I Wear: A Mermaid On Land

This is the second of my acquisitions from the summer shopping spree. Like the inkblot top, this print too was available in a wide range of cuts and styles (including the one I picked in the inkblot print). I daresay the square cut of the inkblot top might have been interesting in this print and given that this fabric is soft & thin as opposed to the stiffer black & white, it would fall very differently. But I  was really drawn to the cool, swirly blue print and so the loose, flowing shirt/kurta seemed the best.

I had a chance to wear it the very next week. It was a hot day, one where I’d have to travel the length of the city, work for a few hours at a stretch and also fit in a salon appointment. I wanted to be comfortable and cool and this was perfect!

Jeans would have looked good with this top, especially since it has tails long enough to be tucked in. But it was too hot for denim. So I picked out this off-white cotton pair of drawstring pants, that mum got me awhile ago and that I’ve been waiting for summer to wear.

I love the comfort of drawstring pants but they tend to create a ‘muffin-top’ effect. So I let the top hang out loose.

Given the ultra casual vibe, I did feel the need for extra special accessories to keep this from looking like something I’d wear to a pajama party. I ditched my summer staple of earstuds for these dainty danglers from FabIndia. An unrelated aside – did you know talcum powder can work instant wonders on blackened silver? The pendant is a souvenir from my Goa trip last month and the Tibetan market that I chanced upon.

I had a salon appointment later, to rectify this horror inflicted on me by Enrich Matunga. And I decided to throw in a pedicure to pamper myself too. Here’s the before and after of my feet. The green gladiators are almost two years old and unimaginably comfortable. The glittery blue nailpaint was a whim to match my clothes and is what gave this post its name.

The haircut didn’t come off as well as the original but Tabu did a damn, fine job of getting it out of its mess. That’s her reflection in the mirror. What do you think?

And finally here’s the whole look:

I Wear:

• Blue tie-dye sleeveless cotton shirt: Rs.799, Cotton World
• Off-white drawstring pants:
• Crisscross silver earrings: FabIndia
• Eternity symbol silver pendant: Tibetan market, Calangute, Goa
• Green strappy gladiators: Lifestyle
• Haircut & pedicure: Enrich, Lokhandwala

* Cross-posted to Divadom.

I Wear: The Inkblot Test

So here’s the first look from my shopping spree last month. Mid-week, welcoming in my favorite season of the year and stepping out for a casual evening. It’s really simple and easy.

First, we start with the star of the outfit, the top I picked up on my spree. I fell in love with the inkblot print and chose this short, loose square-cut top from the plethora of options (kurta, dress, singlet). It’s a light cotton that was standing stiff on its first outing but will probably lose its starch over washes and be drapey instead (that sounds better than ‘fall limply’, doesn’t it? ). It’s not sleek or sexy but it looked (and is!) so comfortable, I just had to own it!

These were paired with the new classic blue jeans I picked up early in the month (having decided to quit being in denial about my old jeans that have been 2 sizes too small for me all winter). It’s such a pleasure to be able to breathe. And never mind the itty-bitty-pretty and unreliable sandals, I was continuing my ‘comfort-0ver-chic’ attitude. These zebra-printed babies (seen before here) are kitcshy but so comfortable!

And that…pretty much…was it! Plenty of talcum powder, a dab of nude lipgloss, I ditched my handbag for a few notes stuffed into my mobilephone cover. And I was ready for a cool summer evening out in town!

• Black & white inkblot cotton top: Rs.699, Cotton World
• Blue jeans: Rs.1500, Pepe jeans
• Black & white zebra print sneakers: Rs.399, Lifestyle

* Cross-posted to Divadom.

I Wear: Summer Shopaholic

So I went shopping with an old girlfriend. Summer is my favorite season after all. A time for friends, for dressing well and for fun. A day out with N is not a new thing but it’s always fun. Except more than a decade later, we’re doing this in a swanky airconditioned mall instead of dusty, crowded Linking Road or Fashion Street.

I’ve noticed my style is changing. Well, that happens, I am a creature of whim. But this is different. My dress sense is starting to mirror what I feel and think, which is that I’m not a girl, freshly out of adolescence any more. I don’t say that in a rueful tone. I am, in every way, a woman and I don’t feel upto dressing otherwise. So no more frilly, fussy peasant tops for me. Cutting back on the tee-shirts too, they feel too much like I got into my baby clothes by mistake. But when I spotted this piece with Native American prints, I knew I had to make an exception.

I know it is simple, even staid. And I am no longer the kind of skinny that horizontal stripes flatter. Yet, I like it. It doesn’t scream for attention, it doesn’t scratch or tug demanding that I’m constantly conscious I’m wearing it. I put it on and forget about it.

And now here’s something I stole from mum – a pretty, pretty shopping bag that I’ve decided doubles up as a super-sized handbag. I don’t know about you but I *HATE* handing over my bag to a bored security guard outside snooty stores. Brief interlude while I crib. Forcing a customer to dump their bags in a dirty cupboard manned by an indifferent guard is for the store’s convenience, not the customers. I’d rather they spend a little more training their personnel and getting better security measures (CCTVs? Baggage tags?) than harassing the customers with this. End of crib-interlude.

Coming back to the bag that I’m able to carry right in – it’s denim blue with rockstar art. It appeals to the tomboy in me, never mind being all grown-up. And I stop the look from being ‘Sandra-from-Bandra’ in its tracks with my icy-blue moccasins to match (SFBs would wear black heels, don’t you think?).

Jewellery and make-up are bad things to wear when you’re going shopping. After all, you may want to try on stuff. Taking off and putting on is a pain and in this summer heat, even the airconditioned comfort of a mall is just barely enough. So my bag is empty except for a Maybelline Fruit Jelly. I’ve decided I’m not going to buy any more junk jewellery so wearing gold (which I will NOT take off at a store) seems a sensible course.

Before I know it, the bag is full! And yet, it doesn’t bulge like a pillow or wear me down at the shoulders. N and I finish up with lunch and gossip. And in the night, I have a fashion show all by myself in front of the mirror. There’ll be plenty of I Wear posts coming up as I take my new summer wardrobe to town! (1, 2, 3)

I Wear:

• Native American print top: Rs.499, Shoppers Stop
• Red flared skirt: ~Rs.600, FabIndia
• Denim handbag/shopping bag: ~Rs.300, Max
• Icy-blue moccasins: ~800, Enroute

* Cross-posted to Divadom.

I Wear: The Thakur Stops Traffic!

Shweta is the boy’s cousin, who I had the pleasure of meeting last July. When I called her, she said she needed a haircut and would I mind meeting her at the parlour? I got out of the autorickshaw, wondering what she’d look like. Across the road, a girl was standing in a black tee-shirt with a stole/scarf thrown carelessly around her shoulders. She turned & gave me a brief nod & climbed into the autorickshaw with me. All my worries about awkwardness evaporated. She turned out to be a no-nonsense, regular person, exactly the kind of woman I get along well with. When the boy turned up nearly 2 hours later, we’d been chatting up a storm.

So I was thrilled when we managed to make it down to Bangalore later in the year for a weekend with Shweta and her husband. Sunday flew by in a flurry of good food, pubbing, catching up with old friends, shopping and just being Bangalore. I was charmed by the look she stepped out in – cool, comfortable, smart & individualistic. When I turned around & pointed my camera at her, she froze mid-pose on the divider. Here she is, the traffic-stopper!:

Shoes are easily the first thing you notice about a person’s look and with these, how could I miss? Plain red mojris double up as quirky (if somewhat pointy) ballet flats. A silver anklet on one ankle and a butterfly tattoo on the other, bring the urban desi vibe, a hint of her Delhi days.

Her clothes were relatively simpler, adding that laidback, effortless feel to her look. A black V-neck knit top that would have been too warm for a Mumbai afternoon but was perfect  for cool, cool Bangalore. A fitted navy blue denim skirt, a style that’s now distanced enough from its earlier avatar in the early 90s, to count as retro chic.

And then, my favorite focal point: accessories! Any mistaken notions of this being a grab-whatever-I-did look were put to rest with Shweta’s adornments. The bag was a tan leather conducter’s satchel slung across her torso. Against the staid black & blue, it complemented her red shoes without being too matchy-matchy.

The neckpiece was another Delhi artefact and matched the anklet perfectly.

I’m a skirt-wearer myself, I have short hair and I own a lot of Delhi-style accessories. But I’d never have thought to put them together this way. I think that’s why I liked Shweta’s look. Because it’s comprised of items I would see in my own cupboard but ensembled in her own individualistic style.

And now, here’s the lady, taking a bow (or something like it!).

Shweta is wearing:

• Black knit V-necked top: ~Rs.500, Lifestyle, Hyderabad (2009)
• Denim pencil skirt: ~Rs.250, Fashion Street, Mumbai (2006)
• Red mojris: Rs.150, Sarojini Nagar market, New Delhi
• Tan leather satchel: A gift from aunt in U.S.
• Oxidized metal neckpiece: Rs.120, Janpath, New Delhi
• Silver anklet: Rs.90, Janpath, New Delhi

Shweta especially had something to say about her haircut.

“This was from Hakim Aalim, Bangalore. It’s the second time I went to the brand. The first time was in Mumbai in July. Ridhima did my first haircut there. It was an excellent haircut and I would have liked to go back to her but since I didn’t make another Mumbai trip, I went to the Bangalore one. My stylist there was Jerry. I only gave him instructions to cut it short and he did the rest – awesome place!! Much recommended!!”

* Cross-posted to Divadom.

I Wear: Elephants = Fashion + Fusion

My February began in a flurry of closet confusion. I had happily RSVPed to Kiran Manral’s book/beauty event for ‘The Reluctant Detective‘ at Biguine, Bandra. I had a long meeting coming up, to plan my own event highlight of the month. And in the evening, I was due across town for The Bombay Store’s ‘India Haat‘. What to wear to such diverse settings? My wardrobe agonizing would’ve done Kay Mehra (‘The Reluctant Detective‘s protagonist) proud.

It wasn’t a cool day so that put paid to any plans of turquoise double-breasted jackets, funky nylon leggings or oversized sweaters. I finally went along with a mix of both events – a slinky top that I’d normally wear to a party and a block-printed cotton skirt that I usually build into ‘ethnic’ looks.

My first thought was to theme my look with camels (in honour of the Rajasthan focus of India Haat) but I couldn’t find anything in my wardrobe. I spent the briefest of moments wondering about other animal iconography from the desert state and settled on elephants instead. (Imagine my surprise when I discovered India Haat had more elephants than camels!).

Here are all the textures & colours that I wore:

The top is a plain black wrap with texturing in the form of sheer fabric stripes.The skirt is an ankle-length, flowy wraparound in white with black blockprints of elephants and flowers. I knotted a silk scarf with black & white bandhini prints, on my handbag.

The look still felt too stark for a colourful theme like Rajasthan so I added interest with these accessories:

The earrings are tiny silver studs shaped like elephants. The silver pendant depicts an elephant too and is strung on a thin silver chain. The ring and bangle are both green & red wood (matching the pendant and bag). With these, I didn’t need much more make-up than a swish of eyepencil and a touch of red-brown lipstick.

I Wear:

• Black & sheer wrap top: Lokhandwala market
• Black & white wraparound cotton skirt: Lokhandwala market
• Black leather boots: Shop next to KFC, Linking Road, Bandra
• Silver elephant stud earrings: Cottage Emporium, Delhi
• Silver elephant pendant: FabIndia
• Silver chain: Local silver shop
• Green & red square wooden ring: FabIndia
• Green wooden bangle: FabIndia
• Red handbag: Baggit
• Steel watch: Casio

* Cross-posted to Divadom.

Grumpy Monday Socks

Look what I found on the Santacruz station bridge! I also spotted a Homer Simpson pair and another one titled ‘Bumpy Thursday’ with a Mr.Bump character. This was what I picked up. It cost me all of Rs.20.

Grumpy Monday themed socks for Rs.20 at Santacruz station bridge

*Cross posted to Divadom.

I Wear: Taking A Leaf

They say a woman learns to dress from her mother. Actually, mum’s style is very different from mine. She’s a good dresser but unlike me, she tends towards minimalism & sobriety in colour and accessories. Remember this Ideart project on leaves? Mum and I went on a weekend shopping spree this Saturday and here’s what she wore:

Some things to note:

• The lady is over 40, appearances notwithstanding.
• She wears minimal jewellery and no make-up.
• Damn, she looks good!

Mum wears:

• Orange kurta: FabIndia (painted by me)
• Light blue jeans: Lifestyle
• White sneakers: Reebok
• Denim slingbag: Lifestyle

* Cross posted to Divadom.

I Wear: Dancing Queen

The look I’m detailing here is as retro as the title of this post. The occasion was a Christmas special dance workshop by the MadMax Academy of Dance. The invitation actually said to wear white but I couldn’t find anything good to wear in that colour. As it turned out, no one wore white but a lot of people stuck to the Christmas theme. I wasn’t really going for the Santa Claus look but as it turned out, the red fit right in. I was actually going for a biker babe look, which I switched at the last minute to include some red and resulted in a more retro feel.

I’d been dying to take out those boots, since they were my pick of the season. I didn’t want to wear jeans and it was too cold for a skirt. What better than leggings for a dance workout? The top is a long-sleeved fitted body-tee with black sleeves, that I got as a gift awhile ago. I love the colour and the print, referencing my favorite decade, the 70s. But the full sleeves get a bit much in Mumbai’s usual weather. It’s longer than a regular tee-shirt, which is why I thought it would be perfect to wear over this teensy-tiny denim skirt. The acid-washed denim and miniskirt-over-leggings is more 80s but I figured it was close enough to the period I was referencing.

I knew a dance workout would have me sweating in a matter of minutes, and the cotton would let me breathe. I could always roll up the sleeves. But it was an extraordinarily cold evening and I also didn’t want to stand out too much in the train, for my miniskirt (never mind the leggings, you know how Mumbai trains are!). So I pulled on my black Life jacket, already taken out for the biker babe look. For some reason, the jacket tones down the look, making it less fitted as well as less dated.

Since the top leaves the neck completely bare, I draped over a blue silk scarf, that would otherwise be considered more corporate attire. All my other scarfs are prints and would make this look too busy. But the muted colour matched my skirt and complemented the look well. Accessorizing any further would have been overkill and as it is, I pushed the envelope slightly since it was a vibrant, festive occasion. For just an evening out, I’d have stuck to diamond studs or maybe even worn no jewellery. And my make-up would have been more dramatic with maroon lipstick and perhaps lined eyes. But this evening’s activities would cause make-up to run. And few things look as bad as a face with worn-out make-up and bad accessories. Ear jewellery always lifts my face so in burst of daring, I added these oversized hoops made of surgical steel.

Now look carefully. The girl in the print has hair almost as short as mine and a frame that’s just as lanky. She’s also wearing white (silver?) hoops and a heart-shaped pendant. And that’s the only reason this pretty, glass heart got added to my outfit.

The look was much more fun, young and crazy than I’d imagined – just the right mood for the kind of uninhibitedness that makes dance fun! I had a great time dancing and laughing and it was the most fun Christmas event I’ve ever been to.

I wear:

• Red-and-black full sleeved body top: A gift from a shop in Vashi
• Stonewash, pre-faded, pre-frayed denim miniskirt: Shoppers’ Stop
• Black leggings: Benetton
• Black jacket: Life
• Blue silk scarf: Cottage Emporium, New Delhi
• Black leather ankle boots: Shop next to KFC Bandra, opposite Theobroma
• Red tote bag: Baggit
• Glass heart pendant: Hill Road street stall, Bandra

* Cross-posted to Divadom.

I Wear: Mall Rat

Saturday afternoons are for finishing up chores that you don’t have time for on the weekend and that you don’t want ruining your Sunday. Mornings are too early to wake up on a weekend. Evenings spent on chores make me grumpy, since everyone else seems to be doing more interesting things. Afternoons are the best as the hordes in the city are either working the last few hours of a 6-day week or shoring up their reserves for the night.

High Street Phoenix was where I was headed, for a quick lunch, for window-shopping at the fun stores and actually shopping at the boring ones (Big Bazaar). Most of the big stores don’t let me carry in that handy Cotton World cloth bag that I’ve been toting around on just such quick shopping excursions. Big Bazaar goes one further in the ‘punish the customer for coming to us’ by making you deal with grumpy baggage personnel or forcing you to put said handbags into ugly transparent, plastic attaches. I wanted to go light.

It was a sunny day and travelling anywhere in this city without protection for face & hair is stupid. And it looked like I’d be doing a lot of walking. The brocade slingpouch (see earlier in Streetsmart Colour) and my steel-grey moccasins came in useful. The tee-shirt was a gift from Meetu and unlike other brand-bearing tee-shirts, this one fits well and doesn’t make me feel like a walking advertisement. And finally, I tossed a thin silk scarf across my shoulders to keep my neck warm, to tie my hair with & to cover my face while travelling.

You know how the fashion industry says things like ‘Great style should be effortless’? This is my take on the idea. When I looked into the mirror, I felt rather proud with the way it turned out since it didn’t cost much (time or money), looked stylish, was suitable for the occasion and stayed comfortable all through. So I grabbed my camera for a picture, when I got back. Note that this is how I looked after the commute, crowd-jostling & grocery shopping, minus any touch-ups.

I Wear:

• Faded blue jeans: Levis Diva
• Black tee-shirt: Courtesy Meetu of WOGMA
• Violet postman’s hat: Baggit, Shoppers Stop
• Silk scarf: Cottage Emporium, New Delhi
• Steel-grey moccasins:
• Brocade slingpouch: Street stall, Connaught Place, New Delhi

I Wear: December Diva

December is my favorite month of the year in Mumbai. The weather is uncharacteristically pleasant. Of course, the rest of the world laughs at us but it’s the ONLY time when we get to bring out our bright sweaters, our snug jackets and our stylish silk scarves.

I use every opportunity I can, to dress up. Here’s me at the preview screening of Sherlock Holmes, during the Christmas/New Year week. The event was held at Nehru Planetarium at 7:30 p.m. and of course, I’d be inside a dark theatre for most of the time. But that didn’t stop me from bringing out the dramatic red & black & white in my diva closet!

(Incidentally, I spent most of December 2011 doing stuff that I barely had time to chronicle. So this month is going to see a lot of posts referring to last month.)

The top is a wraparound blouse that I fell in love with, for that tomato-red colour alone. My jeans are Levis’ Diva in stone-washed black shot with silver threads and with an embroidered motif on the left pocket (not seen here).

Movie halls are usually unnaturally cold (and the NFDC proved to be no exception!) so I was glad I took along my trusty black Life jacket.

The scarf is a bright silk one, splashed with every colour under the sun, that mum brought back for me from her latest Delhi trip. I grabbed it at the last minute and through the evening, wore it in different ways – tossed over my arm, knotted around my bagstrap, draped around my neck & shoulders. It’s a soft buttery silk that slides off easily so needs to be held in place. But the material is so–how shall I put it–effusive in how it puffs up, that it seems a crime to put a pin through it. Knotting or holding it under heavier fabrics are the only options. This is a garment that must hog the limelight in how you need to keep adjusting it, so the outfit it accessorizes has to be accordingly stable.

The boots are another reason to love December in Mumbai. When else can you wear this gorgeous pair? These are ankle-high and have no heel, which makes them super comfortable in addition to warm and sleek.

I Wear:

• Tomato red wraparound top: Rs.500, Lokhandwala market
• Stonewash black jeans: ~Rs.1700, Levis Diva
• Black leather ankle boots: Rs.1000, Shop opposite Theobroma & next to KFC, Bandra West
• Black jacket: Life, Shoppers’ Stop
• Silk scarf: Cottage Emporium, Delhi

* Cross-posted to Divadom.

I hated the movie and we didn’t do much after – a quick bite and then homeward bound. But I enjoyed the movie, so much so because it felt really good to dress up and go out.