Chiconomical

A day at the beach in India is riddled with people covered from head to toe compared to other beaches out there. Of course one of the most iconic Indian items of clothing is a Kurti but I know a lot of people frown at the thought of wearing it to work thinking it's distinctly 'aunty' clothing. Read on to know how you can be trendy and still wear it to the beach!


With the temperatures rising, I'd say it's time to forget these ideas and bring the kurti to the beach with all the fanfare it deserves. I personally LOVE the idea of upstyling a kurti so that it's on trend and stands out! Just to prove my point, every single look here was actually shot at the beach and a couple of variation of these looks have been worn by me over time to the beach. Let's dive in

1. Kurti + Shorts

You know those side slit dresses that have taken over the fashion world the last couple of years, well kurtis were doing it before the fashion gurus caught on! The easiest way to wear a kurti to the beach and still look on point is to pair it with denim shorts. This gives you an easy way to rock the kurti while still being beach friendly and most certainly not dowdy. Add a pair of pretty flats and tassel earrings and you have a simple, clean, modern look with a desi twist.

2. Kurti + Palazzos
Okay, so this is something that you definitely think falls in the old lady category but here's the thing. If you choose colors and prints that work for you, you can definitely wear a look like this and still feel young! Palazzos are the modern girl's answer to salwars and when worn in bright colors like this one, make for a pretty outfit. Yet again, pairing it with the right accessories is the key thing. I paired mine with these gorgeous earrings and then of course, added my 'I don't leave home on weekends without this beauty' straw bag. This was a full price buy but I have absolutely loved it and it's been more of a 30 wears pieces!
3. Kurti + Skirt
Okay, so you're not a kurti person but love weary breezy dresses to the beach? Yeah me too! Try a bit of clever layering and turn a kurti into a pretty dress. I paired this kurti with my pleated pink skirt (also seen in this other 3 ways post from last year) and voila, there's a pretty interesting dress that's just asking for a gush of wind to float in it's glory.

And those are three super easy, quick ways to style a kurti folks. The idea is to take something that you'd never wear to the beach and make it beach friendly. Honestly ladies, it's better to reuse the things you already own rather than going and buying new things for every ocassion. Remember, always shop your closet first before you decide to hit the streets. I know I always do!


So what are you waiting for? Dip your toes in the cool waters, wear a scarf if your hair flies and enjoy your pretty day!

PS: Do you always end up a disaster like me at the beach?

Just download my personal guide to the beach with a handy checklist of things that'll have you out of the house and on the beach in minutes!

Okay. So there's a couple of versions of this day's color floating around, and I decided to follow this one, for purely selfish reason. Meaning, I wanted to wear my gorgeous peacock feather earrings. How cool are they? I got Oh so many compliments on these, so yay!!







I got this kurti (tunic) one of my spur of the moment shopping sprees and its such a cool material that washes quite well and looks amazing. I kept the look fairly simple as there's a lot of interesting design detail going on on the top itself and I didn't wanna steal the focus from the brilliant shade of the peacock feathers either.

Do you agree this is one of those pretty literal interpretations of the color for the day? Talk to me in the comments below. You can also talk to me on Twitter or Facebook! 

Oh yes! It was a white Monday! I decided I'd go traditional for the day since it is a fairly colorful festival (no, mum had nothing to do with it, honest!). I paired basics that you can find in any Indian girl's wardrobe with a statement piece, aka my fabulous Anushree Reddy scarf! I have to say, I was totally floored by all the compliments I got for this scarf!! You may remember it from my post on Anushree Reddy's collection at Lakme Fashion Week. (If not, you can refresh your memory here).

I added these earrings from yesterday again (thank you so much Martyne!!) since I felt they went well with the whole gold, white and pink theme I had going on. All in all, an outfit that I'm extremely happy with, and one which you can replicate easily with things you already have in your wardrobe!

Its (yet another) festive day down in India. Today is something called RakshaBandhan, and for all those people reading this who don't know much about Indian traditions, its literal translation would be something like 'bond of protection' or more colloquially, its a celebration of the relation between brothers and sisters. (here's a nice little wiki page where you can find out more about it)

Now I celebrated this festival on last Sunday, mainly because I did not have a holiday from Uni (why God?!!) and had a couple of tests scheduled for today. Nonetheless, in the spirit of festivity, I'l share some of my pictures from the day!

Its been 66 years of Independence! India, one of the most vibrant, culturally diverse and beautiful places on earth! Its also my home. Its a bittersweet day today, since a couple of my good friends have left for the States, and I'm feeling a little bereft. At the same time, I'm also extremely proud to have always celebrated Independence day in my own country ever since I was born, surrounded by links to academia.

If you venture onto the streets today, you will probably see people dressed in various shades of white, orange and green (these are the colours of our flag in case you didn't know). I decided to do a little something different this year. I opted for homespun fabrics. Nothing screams Indian to me like Khadi in Khaki, that material and color forever associated with our freedom movement, our leaders and our protectors. My green bag is a little nod to the tricolor.










Is that a bit too much patriotism? Okay, maybe, but atleast for today, I don't care. Here's wishing all my fellow Indians, a very Happy Independence Day!

Love,
QuirkyEngineer