Chiconomical

Nope, I won't be talking about the book that has become famous over the last couple of years. I'm talking about literally wearing shades of grey. Somehow, I seem to gravitate towards clothes that have shades of grey as I think they give a welcome break from wearing monochrome and still manage to look good with almost all other colors.

While a pair of grey trousers make workwear a little interesting (I still haven't found my perfect pair, mind you), grey doesn't mean boring! Yes, I know, those grey clouds that seem to hang around these days may make you think otherwise, but it isn't true. All you need to do is, add little pops of color and you're bound to get a fun look.








I got this grey skirt because of its embroidery. Its absolutely lovely and inspite of being jersey, its thick enough not to have awkward VPL moments. Ladies, if you don't like wearing thongs or seamless panties, I suggest doing a quick VPL check before buying any skirt.

In case of street shopping (like me) where you may not be able to try the item out, do the tissue and hand test (yes I just made that name up). All you need to do is, hold a handkerchief (a folded facial tissue also works) in your palm, stick your hand under the skirt, pull it tight over your hand and see if you can spot the lines of the napkin. If you can, its probably too thin and you may want to consider a different skirt.

The top is an old oversized vest that was bought initially as a beach cover up. I added a pop of color on the lips to keep the look fun. Well, turned out, when I shot for the look, the weather Grewas quite grey too, so I ended up taking quick shots indoors. The heels are from New Look and were bought on sale from Asos as an indulgence item and add a little subtle color too.

Tips to Wear Grey without looking boring:

• Grey doesn't have to be boring, add pops of color with your accessories. A bright statement necklace or bag, will make all the difference.
• Don't like accessories?Add a bright shade of lipstick to make your outfit more interesting, without adding any cumbersome accessories to the look.
• You can also add a pair of neon heels to make your outfit pop. 
• Have a grey office dress that just never makes you smile? Add a bright scarf, a pair of red pumps and a beige bag to make it interesting.
• Finally, mix and match your bright tops with grey bottoms, or vice versa to break away from boring black matchers. I assure you, you won't be disappointed! 

Fridays! Working on Fridays is always a mixed feeling isn't it? If you work in an office like mine, its probably the one day you can wear smart casuals to work, or if you work in a casual office already, its possibly the last working day of the week! Yes weekend is at your door! But what I have seen is a lot of struggle when it comes to office chic Friday dressing. Usually, as it is the only day you're allowed to wear jeans, everyone is in just another uniform or denims. I decided it was time to showcase an outfit that shows my personal preference when it comes to Friday Dressing.

I know what you've been thinking, Where have I been recently? Working! No, not working in the "I'm a student working in the lab" sense. Instead, I've now got a job. My first ever real office job! Yes, crazy right?! The last few weeks have seen me busy with office (omg! its weird even saying that) and wrapping up my academic commitments and there's a whole new set of rules I need to know and follow now. Obviously, one of the key ones is office dressing! The new job came with its own set of dos and don'ts for what is and isn't appropriate at the workplace. Whoa! Quite a challenge for a girl who likes her grunge jeans! Let the hunting begin!!


On my little hunt to find office wear that was chic and in my price range, I came across Dress4Less. So impressed was I with the items on the site (and the prices too), that I decided to get in touch with the beauty and brains behind the store, Naina Seth Jain. Naina is one of the nicest people you'll meet and she told me a little bit about the collection! She curates each piece and tries to offer the quality that you may find in a boutique in UK (she lived there for a few years) to the Indian market. A lot of her pieces are similar to collections I've seen on high street stores such as River Island and H&M, but don't have the price tags of those brands. You should definitely check out the tops section for some interesting pieces (read cute crop tops and a minions and cartoon print vest I'm coveting!!

Now, onto how I got on the site in the first place (and my outfit of course), there are some really amazing blazers in a very affordable price range.  I've spent loads of time looking for blazers and other officewear bits recently, and let me tell you, finding one that doesn't fall in the 3-5 grand range is a challenge. Dress4Less has some unique pieces in the 1.5k price range. There are also some great bags that are office as well as pocket friendly. Oh, and for those evening dinner parties, there's some interesting gowns too! With easy shipping and returns options, I found the store to be a simple, hassle free shopping experience.

• A skater dress looks best when cinched in at the waist. Make sure that this happens at the smallest bit of your waist to get a slim look.
• Use skinny belts with interesting prints or contrast colors to make a monotone dress pop.
• Make sure you are comfortable with the length of the dress. If you find it to be too short, wear tights! Remember, if you're busy checking if your flashing someone, you probably, won't be able to enjoy your date.
• Wear minimal accessories if the dress has a busy print.
• If you live in cooler places, you can layer the dress with a cropped cardigan. The cardigan should hit you around the waist where the flare of the dress starts. 
• And finally, enjoy yourself! Embrace the girl in you and twirl a little, release that child like joy you know is hiding inside! 

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!

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.

If you've see the last few posts, you know I've got water on my mind. Today's post is a quick little look into how I dress while I'm rushing to go for a swim at the club. Nothing fancy I know, but I feel its important to show that you don't need to be dressed up all the time. For instance, why wear makeup when its all gonna be washed away in the pool anyway! (Yes, I'm one of those bloggers)

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.