Of Versatility

Time and again everybody's favorite combination has been the covetable white shirt and denim.We saw Masaba sporting some on Day 3 at the AFW happening currently. They call it Classic, endlessly versatile and affordable. We have seen the runway's take on it and the Bollywood reel to real's life take on it.The white shirt was supposedly meant to be an undergarment, for many years really only the cuffs and collars were visible(and we are talking about a whole lot of the 1800s).

I don't really vouch for a particular piece to make me happy in the head, let alone a white shirt. But I absolutely admire how a simple button down could evocate you. For me white is just related to auspicious, comfort and freshness, whenever I adorn white I tend to feel it if not all the feelings at once!

Coming back to my post, I'm wearing a shirtdress (yup I will do a separate post dedicated to WHITE SHIRTS) and because I did not want to limit the possibility of wearing it just as a dress ,I paired it with my Dorothy Perkins Wide legged Bootcut Denims in a dark wash and of course my Tresmode Peeptoes I tend to pick up a ton of dresses from Colaba Causeway, it's literally my sacred space.

If you guys would like to know where to find such pieces, ping me or let me know I shall do a full-fledged piece.The dress needlessly to say can be worn on its own with bohemian tie up sandals or with shorts and gladiator flats.

The Mad Hair Scientist has made a three bun braided updo. You can follow him on Instagram for all the tips and tricks on doing it (@Mr.Evrus). We tried a fun eye color look with navy and turquoise eyeshadow from Sephora that I had been meaning to test out for a while. Now while the pigment of the trio is great the sparkle have major fallout and never show up if you blend them, so if you have this in your vanity make sure you add it to your lids at the end but before the foundation. And PAT!

The location is courtesy of Barista, thank you Mr.Arora for letting us shoot here!

Kharghar really needed its own due share of caffeine  with great chairs!

As I bring my blog post to an end I had like to say that each wearer gives it’s white shirt an whole individual identity.

Pleated Pants- A Nightmare then, A Statement Maker Now

Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday considering the long weekend holiday we have had! October just seems to be bustling with festivities. We are back with a menswear Style Blogpost today! I know I've been saying I will separate my blogs but procrastination is a bitch. Coming back to the post, A dreaded menswear trend of yore is on the rise. I used to dread it on my dad,let alone think I would feature it on my blog someday.

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They're back.

"After more than a decade of flat-front, slimmer-is-better propaganda, this news may come as an unexpected—and unwelcome—surprise to even the most enterprising men of style: Pleated pants are back. Look no look further than the plethora of gathered waistlines showcased during the recent European menswear shows for the spring/summer 2016 season—from designers like J.W. Anderson and Lanvin to E. Tautz and Officine Generale.

Closer to home (or your laptop), on barneys.com, you can find militaristic pleated shorts from downtown New York It-designer Alexander Wang,voluminous draped pants from the cult brand Lemaire, and single-pleat, straight-leg pants from Margaret Howell that possess just a hint of schoolboy uniform to them."- As cited by GQ in 2015.

And it's not just high-end labels that are embracing the trend. It has trickled down to the mainstream outlets.

The Mad Hair Scientist has taken the time to customise his Linen white shirt and Khaki Pleated Pants. Time has moved on and so must the pleat. He has tapered them so they have a modern shape," It's a new element to build upon, a classic element. It's a great thing to pull into the present and make modern."

Fashion system, as it often happens,  is ready to steer the other way. A jump forwards that draws inspiration from the past.

If we look back at history we notice that men’s trousers often had pleats, the version without pleats makes it’s the first appearance by the second half of the xx century. Then came the 80’s with it’s baggy style and  pleats had a brief renaissance, after that they slowly disappeared again making the way for slim fit. So we got used to slim and shorter  trousers, cuffs, flat front but now there we are again with a new change and we’ll soon adapt to the new contemporary forms. A more spontaneous elegance is just around the corner.

With or without pleats? It is important to consider some factors such as body structure and personal style.
What do you think of Our take on pleated pant?

TMHS paired his potli button shirt with pleated pants,

The structured Man Bag is by Esbeda, Shoes by New Look, Watch by Swatch, All the  silver baubles by Aquamarine and shades by Patakha.
Photography by Sir Ridge Adrian Fernandes.

Fabulous 50's with LURAP

1950's -The years were also part of the 1946-1964 time period known as the "postwar era" and "baby boom era." Defining themes of the 1950s include the rise of rock 'n' roll music, the increased move of families to the suburbs, the civil rights movement and the beginning of the cold war.

I always love how fashion repeat in cycles.
The full skirt, tight bodice, of the ‘50s dress continued in the early ’60s with an at or slightly above the knee hemline defines the silouhtte majorly.

Because The waistline was a major issue in the 1950s. Some women really like the snug fit of the Dior dresses while others liked the dresses with no waistline, often referred to as “sack dresses.” Fashion in the 1950s varied greatly from the beginning to end. Maybe not quite as extreme as the 60s, 1950s fashion saw the introduction of many new styles as well as many styles that paid homage to the 1920s.

The New Look

Christian Dior introduced the New Look in 1947. With its tight cinched waist, billowing skirt, and pronounced bust line, the New Look recalled historic styles of the mid-19th century and set the tone for the next decade.

As the decade came to a close, music was getting ready for major changes and disruptions. New sounds were happening and even the way that music was written, recorded and sold was changing. The big factor – baby boom kids were just entering their teens and looking to break out of the norms. Times were a-changing.
                 

                                       
As the decade came to a close, music was getting ready for major changes and disruptions. New sounds were happening and even the way that music was written, recorded and sold was changing. The big factor – baby boom kids were just entering their teens and looking to break out of the norms. Times were a-changing.

For my outfit,I picked up this Attitude Dress from LURAP, custom made to my size.I absolutely adored the scallop detailing on the neckline. I have talked about my entire website experience including the quality and pricing here.
I know you have seen an overdose of my NEW LOOK heels but they just seem to go with every damn dress right now and I'm a little over, obsessed!

  and oh my did I mention ,it has pockets too!

Check  out the Attitude Dress on LURAP

The hair was done by fabulous The Mad Hair Scientist,as I refer Sanky now! I'm wearing Chambor's  Transfer proof Liquid lipstick in the shade 405 and we used our coastal scents palette along with Meet Matte Nude Palette by The Balm.

My blue outgrown hair is the perfect contradiction to this beautiful burgundy full skirt dress. I'm definitely wearing a bodysuit underneath for the clinched waist effect by BWITCH.

Back in 50's crinoline was pretty  popular but Oh girl! Ain't nobody got the time to deal with the damn crinoline.

Let me know how did you like my blog rant and if you've tried shopping from Lurap yet?

The Southern Escapade

Hello My blooming marigolds,
Today I write to you from the southern part of India, well to be fair I have been in Hyderabad for quite a while now but this is Kanyakumari I'm talking about.
So I have been backpacking across South India and completing missing out on blogging. But you must catch all my escapades on Snapchat(id:Goli Darzi).

I haven't really had the chance to dress up on this trip of ours but I did pack for some pretty dresses for Dinner and Brunch's

One such being the lovely custom made dress for me by LURAP. The collab has been on cards for a while now and I just wanted to take  you on this journey of mine. The dress is
Today I'm writing one of the first ways I styled it and consequently show you other ways you could style the same little black artsy dress! It's rare we find something our size and when we do ,I make sure I maximise the utility by wearing it in as many as possible ways I can. I will try and post two more styling options for you to choose from.

Lurap has had a pretty good brand value when it comes to USA and now when venturing into India I think they are doing a tremendous job. It is on the pricier end but I don't really mind paying for the kind of value I g et for the product.

The Website Experience:

surfing over to the site I found the website easy not only to navigate but a hassle free checkout. Now with over 1000 of choices just for plus size dresses ,this was certainly the first time I felt spoilt for choices. We can choose from a standard sizing set or go with custom fitting. However, when one goes above a size of XL or for custom fits extra charges may apply. And I understand this may pinch your pocket a bit but I can absolutely vouch for the fit, it is to the T. So whether you are a size 2 or 20 ,you know where you can choose from.
They also have an Indian Ethnic section which I'm yet to try out but can't wait to review it fory ou guys! Can you imagine all these options for us curvy girls in India?

I chose the dress and ordered for a custom fit. It took them 15 days to deliver but well it worth every day of the wait! This is not a paid collaboration ,I bought my own dress and decided to blog about it! So you my ladies can be rest assured of my true opinion of the website and the product. They had a special discount of 2100 running which was a total winner for me!

About the Dress

In most cases, a curvy gal is looking to wear a dress that makes her look her best whether that be by embracing her curves, hiding what needs to be hidden or simply making her look a few pounds slimmer.

The problems with curvy gals is that a traditional shift dress is a short dress that lacks shaping. The dress goes up and down without any definition given to the waist. What is worse for us is that these dresses have short or no sleeves. But in case of this LURAP dress, it not only cinches at the waist but the outer layer actually cover the elastic not giving an awkward appearance!

What I conferred from Lurap is that they don’t believe that chic stops at size 12 and are committed to creating stylish options to women of all sizes, race. Here's the link of the dress I selected, do note additional charges ply for customization.

How I styled the Dress- Part Un

Since I had bare minimals Id id toss my bed head around and defined by curling tongs of 1.5inches to  give them a definition. Well I'm miserable at hair without you Sanky,you were duly missed!

I planned the look for a brunch we were headed to so wore NEWLOOK block heels along with silver thrifted earrings ! Well that was all I did for the look .The sleeves did all the justice of covering my buffy arms and hence I didn't feel the need to wear any armcandy or even my watch for that matter.

However you have to watch this space out next so you can follow how I style the same dress in other styles.

Let me know how did you like this look and would you like to experience LURAP with me, have you shopped from LURAP before? I had love to hear all about it!
Here's a closeup of my hair and makeup! Would love to hear your feedback.
See you soon in my next post!
xoxo

p.s.: Major Shoutout to the folks at Neemrana Tower"non-hotel",KOCHI. They were absolutely hospitable and you can read my detailed feedback on Tripadvisor or Booking.com!

The Soul saree

The Indian Saree (a.k.a. Sari, Seere, Sadi) boasts of oldest existence in the sartorial world. It is more than 5000 years old! It is mentioned in Vedas,  the oldest existing (surviving) literature (3000 B.C.) Patterns of dress change throughout the world now and then but, the Sari has survived because it is the main wear of rural India. 75% of the population (now a billion as per official estimate) wear versatile sari. We can certainly call this cloth versatile because it could be worn as shorts, trousers, flowing gown-like or convenient skirt-wise--all without a single stitch!

This was probably the quickest blogpost I have ever shot. We did the hair and makeup flat 30 mins-and by that I really mean we were darn fast (we usually keep procrastination and the routine takes upto a good 3 hours span).Had somebody asked me my connection towards saree 5 years ago, I would only associate it with my farewell occasion where would really be eager to pick out our mommy’s shiniest sequined saree./my love for saree has definitely come through sourav ( my best friend that I’ve been living in for a year).We met during our NIFT days –were batch mates and eventually just knew how we are destined to be together as label. We are nothing alike and probably that what makes it even more specials except the fact we both are hard-drawn Aquarians.

Sourav has opened up the path of textiles to me by which I particularly mean the handwoven fabrics. I had always been a fan of synthetic fabrics because of my body shape I looked out to fabric that wouldn’t cling to my body-chiffons, polyesters & super net  were my go-to picks!

 My initial  indefinite attachment in Indian handlooms were  towards  craft styles like Ajrakh, Mashroo and Ikat realy. But lately I’ve discovered something new each week as indepth and am open to the learning. My recent discovery is that of Begum Bahar (which I shall be posting next) and I’m absolutely delected about!
 So my top tips to really CHOOSE a saree for yourself comes to you as –

If it’s your first time buying a saree for yourself, it’s in all probability you are picking it up for an occasion.

Think about where you are about to adorn the saree but also keep in mind that when Tomorrow, as you stand in front of your  wardrobe, you should be willing to choose a Saree that calls out to you &  will remember the story of how it made its way into my life.

Don’t fall for a grand saree! To be absolutely fair, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 'grand' Saree, if you are so inclined, or if the occasion merits it. But don't choose a Saree, based on it's 'grandness'. Choose a Saree because it speaks to you. Choose the Saree which has a colour that thrills you, or that bowls you over with its calm artistry. Choose the Saree which has been handwoven by craftsmen who continue an ancient art form. Choose the Saree that your mother wore, or even one belonging her mother before her. Choose the Saree that your partner picks out for you, even if it’s something you can't possibly see yourself in. Choose the Saree that you love, and it will love you back for a lifetime. And most importantly, I could only choose a Saree I love as a gift for someone else, because it would be an expression of how much it means to me to share the joy of a Saree.(These lines are by Sumita Selvaraj and would like to thank her for the matter me think and dwell so long upon it).

Moving back to My chosen form of Saree is from Designer Sailesh Singhania-an Indigo chanderi with golden zari.I paired this saree in nothing but a statement neckpiece from Mickey Zaveri Jwellery .The neckpiece is made from glass and the printing is actually marbling with 18 carat gold over it.The technique is absolutely meticulous and beautiful to watch. If you are really looking for some head turning pieces this is the place you want to check out. And I’m not saying this because I got to wear them but in all real sense the designs are the perfecta amalgamation of modern and traditional.

Also I will take a minute to thank  Sanky for being super fast that day and absolutely loving my waves! It was such a beautiful day I wore the saree entire day, drenched in rain by the evening.

Special Thanks To the Queen Pooja Dhingra who was gracious enough to allow us to shoot there. I feasted there for 4 days straight and I have had almost anything on their menu literally from the sandwiches to teas to macaroons.You guys must know  Le 15 patisserie!

Of tartans and beards

For a pattern, plaid has been remarkably successful. It’s one of the most widespread, recognizable and ubiquitous designs in the world, coming in almost every color and shade under the sun.
Technically, plaid isn’t the pattern’s proper name. That honor goes to the word “tartan,” which was first used to describe the individual colors and patterns used to decorate the clothes of different Scottish clans. 

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns.

Contemporary thinking on plaid tends to lie in one of two camps: those who see it as a simple, stylish essential, and those who denounce it as a sartorial symbol of that shudder-inducing neologism, the ‘hipster’.

But to dismiss plaid as just another tired trend is to do it a disservice, as its history and longevity suggest otherwise. Whether it’s in the form of a classic flannel jacket, a preppy button-down shirt or subtly situated within a suit, we’re firmly planting our flag in the pro-plaid camp.

Sanky Is Seen Here In A Marks And Spencer Tartan Plaid Shirt Paired With His Grey Stone Wash Denims From Splash And Vest From Koovs.

Coming next with an amazing blospost soon! See you soon <3
Xoxo

Of tartans and beards

For a pattern, plaid has been remarkably successful. It’s one of the most widespread, recognizable and ubiquitous designs in the world, coming in almost every color and shade under the sun.
Technically, plaid isn’t the pattern’s proper name. That honor goes to the word “tartan,” which was first used to describe the individual colors and patterns used to decorate the clothes of different Scottish clans. 

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns.

Contemporary thinking on plaid tends to lie in one of two camps: those who see it as a simple, stylish essential, and those who denounce it as a sartorial symbol of that shudder-inducing neologism, the ‘hipster’.

But to dismiss plaid as just another tired trend is to do it a disservice, as its history and longevity suggest otherwise. Whether it’s in the form of a classic flannel jacket, a preppy button-down shirt or subtly situated within a suit, we’re firmly planting our flag in the pro-plaid camp.

Sanky Is Seen Here In A Marks And Spencer Tartan Plaid Shirt Paired With His Grey Stone Wash Denims From Splash And Vest From Koovs.

Coming next with an amazing blospost soon! See you soon <3
Xoxo