Chocolate Fanta!

I was recently faced with the dilema of buying - shoes!! :P I hate too much of anyting, even shoes or clothes coz they eventually end up cluttered or unworn or just wasted. I mean, how many shoes do I really need.. but then, this was neccesity. All I had were open-toed flats / sandals or high-heels and I really needed something flat and warm (read closed) for my feet. It's getting colder day-by-day and the wind nips at your feet mercilessly. So, this was needed.

Now the hunt started. I didn't want to wear stuff like this

or that; not that they are bad, but they are well, common. Also, I have been eyeing ballerina flats since some time now (almost a year) and thought that it was the best time to get a pair or two.

But what was really needed was sth different, formal, comfortable, yet warm. Now, one does find a variety of ballerina flats in the mkt., but - formal looking?

With doubts and hope in my heart i searched and searched - found nothing - till I went to Shahpur Jat, to the The Shoe Garage - a heaven for shoe lovers. Not only they had shoes just like I wanted, they even modified them to my size! I loved two pairs, but as I was budgeting, decided to buy just one - a pair of ballerinas which looked like melted chocolate - only cuter :D and oh, they are priced like, dirt cheap. Then, when I was about to leave, my eyes feel on a pair of Orange (yes, Orange!!!) flats and I couldn't resist them! Slapping my credit card, I felt as if the world was dancing with me.. you think am insane for being so happy over a pair of shoes... ;)

I couldn't take pics of them - so I am uploading a few pics I searched on the net and modified..trust me, mine are much much better...
Happy Holidays!!

If dreams were reality...

What I wear to work -

What I wish...

What's with Indian fashion?

It's that time of the year again... shopping for the season, shopping for the festivals / marriages..the most festive time of the year...there's so much of fashion on street nowadays.. BUT...


Yesterday, after spending, like, 5 hours on the net searching for a site showing trends in indian fashion or even indian street fashion, I found - Nothing. Nil. You have sites on Japanese fashion and ofcourse Milan / New york / Paris fashion.. but hey..where's my India? It isn't as if we Indians don't dress up well (we do!! duh!!)...or as if we have no idea what's up in fashion ( the ever-emerging malls, the craze for shopping, and ya, the entry of Vogue in India tells you another story)...then.. what's the problem...



For what I can guess, most of the Indians, still aren't as net-comfy as their global counterparts. They would still go all the way to Delhi - Mumbai -Ludhiana - Mysore to shop rather than shop online. They still prefer to watch TV (read Ekta Kapoor serials) or read fashion mags to know about fashion rather than doing so easily on Net. Ther's nothing wrong in it, actually. Just that we have in our hands such an immense possibility, and we never utilise it.



Whenever I go to any market / on the road/ in my college / all the time.. I see so many many well-dresssed girls, women.. I so wish I had a digital camera so I could upload them up here for the world to see (or whoever comes here :P) .... I mean, that's why I started this blog.. but it's getting difficult...without good enough pictures... still I will keep trying... :)



Those 5 hours on the internet weren't wasted though. I did find some pretty good stuff which one can easily incorporate in their winter wardrobes, in India or anywhere....



So, here we go...

Cardigans I loved..

Loved these coats online@ Mango...
thankfully we have Mango in India- even though it is hideously expensive

Gorgeous trousers & Hoodie - not from Mango though

That's all for now. i just hope I am able to upload some real pics of real people dresses beautifully... and do it real soon

Cheers and have fun shopping.. :)

Day Two: WLIFW - Spring-Summer 08'

There was a lot of travel involved on Day Two of WLIFW - Spring-Summer 08'.

Tarun Tahiliani, for his Spring Summer collection, took us from Kutch to Kenya, whereas Ashima and Leena went back to history via the Silk Route - all of Far East Asia and the Middle East.

You will find unconventional saris, Zoaves (bag pants), muted colours like ecru, sandy beiges, flowy silhouettes, beautiful pastels with gorgeous embroidery and shimmer in TT's pallate. His women's wear collection was inspired by tribal designs.

I LOVED his clothes - they were gorgeous, and very becoming - with subtle colors and sultry cuts. The flow of the fabric was too enticing to resist.

The cerise sur le gâteau was the final outfit, presented by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty who gave some much needed star power to Delhi's fashion week. It was a magnificent jersey gown sprinkled with gold dust inspired from the sari. Shilpa looked gorgeous as ever.

Psst! I don't like the make-up, though. (But then, it never really makes sense to me - the makeup or the clothes on ramp :P so I try to sort out "wearable" stuff as possible and put it up).

The comeback of the dhoti? And Harem still rules!

The look of the left dress is very royal, very Egyptian.
And the right one is gorgeous though I really don't like the gold tights; or the dramatic red bag

Gorgeous dress, though not what I would, well, wear.. and those shoes are just to-die-for

ain't that sexy?

Shilpa Shetty reminds me of an Egyptian Queen... don't you agree?

A very modern twist to the sari - yet still so easily elegant;
the well-structured jacket adds loads of attitude; yet another experiment on the right

the silhoutte of the one at extreme left is perfect; infact, it is the most wearable of all three.
the third one is very Mughalish

Very stylish, very chic!

Ashima and Leena: The designer duo's collection "Resonance" - a theme that vibrates with the power of travelling to new places, consisted of flowing silks, royal kimonos, romantic floral bouquets, and Japanese art.

Rich, vibrant prints whispered about the orient. The influence of the famed Chinese blue & white porcelain was seen vividly on a lot of pieces. One word comes to my mind... Luxurious...

Adore the one on the right. So rocking!

Peek-a-boo!

It's too early to say, still, looking at what all has been displayed, it seems as if gold is going to be the new black. And ofcourse, flowy silhouettes will be a part of the new look this season. Like good ol' times of Mughal Era. You know, drapes and embrioderies; fabrics like whispers; harem pants, and dull, muted gold - loads!

Images credit: Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

Day One: Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2008

India's biggest fashion extravaganza began yesterday at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The show began with the collection of Rajesh Pratap Singh. Neon colours, shimmer and light fabrics were the high points of his collection. Rajesh PS is known for his faultlessly clean lines and obsessive attention to detail.

The collection started with simple summer dresses in light weight fabrics of pure white with a dash of vibrant colors. Graphic elements and floral motifs added pizzas to an otherwise subtle look. The silhouettes were very eighties, with off-shoulder necklines for flouncing tops which going on to meet broad tight fitted hems. The focus of the collection was on subtle shimmering fabrics in cool grays and muted shades of blues. There were loads of tunic dresses, 3/4th pants, boy shorts.

something I personally prefer...simple, elegant n chic
and I guess I am partial to white.

Perhaps they could have done without the flowers,
or put them on her hair

The collection by Shantanu & Nikhil- called "Banaras Boulevard" was noteworthy beacuse of its richly textured fabrics, shimmering materials, flowing silky weaves and glamorously crafted ornamental cutwork. I personally prefered it because of its well-structured silhouettes and attention to detailing. The colors are very summery... pale golds and muted yellow; one really can't ignore how wonderful yellow looks. It isn't exactly my favourite color, but when I look at these clothes, I feel my loyalties shifting.

This is so damn gorgeous; love the pleats

Something I can well imagine Beyonce in
or our own Kareena

Ah! Trench gone sexy

Very girly-sexy

As anyone can easily judge - even the most "fashion-unaware" person - Shantanu & Nikhil's clothes are what will be wearable - to a certain extent. I really can't say that all women in India can wear their stuff (because of the place they live, families etc.) but those in metroes definately can.

What do you think? Wearable or not?

CROCS

CROCS Crocs is finally in India. After making waves in USA & Europe(for good reasons and bad) it has decided to enter the booming Indian market.
I went to its stall at a Sports Exhibition at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, to check for myself what all the hue n cry was about.
The shoe by many is considered hideously ugly, and others can't help falling in love with its cuteness. My first impression was "such colors!!!" Such beautiful, happy, bright colors. I could easily imagine myself wearing a bright pink one in the rains and making a a splash.:P
The pair was priced at Rs. 1500-1600 each, which seemed expensive for - plastic. But somehow, I found myself in possesion of these beautiful (!!) Mary Jane shoes (Mary Jane is the style of the shoe). They are red hot n tooo cute and i cant wait to go puddle-hopping in them.. but hey, they have holes, lolz...

I mean, shoes with holes... lolz.. ain't it a crazy world!
And along with shoes, I got a FREE (YAYIEEE!! FREE!! :P) CROCS T-shirt (it's sooo soft!!)



and a cute keychain (sorry, couldn't take a pic)...
Won't it look cool with rolled up jeans or Capris or even nice shorts?? Am so excited!!

But then, a word of caution:It has been alleged that CROCS are bad for the environment. The material they are made out of cannot be recycled or bio-degraded.
Also, They are hazardous. There have been over ten documented accidents with these shoes, on escalators especially. Children have lost toes to these things because the straps get caught in the sides of the escalator.
To know, read this & this

Now, I really can't decide if it was such a wise buy after all :P

A bit of shopping...

My feet has been hurting a lot since the past few weeks, so I finally dragged myself to the market and got myself these...

They are really cute n adorable, though a bit mucked up now beacuse of constant showers...
On the way home, I saw this:

and had to buy it!!

Ring: BE - Rs. 250 ($ 6.25)
Shoes: Bata - Rs. 1000 ($ 25)

The shoes are really cute n adorable, though sporty..still I can carry them of with anything with jeans and shorts, too. The ring, is pretty glam so I will keep it when I want to play sophisticated lady ;)

A Tribute

To the one who made me so passionate about fashion...

She featured on the list of Time's 100 most important people of the century, long after she died.

She was, is, and will always remain mine, and countless other people's fashion icon and idol, inspiring generations to come.

"A woman can be over-dressed, never over-elegant." She knew very well that style comes not only from apparel, but also from attitude.

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (1883-08-19 – 1971-01-10) was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist philosophy, menswear-inspired fashions and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her arguably the most important figure in the history of 20th-century fashion.

Image Courtsey: ©Man Ray Trust / ADAGP Paris 200

She created not only the little black dress, but also the beige slingback with black toecap, the total look, N°5, N°19, the tweed suit, the jersey dress, the chain belt, costume jewelry, the topstitched bag with gilt chain, the cashmere cardigan... a business, a style, a spirit. Her work is unquestionably part of the liberation of women. Replacing the corset with comfort and casual elegance, her fashion themes included simple suits and dresses, women's trousers, costume jewelry, perfume and textiles. No other designer has given so much to the society, and helped so much to free the women.

One of her first successes was the loose-fitting sweater, which she belted and teamed with a skirt. The influential Chanel suit, launched in 1923, was an elegant suit comprising a knee-length skirt and trim, boxy jacket, traditionally made of woven wool with black trim and gold buttons and worn with large costume-pearl necklaces. Coco Chanel also popularized the little black dress, whose blank-slate versatility allowed it to be worn for day and evening, depending on how it was accessorized.

But probably the one creation that ensured her success and fame, even during her bad phase is not a piece of clothing but a form of liquid gold — Chanel No. 5, in its Art Deco bottle, which was launched in 1923. It was the first perfume to bear a designer's name, just one of the numerous firsts by the highly talented designer. A bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every 30 seconds.

And she was, always, styllish, elegant, bold, and quotable...

"If you want to be irreplaceable, you have to be different. "

"Fashion is not simply a matter of clothes. Fashion is in the air, born upon the wind. One intuits it. It is in the sky and on the road."

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."