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

Gucci Cruise 2017 Review

The first fashion house to ever host a show at London's Westminister Abbey, Gucci's Resort 2017 collection just took my breath away. The historic setting, followed by The Schola Cantorum of Oxford singing Scarborough Fair, (we used to sing that in Grade 4 music class) literally gave me goose bumps.Once I was done watching the show, I had to sit back for a few minutes just to absorb what I had witnessed.

There was a strong focus on separates, clashing prints and textures. This collection was Michele's version of various British cultures mixed with his philosophy of more is more. There were punk references throughout the show. A tartan ball gown with an embellished big cat across the bust, colourful kilts (one even came with an embroidered King Charles Spaniel) and a Union Jack sweater made to look glamorous with a bejewelled brooch were some of my favourites. A black leather dress with a laser cut bib and border and gold spikes around the collar paid a fashionable tribute to the eighties Goth subculture. I loved how despite the Anglophilia, the collection was every bit Italian too. The craftsmanship and the detailing was exquisite.

Michele loves to play around with animal motifs and so there were cats on sweaters and t-shirts, pooches on an astrakhan number, peacocks on a silk shift dress and king snakes on a shaved fur jacket. More British eccentricity came in the form of a printed granny skirt suit, complete with a wide brimmed hat, an oversized flower around the neck and gorgeous round toe shoes with tiger spur hardware. Over the top? Yes. But somehow, it worked. And beautifully at that. Overall, there was not one single theme that came with the looks. You had a Victorian collar peeping out from an androgynous and sporty sweatshirt and then something completely unexpected like a red pleated gown with ruffles and lace.

The accessories were equally important here and I cant think of a single piece I didn't like. A bamboo top handle Sylvie, in exotic skin featuring a King Snake on the border of the flap and it's head on the closure was enough to make any bag lover drool. The embellished oversized hobos were an instant hit and so were the painted cross body bags. More reinterpretations of the Dionysus, especially the one in blue, red and white is a piece I would like to get my hands on. Apart from the bags, I couldn't get my eyes off the studded leather hand harnesses, the oversized statement earrings worn over the silk shift dress and of course the embellished shoes. I could seriously go on and on, but I'll have to stop myself now.

In all honestly, words cannot describe the beauty that this show was. All I know is that Alessandro Michele is steering Gucci in a new direction. And we are all on board.