A Summery Off Shoulder Dress

Rania has been going through a bit of a phase lately. She's become extremely clingy and if I so much as turn around, she screams bloody murder. I'm not sure if it's teething or just separation anxiety that's sprung up from nowhere, but what I do know is that it makes working extra tough! Mommy guilt almost never leaves me and if I leave the house for a shoot whilst she's howling, it makes it even tougher. On that particular day, Rania was having one of her 'mommy don't go' tantrums. So I decided to dress her up, and take her to the park with me for a shoot. Not only did we end up having a blast, but I was able to shoot a look without all the guilt.

Trying to maintain a career and motherhood isn't easy. One has to put in a great effort in striking a balance to be able to work and spend time with your children. If I feel I've been a little too busy and haven't been able to spend time with Rania, I let go of a few activities. Sometimes, I skip the gym during the day so I get to spend those two extra hours with my baby. I cancel any social gathering that isn't of immediate importance too. Every now and then I tell my nanny to take the afternoon off or the husband and I will take Rania out on a family date so we can get some alone time with her. At the end of the day, it all comes down to prioritising. But if you have been going through the mommy guilt, just remember as long as you make it a point to be there for your kids whenever you have some free time, you're already an amazing mom. Don't beat yourself up about it because that wont get you anywhere.

Anyways, for this look, I chose this super summery, and super short, off shoulder dress with blue and white stripes. The minute I saw this online, I was in love with it. It was so pretty and the floral embroidery added just the right touch. It felt so flirty and fun when I put it on. I love how there are endless ways to accessorise the dress. You can wear an oversized straw hat and layer thin necklaces, or you can wear one big chunky neck piece and tie your hair back. Pair it with knee high gladiator sandals, espadrille wedges or even androgynous brogues. For my purse, I chose the Gucci GG Marmont Leather shoulder bag that I bought a couple of months ago. You can read about it here. I felt the deep red would add a nice contrast to the blue and white. Plus, it's been my favourite purse and I haven't stopped using since I got it!


Dress - Mitali Wadhwa
Rania's Dress - Ralph Lauren
Handbag - Gucci
Earrings - Pankaj & Nidhi
Rania's Stuffed Toys - Good Earth

An Indian Couture Jacket With Jeans

As much as I love wearing Indian couture outfits, one thing that always upsets me is that after spending so much money on them, I can only wear them two to three times. We all have this strange mentality that if we have worn that outfit, its been 'seen' and therefore we must let it hide behind the back of our closet till the end of time! I figured out a small solution to this problem about two years ago when I picked up this fabulous Anamika Khanna suit that came with a gorgeous embellished gilet. I realised that it's best to buy an outfit that comes with various separates so I can wear them individually. For couture week 2014, I took a pair of Sabyasachi pants with this heavily embroidered border ( it came with a very regal, velvet jacket that my sister wore to my wedding ) and wore it with a shirt. I reused my JJ Valaya bandh gala that I wore to my own sangeet for BMW Bridal week, except I paired a tank top underneath it.

For another day during fashion  week, I wore this Anamika Khanna jacket over a shirt and skinny jeans. But at that time I wasn't doing personal style shoots so I never shot it. But now, I thought since it's such a lovely jacket, and that I can still wear it two years later, I might as well shoot it! Except this time, instead of skinny jeans, I wore a straight cut pair because I liked that it had a bit of a flare. What I loved most about this piece, apart from the exquisite embroidery on the front, is the back. The rear features printed flora and fauna in bright colours and balances out the embellishment in the front making it a perfect piece for both day and night. Furthermore, I love the versatility of the gilet. It can be paired with a skirt as easily as it can with jeans or even culottes and makes such a statement. So,back to my point about buying Indian couture; always stick to pieces that come with separates so you can continue to wear them a few seasons later too.

What did you think of this look? Yay, or Nay?

Jacket - Anamika Khanna
Jeans - J Brand
Bracelet - Valentino
Shirt - Zara

Easy Breezy In A Shirt Dress

In my previous posts, I have been talking about how culottes and finely tailored linen trousers are a must have for the summer. However, another important addition to your closet should be a shirt dress. Personally, I cant even count the number of those I have. In poplin, satin, cotton silk, linen; you name the fabric and I have a shirt dress in it. Oh and in possibly every colour! It's my go to silhouette in the summer especially when it's hot and humid. I wear them with sneakers during the day, or with wedges or stilettos if I'm out for dinner. Whilst most high street brands like Zara and Mango stock them, right now, I am loving the ones at Rara Avis. The difference between choosing a high street label and an Indian designer is that the latter comes with unique detailing. Case in point: The Rara Avis one I shot with. I loved it's architectural and oversized collar and the gorgeous intertwined suede pockets. Isn't that way better than the mass produced stuff you get at the malls?

Dress - Rara Avis by Sonal Verma
Clutch - Saint Laurent Paris
Shoes - Guiseppe Zanotti
Earrings - Primark
Sunglasses - Tom Ford
 

For The Love Of Sheer Skirts

If there's one thing I hadn't worn till last Sunday it was a completely sheer skirt. A semi see through one, maybe. But something that shows every bit of my body. Nu-uh. Then Sunday happened. I really wanted to wear this lovely, flowy A-line skirt with little circular leather cut outs all over it but wasn't sure how to. I didn't want to look vulgar or as if i was trying too hard. Because lets face it, I aint no Carrie Bradshaw! Anyways, I thought I'll just tuck in a long shirt to hide what needs to be hidden and see how it looks. Continuing with my white shirt recycling project that I have been talking about, I chose one that had a high low hemline to pair with the skirt. The front just came just about half way down my thighs whereas the back was calf length. I was really liking the high low effect that you could see from outside the skirt.

I was extremely apprehensive about this outfit but felt I should go ahead with it anyway. This is what I've started enjoying most about shooting for the blog. The fact that it makes me take risks with my looks. Sometimes they work and sometimes they won't. But the point is, it makes me take that extra step and open up my mind a little bit. What's the worst that'll happen, people may not like the outfit? Big deal. We all have closet disasters every now and then. Just take it your stride and move on. But until you don't take a risk, you wont ever know how the look turns out. Right?

Skirt - Rara Avis by Sonal Verma
Shirt - Selvage by Chandini Mohan
Sunglasses - Dior (Diorama Sunglasses)
Shoes - Yves Saint Laurent

Dior Cruise 2017 Review

For Cruise 2017, the couture house chose the stunning and historic Blenheim palace to stage the show. The palace is embedded amongst Dior's history books with two previous shows held there. One in 1954, designed by Monsieur Dior himself and the other in 1958 when Yves Saint Laurent was the creative director. Both were attended and loved by Princess Margaret.

The duo managing the design team took to the English country life and posh post war wardrobes as inspiration. The collection consisted of quirky and young silhouettes as opposed to the elegant ones we had been seeing in the past. Rounded puffy sleeved dresses were layered with slightly flared pants, skirts or worn on their own. Whilst there was lots of floral embellishment, I adored the way flowers were embroidered on to printed fabric. Case in point: The black cotton embroidered printed shirt. There were blazers with a thin silk scarf like fabric flowing through from one side to the other. Whilst the blazers were nice, the flailing fabric seemed unnecessary.The bar jacket was reworked and instead of a peplum, they came with a soft U-shaped drape on the waist. The same draping technique was seen on dresses and tops too. Amongst the outerwear, an off white crepe and wool jacket that folded over below the waist with oversized buttons was a favourite and so was a powder blue tweed number. Hunting imagery was depicted on casual jacquard knits and there were lovely English style tea dresses. Accessories included fun bangles made from wood, leather and metal. A flap bag brought in the old Christian Dior logo and was reminiscent of their iconic saddle bags from more than a decade ago. There were also these oversized shopping bag kind of purses which I wasn't a fan of.

Overall, it was a nice collection that worked on revamping the house's codes, but I wasn't bowled over by it. There needs to be the guidance of a solid creative director to get that WOW factor we have been used to by geniuses like Simons and Galliano. However, having said that, hats off to the design team for still putting in a solid effort because Dior loyalists will still be queuing up to buy their favourite pieces.

 

Desi Snob X Rock'n'Shop

 

 

 

Just about two weeks ago, I collaborated with the fabulous e-commerce platform Rock'n'Shop for an amazing shoot where I talk about how to take care of your Celine purses. Naturally, I was all glammed up by their lovely stylist Puja who had created a bunch of looks for me. And because I loved my outfit (especially the first one) so much, I thought I should talk about it on the blog.

The first look she curated for me, a monochrome outfit from Bodice by Ruchika Sachdeva, couldn't have been more apt for the summer. I had been wanting to wear Ruchika Sachdeva's clothes for a while so I jumped in excitment when Puja sent me my list of looks. A beautiful cotton silk shirt with an uneven pleated hem paired with black denim culottes was not only very chic, but extremely comfortable and easy to move around in. In my previous post, I have talked about why a few pairs of culottes are a must have for the summer and this one in particular tops my list. The shirt was the kinds you slip on and had a loose silhouette so it wasn't sticking to my skin which was great. I also adored how flirty the hem was. It made the outfit slightly less formal and added a playful touch to it. When wearing neutral coloured clothes, it's important to add a pop of colour through accessories, so this bi-colour Cabas tote from Celine which has been a favourite for a while was an obvious choice. This look can easily transition from day to night by further accessorising making it an important investment for your closet. Shop the look below.

Culottes - Bodice (Click here to purchase)
Top - Bodice (Click here to purchase)
Handbag- Celine (Click here to purchase)
Shoes - Dune
Images via Rock'n'Shop