is pretty simple because I’m lazy,” she says. She sticks to the basics, a bit of concealer and a nude lipstick, nothing more. “Day to day I really don’t wear much.”

Even what she carries in her bag reflects that same balance. “My wallet, my keys, and a little pouch that has everything else in it,” she says, listing lipstick, travel perfume, hand sanitizer, tissues, medications, and bandages. Then she adds, almost casually, “I always carry my fruit flavoured Tic Tacs. I’m addicted to them.”

When I ask what matters most to her now, she doesn’t talk about numbers or growth. “Numbers and visibility have never meant much to me,” she says. Instead, she focuses on connection. “What matters to me more than anything is my community and my connection to them.” She speaks warmly about the space she’s built, especially on Substack. “It’s more intimate and a sort of sisterhood has developed over there.” In the end, her priorities are simple. “My biggest joys come offline... putting together an outfit, writing, and being with friends and family.”

If there’s one thing to take away from Neelam’s perspective, it’s that style should feel personal before anything else. Not dictated by trends, algorithms, or what everyone else is wearing, but by the things that genuinely make you feel comfortable and confident. In her world, the best outfits are often the simplest ones, worn with ease and a clear sense of self.