Chiconomical

Autumn. That time when everything turns golden and make you realise that summer is gone and its time to pull out all your cosy knits. While autumn heralds the start of winter, I don't think anyone's quite yet ready to say goodbye to their summer dresses. This made me think that its time to come up with an outfit that can help you style your summer dresses in a chic way without freezing in the chilly mornings.







This look is something that's completely me. The pinafore dress was a gift from my sister who absolutely gets my fashion sense. I added tights and a warm white tshirt to keep myself cosy in Munnar during my trip there (read more about it here). Layering is key when it comes to transition wardrobes. Look at your classic key pieces to give you warmth as well as double up as transitional pieces that can work through the year. Wear your tshirts under your dresses to keep warm and add interest to the outfit with accessories. I added a bit of color with my choker as well as the bag. Yes, I don't think I'm capable of doing a look without adding a pop of color somewhere. This look is perfect to transition into fall and works well even through winter. Just add a warm coat on top and you'll be ready to battle those cold evenings.

Last month, I found myself on the streets of Mumbai with my sister for a spot of shopping. I was out for the very first time since coming back from Kolkata and I just couldn't get over the happiness I felt. First, this was some quality sister bonding time I was spending with my sister after a long time...and second we were doing one of our favorite things, shopping! I loved the sights, the sounds and the excitement at finding something lovely.

I remember a few years back when we used to count our pennies and bargain like crazy. While I still do that at times, my sister has grown but still has the spunk needed to tackle street sellers. So anyway, cutting my musings short, I managed to get my sister to take some images of the things we bought for her (and just a couple of things for me).

1. Red Full Sleeves Maxi Dress: Rs. 300 - Store at the corner of Elco, Hill Road


This dress caught my sister's eye because its demure yet sexy. It has a rather interesting back but the sleeves still keep it very demure. I can't wait to see it on my sister and honestly, for the price, this is a complete steal.

2. Assorted Crop Tops: Rs. 400 Each - Forever, Hill Road


My sister's one main aim was to find herself some croptops and boy did we find some! These croptops are made from such a good material and have the most gorgeous cut that I can't even begin to tell you how amazing they look. I got myself one that looks exactly like the black one, except in white. These tops have so many ways you could wear them, I think I'm going to have to do a post about all those ways very soon!

3. Striped Maxi Skirt: Rs. 150, Stall outside Fendi's - Hill Road

Yes!! This beauty is for 150. Now this is something my sister and I both instantly fell in love with (different colors of course, we don't have the same tastes). The guy had all kinds of stripes in all those nautical colors that we love. Honestly, this was yet another amazing find that I think is going to be a total closet staple for both of us.

4. Denim Dress: Rs. 350, Store next to Forever, Hill Road

This was by far my favorite find of the day! This denim dress is so on trend and the detailing is amazing. For the price, I wish I could have bought one for myself however, considering I spend most of my time at work (which means no denim unless its Friday), buying this wouldnt' have been a good idea. I still love this street find and it reminds me of why I have so much love for street shopping.
We did get a couple of other things but I haven't listed them here because they aren't exactly street shopping. I was still extremely happy with this summer haul. Denim, stripes, prints, we managed to get a little bit of everything and at throwaway prices. I think its important to keep in mind that street shopping isn't always this fruitful. I remember the last time my sister was around, we didn't find a single thing we liked and came back home with nothing. But, don't get disheartened if you can't find the prefect thing, there's always a next time!

Fab Bag...ahh, the leader in the beauty subscription boxes market in India. I was extremely excited when I saw the theme for this month's Fab Bag was "The Beauty Addict". So exciting when a beauty bag actually decided beauty is it's theme for the month. I expected lots of makeup products (well, more than one tbh) and also some exciting beauty bits that could expand my ever increasing beauty stash. So did I get what I imagined?


Sadly, not at all. Oh, the bag looks absolutely amazing, I'll give you that. It almost certainly builds up a crazy excitement that I can't quite put into words with its amazing quote that says "Eat Sleep Makeup Repeat" and sleek black look. The inside? It quickly killed my enthusiasm. Let's take a look at the products received in my June Beauty Addict Fab Bag:

1. Be A Bombshell Eye Shadow Crayon - Black Jack : Rs. 1200


This is honestly the only product that made me happy however, one swipe and you'll realise that it's less black and more dull black. It is a terrible crayon and even after multiple swipes, doesn't really give you a dark black look. I'm not quite sure if this is very useful seeing as it will at the most give you a smudged out eyeshadow, in a not so good way. This is a classic great expectations, disappointing reality situation.

2. Skin Yoga Coffee Body Scrub: Rs. 845


I absolutely loved skin yoga's products in one of my other subscription boxes. This body scrub comes in a almost blinding golden metallic sachet and claims to be a 100% natural body exfoliator. It's fragrance free, preservative free and paraben free. I'm quite excited to try it out since my normal body scrub is almost over.

3. Karite Buerre Pure Shea Butter: Rs. 199.6 for 20g


I've never heard of this brand before. so I'm happy to get this sample sized product to try it out. It's a 100% natural "Wild East African Shea" butter. It smells like most shea butters and looks the same too. I haven't yet used it (probably because the weather is too humid for me to even consider applying any kind of body butters at the moment) but I shall tell you what it's like once I get around to using it.

4. Ital Veloce - Midnight Kisses & Valvatina: Rs. 57 (for both)


Two little bottles of fine fragrance mist. I don't know how this relates to being a beauty addict which is the theme of the bag but I suppose its important to smell good. Midnight kisses is a lot more floral than valvatina which is a much more subtle fragrance. These aren't anything extra special as far as mists go, but I suppose they can be used while we desperately wait for the monsoons.



And that's it folks! Honestly, I'm not at all happy with this month's bag. Seriously, if you're a monthly subscriber, give it a miss. It's completely not worth it. Other than the coffee body scrub, everything else is pointless. The shea butter is interesting but I'm sure you probably have an equivalent already so it isn't that much of a novelty either. Oh, and I think the bag is pretty great in terms of looks. One of the best looking bags this year. Still, overall, give it a miss if you can.

Everyone deserves a second chance. This applies not only to people but also to inanimate objects. This is exactly what "Once Again Store" offers. How many of us have clothes in the closet that we hold on to purely out of sentimental reasons. Or maybe that impulse buy that we just haven't gotten around to wearing because secretly we know it looks horrible on us? Me? I've been like that for ages and I think it just isn't fair! As I said previously, everything deserves some loving!


Once Again Store is a platform for people to sell their pre-owned, gently loved clothing so that they can go to someone who will truly care for them! I tried out their store a few months ago and recently they got in touch and asked me if I could review the store for them**. Of course, for something that supports recycling fashion (more on that later) I was more than happy to agree! So lets break down the review in two parts, buying and selling.

Buying:


Once Again has a very clean website which I rather like. The products are divided neatly into separate categories like Clothing, Bags, Shoes, Accessories. There's also a dropdown that offers you listings according to occasions so as to reduce your search time. The items are listed with images and there are helpful filter options on the side like usual fashion stores which again, help you narrow down your perfect match. One thing that bothers me is that the listing shows SOLD products by default unless you explicitly filter them out. I wish these would show up at the bottom because its a little disappointing when you get excited looking at the image only to then see the "SOLD" sign below it.

I ordered a Bag (check out the image below) from the store. I've recently started wishing for a red bag again so when I spotted one on the store, I was more than happy to get it. The delivery was extremely quick and takes a couple of days if everything goes smoothly. I however don't like that the site doesn't list anything about sanitation and from what I've received, it seems that the responsibility of ensuring a clean laundered product falls on the seller. I would be much more comfortable if there was a proper sanitation process done by Once Again instead of leaving it upto the seller.

While I absolutely love that the collections are quite extensive and lots of new items get listed everyday, I am a little miffed at their recent return policy change where you may not return an item that costs less than Rs. 400. I do get it's probably a logistics issue, but I still feel this limit shouldn't be imposed especially when it come to a pre-owned e-commerce portal. One other thing I've noticed is that the product doesn't come packaged in the Store's packing but depending on the delivery parter, the packaging is different each time. However, overall, I am happy with the listings and believe they do manage to offer some rather competitive prices as well as unique things. Plus with a wide range of prices there's something for every thrifter out there!

Selling:

Now, if you're a seller on Once Again, they do try and make things simple for you. You start with taking clear pictures of your product and upload them on the site. They have nine major categories of items they accept and also a list of brands they accept and its a simple interface where you can upload the images of things you wish to sell. Next, you need to price your items and the page will automatically calculate the listing item after adding the 15% commission that Once Again charges. Next, well, wait for the product to sell people!!

Once the product sells, its upto you confirm the pickup, launder and neatly pack your item. This is something that you need to ensure at your end and then package it well enough for the pickup agent to collect it. After this, once the product reachers the buyer, the store waits for 3 days to see if the buyer has issues with it and wishes to return it, and if not, you're good to go. The store transfers the money to your bank account (You need to add this when you're listing anything) and this transfer happens every Saturday. This means if your buyer receives the item on Monday, you'll end up getting your payment the following Saturday.

I find that the selling process is pretty smooth. Like I said before, I still find the fact that the seller has to manage the sanitation of the product a little problematic. However, if it doesn't bother the buyer, I don't see it being a problem for most people.


And that's the gist of it. Personally, I've bought a couple of things from the store and overall I think they try to provide a simple platform to satisfy all your fashion needs. There's nothing wrong with giving some love to something that's pre-owned in my humble opinion. Honestly, its a good idea to swap your old clothes that probably won't ever see the light of day with something that you would use today. Don't hold on to those old dresses with the tags still on people, give them life once again in the world. They deserve to be seen, not rot in the back of your closet! Don't you agree?

Light up the lamps! Diwali is just round the corner and that means lots of food, fashion and lights everywhere. You've probably noticed the mad rush in every shop around town (think an over crowded train during peak hours, but in a store). Personally, I spent some time trying to shop for an outfit and then a day trying to stuff everything I own into my closet without creating a mess (hasn't really worked out that well honestly).

Anyway, my closet woes aside, since we're just a few hours from Diwali, I figured it was time I put up a post for all those girls who don't like traditional outfits, or like me, haven't gotten around to buying a diwali outfit (thanks life for keeping me extra busy). Well, usually, every girl has atleast a couple of Indian outfits hidden somewhere, most of them bought with a mom who guilts you into buying them for a wedding or a related traditional family occasion.

Personally, I have a few hundred punjabi dresses bought for different weddings and a few lehengas for those wedding where I can't cheat with a simple salwar kameez. Another thing I can't digest is that many outfits don't reflect my personal style. So I decided, this diwali I decided to do #TraditonMyWay and thought why not simply shop in my closet and come up with a few ideas that work for the contemporary, modern, hard working girl who doesn't like taking the conventional road. (Or you're just too lazy to go shop, that's absolutely fine too you know).

Either way, I know everyone wants to go out and say, I did #TraditionMyWay. So here are my ideas for mixing things to make your Diwali style your own. Oh, and incase you want to get a similar look, I have links for similar items online at Jabong (since most of my pieces are vintage)!

1. The Kurti/Maxi/Skirt Lover
Long shirt dresses in Indian prints make diwali happier. If you love you're kurtis but want to give them a quick referesh, or if you're a maxi skirt lover (like me) but don't want to go the lehenga way, you can pair them up. I wore a shirt dress in a kitschy print with a silk maxi skirt (part of my old lehenga) to get a quirky new look for Diwali.






Pair the outfit with boots to give it a little extra edge. You can even swap the Indian handbag with a office bag (thinks structured totes or satchel bags) to give it a quick indo-western twist.

2. The Classic Dress Lover
So you love wearing your typical western dresses and pencil skirts and wouldn't think of covering you're gorgeous legs with a salwar or leggings or bottoms for Diwali? Well, just a few accessories and a kitschy cropped Jacket with embroidery/beaded motifs and you're all set for diwali. Add a bindi for extra quirk factor.


3. The Blazer Lover
Yes, you're a powerhouse and strong businesswoman. You wouldn't dream of taking the day off on Diwali and will probably wear your blazer to a meeting even on the holiday. Or, maybe blazers are your thing and trademark style. Well, add a little softness to the strong look by replacing you're pencil skirt with a long, flowy maxi skirt.



4. The Jeans Lover
This is probably every girl I know. Well, while you always have the Indian kurti route, pair a traditional choli or croptop with your jeans. You can even add a leather biker jacket (which I wanted too, but frankly mumbai is too hot for any leather use) to make the look more edgy. A interesting back always makes for a better outfit.





You can even wear a pair of palazzo pants or culottes for a more relaxed look.

My Tips for putting together a Quick Last Minute Diwali Outfit:

• Mix and match a traditional outfit set to get a new look. You don't always have to wear all the pieces of a Indian outfit together. Pair that old dupatta from your lehenga with a simple kurti to give it added sparkle. 
• If you think you're outfit is too boring, look for addon pieces with interesting embroidery/motifs. 
• A simple outfit with an interesting back can still dazzle people. When buying Indian separates, look for pieces with that one element that makes them unique. Then dress to highlight that element.
• If you think you don't want to invest in a new outfit, just pile on the accessories. They're cheaper and the right pairing can give your old tshirt and jeans a whole new look (Think oxidised jewellery, vintage neckpieces and stacks of bangles)
• Want a traditional outfit without buying a whole piece? Wear your classic LBD/LWD with a pair of contrast leggings and a printed dupatta to get a whole new punjabi dress! Yep, its that simple. 
• Don't be afraid to mix western pieces with Indian ones. Just make sure you're wearing something that's comfortable and goes with your personal style. 
• Finally, don't forget, Diwali is a time to share joy and happiness! You're outfit should be an extension of that! Forget the rules, wear something that sparks joy! 

Fridays! Working on Fridays is always a mixed feeling isn't it? If you work in an office like mine, its probably the one day you can wear smart casuals to work, or if you work in a casual office already, its possibly the last working day of the week! Yes weekend is at your door! But what I have seen is a lot of struggle when it comes to office chic Friday dressing. Usually, as it is the only day you're allowed to wear jeans, everyone is in just another uniform or denims. I decided it was time to showcase an outfit that shows my personal preference when it comes to Friday Dressing.

My last post was all about taking inspiration from the #LakmeSchoolofStyle and inspired by the masterclass taken by Nishka Lulla. While I wasn't planning to do a separate post on all the outfits styled in those posts, a few requests from the readers have prompted me to write detailed posts on each look. The first look I styled was a bohemian look.






This look is purely dominated by earthy tones. I styled a simple dress with ethnic prints with mainly wooden accessories. Bohemian is all about wearing seemingly clashing items and still making them all work together. I used to be a big fan of loud accessories a few years ago. (Anyone who knew me in my under grad days will attest to that!). Recently, I've started liking minimal looks with muted accessories, but I still like to indulge and wear my old accessories sometimes. I used an old wooden necklace as a bracelet and paired everything with my favorite jute bag. It was a present from Mom and Dad and I love the chevron style design.

• Choose outfits in earth tones and tan colors. Clothes with dispersed small prints in pastel colors also work well with this trend.
• Pair clashing trends without losing a cohesive overall theme in the look. That's what Bohemian is all about.
• Wooden or dull metal accessories work well to complement this look. Try wearing your wooden necklace as a headband to give yourself a cool boho vibe.
• Gladiators work well for summers. Tan galdiator sandles work well for any laid back outfit.
• Fringes give an instant boho vibe. Invest in a fringed bag or top to get the 70's vibe. 
• A maxi dress with a headband is a great way to channel the boho look without too much effort.