Friday, December 9, 2016

The Leftovers

I don't have much to share this week. I have been very busy and nothing really comes to my mind at the moment. So I am uploading a few images that I could not use for any posts before. 

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Friday, November 25, 2016

The Background

These days, I look a lot at the background of images. Backgrounds can be very interesting. As a fashion blogger, I prefer a grey background, they are the best, better than white. But besides highlighting the outfit, they do not really serve much purpose.

Maybe I am growing up. Maybe I am thinking too much. Whatever it is, I have started looking around. In this post, besides the outfit of my sister, it is the background that amazed me. And you won't even guess what it was once. Till a few years back, it had no door and two of our cows lived happily in it. I remember feeding them every evening. I used to stare them, wondering if they found something delicious. 

So that was about this background. What about you? What background do you like while getting your fashion pictures clicked?

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Friday, November 11, 2016

Not Thrown Out

We all think of doing some wardrobe cleaning every weekend. And then we procrastinate. And then the next weekend, we procrastinate again. But when we do take the plunge one fine day, we see a huge pile of things lying before us. Some of them, we had almost forgotten, other we no longer need.

Growing up, I used to wait for my elder cousins to clean their wardrobes because that meant I was going to get something. At times I was even ready with a script to talk them into believing that they no longer need a certain blouse or are better off not wearing a certain colour. If any of my cousins is reading this, yes, what I said was a whole bunch of bullshit and none of it was even remotely true :)

I admit I was not that lucky most of the times. But when I did get lucky, the joy was there for everyone to see. It was as if I hit a jackpot or something, as if I got something pretty just because I could talk endlessly, because if I laid my eyes on something I got all Woody Allenish till I got it. Once I got it, I was calm.

The sequined top that I am wearing here, it has a similar story. A friend of friend gave it to my friend during her wardrobe cleaning. And then my friend was almost going to throw it out! But I came just at the right time, and rescued this sequined beauty. Today's it is one of my most treasured possessions.

Have you ever found something like this? 

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Friday, October 28, 2016

Beauty In Things

Today I stumbled upon the first post I had written for my blog. It has no link to the outfit in this post. But I don't have much to share. So let me just copy paste what I had written:

How many times has the concept of beauty surprised and shocked you? I am sure many times. We find beauty in mystery, in compassion, in words, in feelings, in love. Beauty goes beyond its regular definition, every single day.

We do a lot of things to look beautiful. But when was the last time we FELT beautiful? When was the last time we felt that the air surrounding us was actually serenading us and we were something above ordinary.

Beauty is almost like power. It can pull you through. Even during the worst, when she was hiding and surviving, Anne frank said, “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

Beauty is how we feel. If we feel beautiful, it reaches our eyes, it shows. I hope you feel beautiful this weekend. Just take some time out to feel it, to know what is true, to realize in case you have forgotten.

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Friday, October 14, 2016

Brights

If life were a painting
It would be a coffee shop 
And you my dear friend 
Would walk in with a smile
Wearing only the brightest colours
Driving me into another verbal frenzy

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Friday, September 9, 2016

The Basics

What is it about the basics that draws so many people, commoners and celebrities, alike? 

According to me, it is about a lot of things. Firstly, who can ever go wrong with blacks and whites and greys and nudes? Secondly, if done right, an outfit made of only basics can look very classy and at times even expensive. Also, you can always use your black tights or white tops with so many things. 

Some say that basics make you look predictable. Maybe, yes, but isn't it good predictable? And red lips go the best with basics. One can also throw on their most eccentric scarves or boots with basics and chances are, it may look great.

So, this outfit is all about basics. Hope you guys are doing great. Have a great weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram if you like reading the blog.



 Outfit Details: Shirt: Primark, Shorts: Vero Moda, Boots: Carlton London

Friday, August 26, 2016

Come Out In The Open

I am sitting on a chair outside a shopping mall. I see people - some well dressed, others not so - moving in and out of the mall. I hear them talking, laughing, walking in silence. One thing that I have grown up doing is observing people.

And I see a pregnant lady walking towards me, she sits on the chair and makes a call to her friend. "There is nothing in this whole goddamn city that I can wear and look nice," she says. I, who was just going through my Facebook wall with posts with headlines like 'From Blake Lively To Kareena Kapoor, we bring you the best of pregnancy style, get confused.' Is it really the case? Sadly, it is. At least in India. 

Almost a week later I read that Sonia Rykiel, the French fashion designer has died. Rykiel was not just a fashion designer. She was a fashion designer who changed the rules of the game.

When Rykiel was carrying her second child, she could barely find maternity clothing that she would like. All she saw was clothes that screamed shame and apology. So Rykiel designed her own outfit. Needless to say, it was not even remotely apologetic.

“I wanted to show the world how happy I was,” she said. “My mother-in-law was scandalized, but my friends asked how they could find one like it.”

So, there you go. Someone simply  needs to start it. Others will follow suit, sooner or later. May Rykiel's soul rest in peace. And may, we, as a generation, too realise that it is time we stop hiding and come out in the open and celebrate, wearing good clothes, of course.

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Friday, August 12, 2016

Stop Texting

I am aware of the fact that the headline may have caught you off-guard. I know. It has got nothing to do with fashion. But since this blog is the only place where I, at times, get to write what I want to write, I would take this opportunity to talk about something that is nothing less than an epidemic.

I have come across Facebook statuses wherein people have shared pictures or animated creatives saying, please don't call me. Text me instead. At times there are pictures of a scared person with words, "Why are they calling me!" What is worse is that people take pride in posting such pictures.

There are a few things in this world that scare me more than anything else. Texting while driving is one of them. And this habit of only texting is another. I know. Readers may think, what's the big deal in that. Texting or calling, or meeting in person, it is the communication that matters. But is that the case?

How do you know who is texting you? Well, you may know so from the way they usually text, the pauses, the way they use or not use smileys when they get surprised or sad or bored. After a while, we know how our friends text us. But what happened to the good old talking? What happened to that warmth that came with the sound of your loved one's voice? The way someone's voice changed when they were happy or sad or excited or not excited...it brought two people close like nothing else did. It still does.

I find the whole texting phenomenon scary because it gives people an eerily comfortable hallway to just run and escape, tools for the shrewd people to manipulate and the naives to get manipulated. More often than not, no one really knows who is lying, or is expressing more or less than what they feel.

And I am not exaggerating when I say that I hardly find people who can talk now. People sit with their friends  but  are texting others. When they sit with others, they text their friends with who they met last weekend. Do you see a pattern? Talking - a once upon a time activity - is getting more and more difficult with every passing day, and this, my good readers, is indeed scary.
  


Outfit details: t-shirt: Forever 21, Shorts: Done by None (Old), Bag: Lino Perros, Sandals: Ginger, Bracelets: Gifted by Mehak Mann

Friday, July 29, 2016

Too Many Blacks

Whenever I clean my closet, I am reminded of the fact that I have too many black and white things and that I should stop buying them, like right now. And most of the times, I end up buying them without even trying. Because you see I do try to fight those feelings... No, I don't want that, I have not worn the last black thing I bought...So, if something manages to eclipse all of those feeling, it usually looks too good to be not spent money on.

Nothing much to say. You have a great weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram.



Friday, July 8, 2016

Dream Flowers

At times I see these dreams. Dreams that take me to an unknown place, with trees and I see a meadow that seems endless. The flowers on the sides are usually purple, in fact they are purple at all times. I can hear the sound of a stream and of birds calling each other.

Then I see a little girl enjoying the sunset, her hair shining golden against the dying red glow of the sun. She seems to be happy and I get a feeling she comes here often. "That is a lucky girl," I think. As I walk up to her, she looks back and smiles. And we sit together, watching the sky change layers of colours.

I don't know what wakes me up, but every time I see this dream, I feel so good. And this time, I feel lucky that I don't really have to travel to make any effort to see something that beautiful. It's all inside. Beautiful dreams are blessings. 

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Saturday, June 25, 2016

Not Influenced For Long

When Lady Diana died, the Time magazine came up with an edition dedicated to her. The entire magazine was filled with Lady Diana's pictures, every next picture being more beautiful than the previous one. 

I have a few regrets in life. One of them is that I lost that magazine. But the pictures are still fresh in my head. In one of them, Lady Diana wore a pair of white dungarees. I never expected to see a princess in overalls, but there she was, rocking those dungarees with a grace that is hard to describe.

Then I grew up to see Kajol in dungarees in "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai". At that time, the piece of clothing was synonymous to being a loser, at least in my head, because she never got the guy until she ditched those overalls. I know, it's sad, but we all know how movies influence kids in subtle ways. 

I was not influenced for long though. I have an unending, ever increasing, really mushy, at times creepy - because I associate it with my previous life - love affair with everything denim. I first paired it with a white tee and I looked like a kid, then I went for this red top and it looked a bit femine, and I am not much into the feminines. So I am not entirely happy with the outcome. But here it is.

So this is another summer staple I wanted to talk about. More in the next post. I know I have not been posting every Friday lately. But every alternate Friday is very much on. Anyway, you guys have a great weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram.



Sunday, June 12, 2016

Fashion And Summers

When Mat, Gary and George from Masterchef Australia came to India a couple of weeks back, my reaction was: why??? Why couldn't you come a little earlier or a little late?  Don't you know how hot it is here at the moment?

I was behaving as if I was hosting them, as if they wouldn't get to stay in a hotel with an AC, and as if they were coming to Delhi instead of Bangalore. Whatever it was, it bothered me a lot. I felt as if an unexpected (and very loved) guest came just after I finished a dozen cupcakes or an entire cheesecake. My world collapses. It's too hot and the shops are closed. It dawns upon me that I actually didn't need to eat that much. I am cakeless and fatter on the worst possible occasion.

During Summers in India, I do nothing but fight with the weather. People get cold and fever during winters, I get them in summers. I get all kinds of skin rashes too, a bad tan, and mood swings and weight gain (yeah!) and what not. 

And I feel, is it just me? I open my Facebook page and i see people in Jaipur and Goa,and Agra, apparently having the best time of their lives (at least their Fb status says so), and here I am, in my room, with ice cream and cold water and an ice pack.

The only saving grace during summers is fashion. From summer dresses to short skirts to spaghetti tops, it gets better and better. See, I can be positive too.  For the next two months, I will post about some summer outfits that keep me sane.

You guys have a great weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram if you like reading the blog.



Saturday, May 14, 2016

Dressing Up For Them

“Dress like you are going to meet your worst enemy today.”
-Coco Chanel

Can you imagine the barely concealed jealousy on the face, the forced but priceless (for you) smile on the lips and the hopeless misery in the eyes of an enemy as they look at you looking fabulous?

I have met many men who think women dress up exclusively for them. Perhaps they need to take a tour to an all women's college. I have seen women dressing up in all their finery only to meet an old relative or to take a stroll to the nearest mall.

In my family, the dressing up game starts on the weirdest of occasions. My sisters, for example, will make a point to wear their best clothes for meeting...each other!

I see an old woman on metro station everyday and she is always dressed so nicely. I have never seen her talking to anyone. She would get a seat in the women's coach and read a prayer book, every single day. I once had a chat with her and she complained how very few women these days actually take care of themselves in India and strive to look good.

She also told me that during her college days, she and her friends used to dress up for an English lecturer. Before you jump to any conclusions, let me tell you that the lecturer was a woman who always looked so good with her embroidered salwar kameezes and impeccable make-up. It felt like, she said, it was a sin to not look good around her.

And I am not sure how many of you are or know such people, but I have seen some women who would sit in front of a mirror for roughly about 15-20 minutes every night before they go to bed, totally photo ready. I am not denying that women at times dress up to impress men. But that number is much lower than most men would like to believe.  

I will talk more about this some other time. These are the picture of my sister. Hope you like the post. You have a great weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram.




Friday, April 29, 2016

In Her Shoes

This week, I am thinking about another Carrie, Carrie Bradshaw. If Sex and the City was made in 2015 or 2016, wouldn't Carrie be wearing sneakers or any kind of flats for that matter?

As much as she loved her shoes (even when they pinched her)  which were pretty and expensive and took her messages on her answerphone, Carrie would have not bought them all heeled and laced today. Sarah Jessica Parker's off duty style (In case you follow her on Instagram) suggests she would have carried the flats off really well too.

When I saw the flats trend coming, I did not see a soul happier than me. Being a fashion blogger, there is always a pressure to look a certain way and heels looked kind of important. I was once talking to a fellow blogger who said that no matter how pretty a dress is, somehow everyone made her feel that it looked drab without heels.

Not anymore though. As more and more people are wearing flats with pretty much everything these days, one doesn't need to feel that pressure now. I have four pairs of heels, but I know they will be used only for plays or really odd occasions that demand almost no walking.


Having said all this, I still am kind of jealous of people who can wear heels everyday and still manage to smile all the time.

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Outfit Details: T shirt: Zara, Vest: Only, Sandals: Carlton London, Watch: Daniel Wellington

Friday, April 15, 2016

Her Satchels

When I watch Homeland, one thing strikes me every single time: Carrie Mathison's sling bags, usually black, at times tan, often a bit bigger than usual sling bags. Though her clothes, in every season, seem to have been carefully designed corresponding to the flavour of the episodes, the bags remain similar. 

I think Carrie's sling bags give her a personality, the way she struts around, worrying the least about her bag makes me see her differently. This is in sharp contrast to Allison Carr's bags which are fancier (and of course expensive).

Sling bags are popular everywhere. Perfect for an outing where you actually do not need much to carry. Cotton sling bags have a college like feeling, while leather ones look more sophisticated. Embroidered sling bags are loved by the bohemians from hearts among us.

By the way, did you know that sling bags were originally used for delivering letters?

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 Outfit Details: Almost everything is from Forever 21

Friday, April 1, 2016

Some Pink!

When I started this blog, it was never going to be about just me. I had thought of travelling around, taking pictures and posting them everyday. All this was supposed to happen along with regular OOTD posts.

Somehow I have not been able to do everything that I intended to. There have been days when I had no one who could take any picture of mine and there have been days when I didn't go out anywhere. Then there are days when I just won't leave my room, won't move at all. At times I wonder, how do people who struggle with depression, manage to do anything consistently for a long period of time. 

I guess they try, a bit harder than others. And something as cheerful(for me at least) as fashion does need you to be up and about all the time.

Anyway, posting some pictures here. Hope you guys are doing well. You have a great weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram, because I am not giving up yet.



Friday, March 18, 2016

Life Is Beige

Today, designer Gaurav Gupta launched his collection 'Melt' at the Amazon fashion Week. I first talked to Gaurav in 2011. A simple person with heart of gold, his the then collection was named BABEL, based on a movie of the same name. I have always found it very interesting, the way he names his collections. 

Anyway, I don't have much to say today. You guys have a great weekend.

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Outfit details: Dress: Global Desi, Handbag: Don't remember :), sandals: Street Style Store

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Weird And Final

I caught myself snoring.

I know some people may find it interesting and maybe impossible, but on a dark February night when there were no fans or air conditioners to interrupt the silence, I woke up because of a sound that came from nowhere but my own nose.

I got up immediately, feeling that restlessness one feels after knowing something that is weird and final if not bad and devastating. Remember that feeling when you first realised you are a grown up or had to be ready in a few days to change your school when one of your parents had a transferable job? Changes that we have no control over. 

I know this has nothing to do with fashion. Ignore the random piece of information and have a nice weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram if you like reading the blog.



Friday, February 19, 2016

And I Do It Again

Okay, I promise, with all my sincerity and a genuine irritability at my innate laziness, I won't buy any more maxi dresses. Okay, at least not this year :) There may be three more maxi dress posts this year by the way. Someone has to wear the pile that I have already bought.

On a serous note, I am sick of wearing maxi dresses again and again. But why did I start doing so in the first place? Well, firstly, I think I have gained weight. I go through those Daily Mail pages (I am sure the intellectual ones amongst us don't do that, and that I will be judged for that, but who cares!) that say Jessica Alba hides her wonderful figure in a loose maxi dress, and I say, there you go! Let me wear a maxi dress. People will think I am hiding a figure that is nothing less than divine.

And then there are warm winters and non waxing days and bad cramps days and God knows what days. And it is not about men. I don't give a rat's ass if some people have a lot of opinion about the length of a woman's dress.  

You guys have a great weekend. Please follow me on GFC and Facebook and Instagram if you like reading the blog.


Outfit Details: Dress: Chemistry, Jacket: Mango, Watch: Daniel Wellington, Shoes and bag: Carlton London