Chiconomical

Valentines doesn't always mean red. Sometimes, it also means lace and floral prints. While I've already done a post with the skater silhouette, I just felt that I should do a post with these two rather Valentine's day classic trends. Now, I don't really have a lot of floral in my closet. Yes, I have a lovely Topshop dress with roses and a leafy dress, I still have a much larger number of clothes in monotone.

• Floral prints make a statement on their own, so if you have an all over floral print, try to limit you accessories.
• A simple floral skirt can be paired with solid colors to design a simple yet playful look. 
• Clashing prints is a big trend at the moment, do this by pairing florals with florals! Wear a tiny floral print with a loud one, to make a statement. 
• Wear a floral dress with a biker jacket and boots to show the world that you ain't no shrinking violet! 

I hope you guys have been enjoying the looks ideas I've been posting for Valentines. You can see the first two posts here and here. I thought it would be a good idea to do a classic valentine's outfit. This dress always makes me think of an extra romantic date with candles and candies. I decided to show this dress because its such a pretty piece that can work well for both day and night. A candle light date or a fine dining lunch booking, this works in both settings. I styled it for a daytime look but swap the block heels for stilettos and the sunglasses for a sequinned bag, and you're all set for a party.






I added the red statement belt for giving the dress a little structure kept the look minimal and just added my new 3 Mad Chicks bag to add a little color. Honestly, I seem to be taking this piece everywhere! I like how the technicolor print makes it compatible with almost every outfit I decide to wear. And surprisingly, it is extremely spacious. I've managed to fit in all my usual stuff (sunglasses, lip balm, money purse) as well as a bottle of water and my latest read (A Ruskin Bond compilation which is absolutely lovely!). Other than that, I didn't even get time to run a comb through my hair before the shoot, so please excuse the messy hair! Another thing I'd like to add is that, while I bought this dress in a store, its extremely easy to make. See the DIY idea below. I'll try to include a video tutorial in a future post. You can always ask me if you have any questions.

DIY for making a similar Dress: 

• Get a simple long slip in the color you like. 
• Find an old dupatta or any chiffon cloth that goes with the color of the slip. 
• Cut the dupatta in half and drap it on the slip so that it crosses at the front. 
• Stich the dupatta at the ends at the shoulder and the bottom of the slip.
• A simply shift dress with an interesting drape is all ready!!

Valentine's is a distinctly western concept by nature. So its quite obvious that most of the outfit ideas that come to mind are markedly western. I've also known a lot of girls who think buying a lot of dresses is a waste of their time as they cannot wear it on a daily basis. Well, I thought it would be a good idea to post an idea, using the same dress as yesterday with an Indian twist.

Honestly, I dont like conventional outfits so I'm forever mixing and matching one piece with another. I first wore this to college when it was a rather sombre day and I felt dressing in bright clothes might make me happy. I got mostly positive reviews for the outfit, except one friend who kept pointing out some tiny details he didn't like. (Ahem, annoying, ahem). Well, I didn't really think much of it but when I was planning the outfit post for yesterday's outfit, I thought this was a good way to show versatility.







I like the bright colors of this outfit. While the stole makes it complete traditional, as Sneha pointed out, it looks much better without it. I also like how you could take this to a conservative workplace and then just switch the leggings and accessories for a quick dinner date with the mates. I'd style it
like I did yesterday (see complete post here!)

For Valentine's I feel there aren't nearly enough Indian outfits, so this post was a necessity.Now if you feel squeamish about sporting Indian flavors on V-day, let me tell you, I've had a lot of guys tell me that they find girls in traditional outfits to be much more prettier. So go ahead girls, flaunt those Indian outfits with pride.

Tips for wearing a Dress as Indianwear:

• Look for the proper length while pairing dresses with Indian pieces. If its short like the one above, it works well with leggings. If its a flowy dress, you could also wear it as a kaftan with a belt.
• Look for dresses with Asian prints, these make the outfit look inherently Indian.
• If you like to rebel, pair shocking prints like animal prints with salwars and Indian accessories to make a statement. 
• Don't be afraid of experimenting with a few different things. 
• Pay attention to the fabric. Usually, dresses that have a bit of cotton in them and are a little flared work better and are easier to style.

 Everyday, I see hundreds of ladies travelling to work, wearing outfits that could very well be call the "uniform" of the working population in India. A shirt and trousers is what qualifies as formal wear, leaving little room for a woman to indulge in her feminine side.Blame it on the Valentine's day paraphernalia around, I seem to be putting together increasingly feminine outfits recently and today's outfit is just a little nod in the direction of what office wear should be. You don't need to sacrifice your femininity in order to look chic and put together. Haven't you seen those fabulous ladies on Suits that define power dressing? Well, I'm nowhere near close to them in any respect, but I still feel this is an outfit that would work well in many situations. A bright skirt, simple top and minimal accessories with pulled back hair make it a look you can replicate with most of the things you have in your wardrobe.

• Ruffles are extremely distinct and feminine by nature, so if your clothing item has loud ruffles, try to pair it with a more severe piece to make it more work appropriate.
• Don't wear something that has big ruffles all over to avoid the you know, cupacke with icing look.
• Pair a structured pair of trousers (or a skirt like the one in this post) with a ruffled top to get a balanced look
• Keep the accessories minimal, this applies to most office outfits as you don't want to be distracted by jingling pieces while working.
• If you are uncomfortable with wearing ruffles, wear a blazer with the top to add structure to your look. 
• Wearing a ruffled skirt to work is fine, but only if you manage to pair it with the right pieces, so as to avoid the tiered wedding cake look. Be careful, if the skirt has big ruffles, then the look can descend into juvenile very quickly. Its better to stick with a little but of ruffle at the end or small accents. 
• Finally, don't be afraid to experiment! You may need a few tries to find the perfect piece that balances work and off duty! Till then, keep trying!! 

Every person who works in corporate world will swear by casual Fridays which are to be the days for "smart" casuals. Now I'm nowhere close to a real job yet, so that basically means I can get away with wearing lots of "smart" (And not so smart) casuals everyday. My Uni isn't exactly short stuff friendly,so you will usually find me in a pair of jeans or tights, with an oversized top. This outfit post was shot impromptu on a day when I was having a really bad (read puking twice in the bathroom) day so I apologise for the peaky face in advance.

First off, let me start by saying a big thank you to my friend for taking these pictures! I absolutely loved the location and I wish I could ask you to take pictures of my outfit posts everyday!! The outfit is nothing fancy, but still looks put together if you pay attention to details.












The best way to pull off smart casuals is to find a good pair of jeans. Add a simple striped top and a statement necklace with heels, its the fastest way to look put together, without the effort of chucking half your wardrobe onto the floor. You can also wear a peplum top with printed tights. There are also some gorgeous overall options out there right now if you wanna go for the laid back look. (I'm still looking for that perfect pair of ripped jeans n overalls that don't make me look like a street bum). And finally, don't forget to wear your confidence. Casuals are all about comfort, so if you don't feel comfortable, don't wear it!

What are your go to smart casuals? Tell me in the comments below! You can also talk to me on Twitter and Facebook!

Its mid November and summer refuses to leave my city. Yes, I love summer and all its glorious views like being roasted alive on public transport with a dozen other people, but I do pray that winter comes soon. Or atleast "not summer dresses" weather. Its really frustrating when you have all your pretty winter clothes lined up and nowhere to wear them!

In the meantime, however, I shall wear all my summer dresses to death. I've been into interesting design details lately. Give me something with a knot or a cutout and I'll be all over it (also if its stripes, ALWAYS get it). When I came across this dress in one of the shops it called to me with its interesting back. The print is extra girly (not what I usually go for) but then, to be honest, what sold me was the pockets! Hello, summer dress with pockets you can chuck loads of things in without looking like you are an overloaded boat? Win!!








You may have noticed that the pictures for this post seem to be taken at different times. That's absolutely true! I took these pictures on two different occassions when I wore it. Once while meeting friends, and the other, especially for outfit pictures for the blog. I've tried really hard to take a good picture of the back, but I'm still not happy. So next time I wear it, hopefully I can convince my friend to take a picture. In the meantime, hope you have better (read cooler) weather than my city. I look forward to tweaking this dress to work for cooler weather!

Today's outfit post was supposed to be posted almost a month ago, but somehow I never got around to editing the pictures. Well, better late than never I suppose.
If you live in Mumbai, you probably travel a lot by public transport. Unless your a Millionare. Or you have super wings that nobody knows about and fly to work. Or you have the patience of a saint in the city's traffic.I currently use pretty much all the top ways to travel in this city (read train, bus, walking, auto, etc etc). Trains usually have people of all classes traveling together, and many of my friends ask me how I can stand the stares when I wear slightly revealing clothes on the train or the bus. Well, a little bit of smart dressing can help imho. If you travel using public transport and dont want people to give you the "what on earth is she wearing" or "man that's too much skin" look, just use that layering trick we all hear about. No, we can't all have personal bodyguards to protect our modesty, but then, that's why we have tons of coverups no?




I love this little dress/tunic thing but I always fret about the length. One way I wear it (whenever I'm not taking the car) is to pair it with leggings/tights. A cropped jacked covers the arms and you end up with a totally public approved look. Loose the jacked and tights when you get there, and you're all ready for that pool party you've been dreaming about for weeks.





How do you tackle the "Wear what I want" vs "Wear what people want" dilemma? Tell me in the comments below. You can also find me on FACEBOOK!

By now everyone and their mothers have a variation of these geek glasses. While I'm always on a hunt for bigger glasses, the last few weeks have made good glasses a necessity. So when my brother offered to give me anything for Raksha Bandhan(yay!! cue bed jumping joy!), I jumped on the chance to get a new pair of peepers! First off, THANKS a million bro!! They've made long hours in the lab much more bearable (read now changed to various states of sleep deprived, minus the creepy red eyes).








The other new bit is the twirly skirt. When I laid hands on my Jabong shopping goodies (read my shopping review here) one look at this skirt and I knew it was going to be a geek chic outfit. I feel this look could be excellent for a casual date lunch(also where I casually show off how nerdy I truly am!). I added a bit of color to the outfit with my new blingy blue bag that was gifted by my cousin when she came down to India. The skirt is a perfect blend of flirty and feminine and can be worn in many different ways. Overall, a very versatile piece to have in your closet.

What's your take on casual date outfits? Tell me in the comments below. You can also find me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and INSTAGRAM

PS: Just like the previous post, a quick reminder that the Jabong.com team was kind enough to provide me with a shopping voucher for Rs. 500 for my review. All views in this post as well as the previous one are unbiased and my own.