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

We've all been there, we invest in work clothes, then we need party clothes and then suddenly all our clothes are too shiny and we need something for those sunday brunches because just when you found the perfect club dress, brunches are all the rage and those sequins just won't cut it! Oh yes, and now you have a closet full of pretty clothes but There's nothing to wear!

This is exactly why I try and figure out ways to make workwear do double duty so that it seamlessly s goes from work, to party without even changing what you're already wearing! Waaa!!!

A simple piece (and you may have heard me talk about it only about a 100 times) that every girl needs in her wardrobe for any occasion is the pencil skirt. While solid colors work best because they'er super easy to transition with the right pairings, if you're someone who likes prints, I'd say go for one in bright but not neon prints. The trick is finding prints that do not look out of place in the office (meaning best to leave those all over sequins skirts home) but still can look good in the evenings. However, for this look I wanted to give you a simple idea on how to make a black skirt work for pretty much anything.



The first look is something I have worn to the office multiple times (as my work colleagues will readily attest to I'm sure). This skirt is a simple piece that I bought around 3 years ago when I just started working a corporate job and while it isn't available, there's quite a few similar ones out there (linking them in the outfit details). The top is a classic street buy that has been worn countless times. I paired it with classic workwear pieces like my trusty black blazer and sensible pumps.





The second look is literally the first look going to play. For this, I took off the blazer, did a little tuck and roll for the top and switched out my workwear flats for heels. Add a statement belt and darker lipstick and you're ready to take the party scene by storm.

Now I know I promised you a how to take it to brunch in the intro (or atleast implied one) and I always keep my promises. If you're wondering how to take a pencil skirt to brunch, don't worry girl, I've got you covered. Swing by next week to check out the latest. In the meantime, why not go check out my take on other classics? There's a lovely article about layering for Mumbai weather here and in case you've got some workwear woes then you can sign up for the Chiconomical Newsletter and get to talk to me directly! Plus you get style tips delivered straight to your inbox! 

I've always been a big fan of the Little Black Dress. So much so that my mom says, "you've got so many now I can't even remember all of them". Erm...that isn't exactly true mom, but I still love buying them whenever I get a chance. So this little number from Globus was off the rail and in my bag within seconds of spotting it in the Globus sales a couple of years back. True, its never made it to the blog for some reason, but when I wore it to a small family dinner a few days ago, it finally got its spot in the limelight!







Layering necklaces is something I think needs to be done right. This dress is such a great base and since it was a little festive occasion I decided it was the perfect time to add a few gold accents to the look. The gold metal cuff is simply gorgeous and while I got mine off the streets, there are some really great options online too. Links to all of these above. I'm planning to make online links to similar items a regular thing on the blog. Would you guys like that? Tell me in the comments below.

In other news, I've got a giveaway lined up for you guys this week! Yay!! So stay tuned for that. You can also follow me on Facebook to get instant updates on best street bargains. 

I see you wearing those pretty crop tops. I see you wearing your printed trousers and flaunting your Malono Blahniks and I rage. I see all those pretty young girls with their designer handbags, bad mouthing the lives that 'common' people lead, and I rage. I'm not a rich girl. I do all my shopping on the streets and I'm proud of it. I may not be able to afford half the things that you do, but I still have a better outlet for my rage. You may spend your time talking about all those glitzy soirees and fancy people with cardboard lives but I spend my time indulging my rage. I rage, but in a different way.
I vent my rage when I let that kid from the trains who spends his day selling knick-knacks play a couple of games on my cellphone. He smiles and tries to offer me a prayer card from the church he attends. I decline, " You keep it." He smiles back and says, 'Nahi?' (No) and I nod. He says that he has to get down now, flashes another smile, and leaves. I'm sitting there a little happy,a little dumbstruck and a lady next to me asks, "Do you know that boy?" I say no, he asked if he could play and I said yes. She gives a shocked and slightly disgusted expression that clearly says, what if he had stolen your phone and run out of the train with it? I'm surprised. I never even thought about that part. Do we really have to believe the bad things about everybody first? Can we not try to be so cynical and judge people without even knowing about their lives?

I may trust easily, I may not have the same mistrust of little kids who sell things in the trains, but I can't feel guilty about it. Am I gullible? Maybe. Am I slightly out of sync with the world? Most certainly. Am I still hopeful that everybody just needs a little kindness and they'll walk the right path? Definitely. Naive as that maybe, I think kindness can change the world. All you need is a little bit of faith.

PS: I know that was slightly heavy as compared to my usual posts, but I felt the need to to vent. I rarely use my blog to express my emotions but I felt I needed to say it. Anyway, here's a few pictures from my Uni's 'Tie Day' from a couple of weeks ago.