Chiconomical

Hello lovely people, I hope the grey weather isn't getting you down! I know I'm actually enjoying the challenge of dressing for work quite a bit and am super excited to share some really great workwear hacks with you. Today's outfit is the first in the rainy day workwear series and I hope it helps you brave the elements and look put together and chic no matter what the weather does!


Read on and find my top 10 tips to dress for a rainy day and still look on point!

10 Tips to Dress for Work in Mumbai Rains

1. Wear materials that will dry super quickly. This means keep all your denims and thick trousers at home. Opt for breathable fabrics that are a blend of natural and synthetic materials. The natural bits let your skin breath and the synthetic materials infuse it with quick drying properties.

2. Do not wear any hand-dyed fabrics. These will bleed when wet and that means you'll end up with a colorful pattern that's not going to be stylish no matter how relaxed your office is. This includes all those precious hand-dyed mul cottons and ikats that you sourced straight from the local producer. Best keep these at home unless you're 100% sure they aren't going to bleed colors.



3. Ankle length pants like the ones I'm wearing are absolutely perfect when it rains. These usually don't get wet when you're puddle hopping and running to catch that last empty rickshaw. If you don't own ankle length pants, try and roll up your regular pants to give it a cuffed look. The trick is to roll only those fabrics that are thin (something like a blended cotton looks great)



4. Darker colors will hide all the stains that you've possible made during the aforementioned puddle hopping. If you do like lighter colors, I'd say try wearing them at the top as usually your shirts and blouses see less damage compared to your bottoms (unless you completely forget to carry an umbrella or a raincoat and in that case, I'm asking you, why girl??!)

5. Keep the accessories minimal. There's nothing worse than sporting a fresh rash at the office. It's going to be itchy, it's going to distract you from your work and it's just not good in any sense. Now I know some people love wearing accessories (raising my hand right here!!) but the rains are not the best time to flaunt them. You can opt for tiny earrings and maybe a little watch if you must (and even those should probably be in your bag prior to reaching the office).



6. A sturdy umbrella will be a lifesaver. The thing about rainy days is that when it rains it pours and blows and generally gets super messy. It is actually worth the money to invest in a sturdy umbrella once and I'd say go for function over fashion to be honest. You can make plain ones fashionable but honestly, you might not get a chance to flaunt the rest of your fashionable outfit if it isn't for an umbrella.



7. Don't let your hair fly all over the place. Seriously. Irrespective of whether you've got frizzy or lanky hair (like mine) there is an absolute no no. Tie it up in a sleek bun like me or atleast tie it up till you get to work. Wet hair (in case you do get drenched) shouldn't be tied up but if you're travelling, it's actually best to tie it unless you want it flying all over the place and impairing visibility in the already low visiblity rains.

8. Jelly bellies are everything. No, honestly. I have been wearing my crocs for 3 years now and these are the only shoe I recommend. I actually love gum boots/rain boots but they just don't work when it comes to going to the office for me. These are more of a weekend shoe and I personally prefer wearing close-toed shoes to the office. They may be a bit hard to find but trust me, they look professional and are super functional at the same time.


9. Minimal makeup is an open secret. You've heard it a million times but I'm saying it again. Keep your makeup minimal, there is nothing worse than raccoon eyes when you get to work. If you must wear some, wear a bit of waterproof liner and a simple lipstick that doesn't transfer. Remember, if it transfers when it isn't raining, it's going to get into places you can't even imagine when it pours!



10. Napkins are the secret to staying dry. No seriously. I don't think anyone ever lists these on their 'rainy day essentials' list but believe me, these are what you'll be reaching for if you've just spent a significant amount of time getting drenched. Get them, not all offices have tissues and tissues have a tendency to disintegrate when wet so you might just end up with what I like to call tissue lint. Napkins people, the cloth ones...these will be the best thing you every carry when it rains!

And that's that folks. There are my 10 tried and tested tips to braving the rains to get to work. I really hope these help you the next time you're stuck on what to wear to the office and generally help you be better prepared. Have some tips of your own? Share them in the comments with your social media and I'll shout out to the best ones on my socials!

Don't forget to get yourself my 1 Trousers, 7 Ways style guide in case you need just a little extra help in getting ready for work with a limited closet. Click the image below to get your Free style Guide today!



Outfit Details: 
Top: Rs. 500, H&M Sale
Trousers: Rs. 700, Project Eve
Crocs: Rs. 2500, Crocs India (old)
Lipstick: Rs. 250, Rimmel London
Bag: Rs. 1000, Hong kong Street Market
Book: The Outsider by Stephen King

Total outfit Cost: Rs. 4950, which is about ₤50

Hello folks! We're on Wednesday and that means we've got some new style answers for your workwear woes! (wow that sentence has a lot of 'W's'). If you've been around long enough, you know I'm all for making a single piece work different ways and I think a lot of people have pushed the casual jumpsuit at the back of their closet when they're working cos they just don't know how to style it. Well we've got you covered girl! Today's look is all about bringing the casual jumpsuit out from the mothballs during the week and wearing it with comfort and style to that corporate meeting!



To create this look, all you need are some workwear basics I'm sure you already own. I paired my printed casual jumpsuit (that you've probably already seen if you're following me on Instagram) with a classic black blazer (which can be style in only a million ways like This, This or This) and a pair of classic pumps. Bear in mind that although I'm styling the jumpsuit with a stiletto heel, this outfit works just as well with a flat or a kitten heel or any heel you'd like.

The makeup is simple (cos well I don't know how to do fancy makeup to be very honest) and since we're right at the start of the monsoons here in India, I styled it for bonus with a monochrome umbrella (this is expensive but honestly it's survived through endless storms!). The jumpsuit is actually a very casual material and fit (it has a drawstring front people!!) but that's easily fixed to create a more polished look with a simple statement belt. Not only does it give you some structure and shape, it also helps distract people from the extra large burger you ate at lunch by highlighting your natural waist (Style Tip: slide it casually along your body to your tiniest part as the food baby starts piling on :P )



And that's your weekend wardrobe, going to the office, just like that!!

Oh, and because I've used a jumpsuit with a loud print that people have trouble styling on the weekends too, I've got two more looks for you that are a bit more casual and laid back...just in case you need to breathe some fresh life into your weekend wardrobe too!

Bonus Look 1:


Bonus Look 2:

Happy Monday folks! We are back to regular programming on the blog and that means we've got a workwear style post! But to make it even better this has the flavor of stuff that's usually spread out through the week and it's got a 3 7 ways to wear, a street shopped piece and style tips to wear the same trousers every single day of the week!! Yes, you heard it right, I'm showing you ways you can survive a week and rock a pair of pants for any occasion!

Since it's a workwear day, the first look is today's my absolute favorite, a workwear look with a clean minimalistic vibes!



Mondays are hard and that means you need a kickass outfit to ace those meetings and work engagements. A simple style hack is to pair your pants with a classic blazer and a vest. Summers in Mumbai are hard when it comes to workwear because you've got the AC on in the office and you've got sweltering heat outside, a blazer with a camisole or vest underneath is a look that can make a quick transition from travel to work.



However, let's take a second to admire these trousers. These pants are a street buy! Yes, I bought these off the street and let me tell you, they are a sure winner! However, I do think you'd do well to make a bargain with the seller to exchange/return them if they don't fit because I bought a second pair and they just don't fit. So yes, size them out, measure the crotch to waist fit and do all those weird things for sure before you buy them! These green ones are however a winner and that's why we're gonna be wearing them all week!


Now since writing about each look would make for an insanely long post and you'd have to keep coming back to the website each time you wanted to check a detail, I made a free downloable for you! Yep, click the image below or follow this link to download your free style guide so that you can rock those pants all week!



Hope you love all the looks and get some inspiration to wear them through the week! Don't forget to
share your take on these style tips using #Chiconomical!