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

Happy Monday guys! Hope you've all had a lovely weekend and are now energised to face the week ahead. Over the last week we've been battling with the rain gods to get to work and add to that the festive season looming right round the corner or family functions and you've got a battle for sure! So of course I'm here to solve these potential problems for you guys.Today's post is all about how to look sharp for the office without having an outfit that literally drowns you in the rains.







The trick to wearing Indians during the rains is to skip the bulky bottoms. It's so simple that sometimes I'd assume everyone already knew it. But I had a couple of people ask me last week about dressing up in Indians when it's still raining and suddenly I felt it needed to be said. I suggest digging into your formal trousers and finding a cropped pair. These will be a lifesaver when you have to waddle through ankle deep waters and also come in easy when you have to roll them up because the water's reaching your knees.

The second tip is to keep the accessories to a minimum. It's the worst feeling in the world to reach home and realise you have a rash thanks to that statement necklace you wore. If you must, keep you acccessories limited to one key piece. A pair of earrings work the best and usually thanks to our obsession with keeping our heads dry don't affect your skin all that much.

And finally, and I've already said this a number of times, don't forget to keep an extra pair of shoes at work. There's nothing worse than wet shoes and those rubber crocs just don't cut it when it comes to workwear! Keeping a pair of neutral shoes in the office or carrying them with you (in this case, try flats) is the easiest trick to competing your look!

I hope this post helps you keep dry in the random downpours! If you've got some tips for monsoon outfits, don't hesitate to chime in on the comments section below! Have a great week ahead!

Workwear in monsoons is superbly hard. Honestly, I wish I could wear a little skirt with my gum boots to work, however as "corporate" goes, these things are a big no no. Hence, the need to come up with alternative workwear solutions for the summery rains.





Today's outfit is all about my absolute favorite trend, aka stripes. I paired a light striped shirt with some casual striped jogger style trousers. Add a bright bag for some color and a pair of airy crocs and I'm ready to face rain or shine. I think a pair of crocs are a must have for officewear since they are rain proof, formal yet super comfortable. Another must have in monsoons are quick drying fabrics. I'd suggest you invest in a few loose fitting trousers in quick drying fabrics so that you don't end up spending the whole day at work in damp clothes. While almost every online search will tell you to carry separates to switch into for work, I don't think that's feasible especially in a city like Mumbai where we're always running to meet deadlines. A better solution is always plan an outfit in a way that it dries quickly if its pouring or doesn't stick to you if its sunny. Also, always remember, if you love how you look, everyone else will love it too!

Its raining here! Raining!! India should NOT have rains in January. Its just unnatural and has put my whole schedule off track. After a frantic morning of searching for my rain gear as well as rain-friendly outfits to substitute my original planned outfit (yes, I plan outfits in advance now, blame it on the new year) I had to turn my wardrobe upside down. Let me tell you, the ever present cool winds blowing through my bedroom window did not help! (because for some weird reason its winter and monsoon at the same time today). Wanna know how I managed to create an outfit that was both warm enough and still quick drying? I'm going to let the pictures do all the talking!








I'm so happy I managed to find my mom's jumper today. I actually had another combination planned (with lots of layers) but this jumper is so warm+cozy yet quick drying (I've worn this within an hour of washing in the past) that I just knew it was perfect for the ping-pong weather. These trousers are just the right amount of cheat I needed to look like I made an effort to get dressed (nobody needs to know about the waist high pile of clothes at home right!). Add my trusty ballet flats, a bright lippy and I'm all set to face the silly weather. (Oh yea, I wanted a hot pink lipstick, but since I was going to Uni, I toned it down, a little).

How did you feel about the uninvited rains? Did you manage to save yourselves from the unexpected downpours? Let me know in the comments below. You can also join me on Twitter, Facebook, or share your pictures on Instagram.