A Fall Day In Paris

As much as I love an European summer, I love the fall in Paris even more. The overwhelmingly beautiful architecture in every nook and corner of the city, dried leaves falling off trees everywhere and the cloudy sky make it the prettiest place to be come autumn. The day we were out and about in Paris was a slightly nippy one which was perfect since I had been dying to wear a winter jacket. This baby pink one I'm wearing was just so pretty and I was quite excited to shoot it. I love its oversized silhouette with slightly dramatic sleeves and the big lapels. Plus the colour was just gorgeous. What I wear underneath a winter coat is of equal importance to me so if I'm indoors and peel off a layer of clothing, I can still look stylish. I chose a very chic sleeveless white shirt with a Victorian collar and ruffled bib detailing and wore it over a pair of blue jeans and I was good to go. A total hassle free look.

Jacket, Jeans, Shirt, Earrings - H&M (Click here for the jacket,  and here for a similar shirt)
Sunglasses & Bag - Dior
Shoes - Gucci
Location - Paris

Dior SS17 Review

The fashion world waited, with breath that is bated for Dior's SS17 collection. Not just because there's a new creative director on board, but because she's also the first ever female creative director at the couture house. Naturally, everyone was excited to see what Maria Grazia Chiuri had in store. However, it came as no surprise that it would be a beautiful collection given the years of experience she comes with and her spectacular work at Valentino.

The show opened with a sporty white segment consisting of twelve all white looks. Chiuri drew references from fencing uniforms which were prevalent throughout the show. Quilted cotton jackets that came in the form of gilets with buckles on either side or full sleeved with buttons or a zipper on the side were worn over cotton knit cropped pants and tulle skirts.  What was so special about this entire collection was that the creative head didn't only work with Monsieur Dior's codes. She turned to every designer who held the reigns at Dior in the past and worked with their codes too. The recurring bee motif for example, was used by Hedi Slimane during his tenure at Dior.

A lot of the silhouettes exuded a very effortless chic vibe. Almost as if they were just thrown on without much thought and looked fabulous. Case in point: A red leather jacket paired with a red tulle skirt or a black sleeveless leather vest worn over a white cotton shirt and black pants. There were Chiuri's version of the Bar jackets that were sharply tailored with less volume on the hips. More outerwear came in the form of a lustworthy and minimalist long black coat. Exposed lingerie worn under sheer clothing was another constant. Except bra straps and underwear bands were cream with J'Adior Christian Dior printed on them. And finally, came some ethereal evening gowns with imagery inspired by Christian Dior's superstitions. Tarot card images, zodiac signs, clover leaves, the number 8, insects and some fun motifs like a bat or a heart with an eye in it were intricately embroidered on dresses that were instant red carpet hits.

Accessories for this collection will be flying off the shelves with plenty of new handbags on the runway and some cool shoes. Rectangular shaped shoulder bags boasted DIOR or J'ADIOR in big metal letters on the clasp. Some of these came with an optional strap so you could hold them as a clutch or wear them on your shoulder. A saddle bag was seen too, with the same gold lettering. A black roomy tote in soft leather with its bee motif and CD embossed on the front looked divine. Another tote, brought back memories of their iconic 90's saddle bag (a la Galliano) with Dior printed all over the front flaps and the shoulder strap and a revamped CD logo. And finally, there were mianudiere style evening box bags with colourful tarot card imagery on them. I loved the Le Diable one in particular. Jewellery was understated and consisted of simple earrings and chokers. I've got my eye on the number 8 choker. Footwear was comfortable came in the form of floaters, sneakers, summer boots, etc. However, it was the pointy toe kitten heels with monogrammed ribbon on them that stole the show. Chiuri sure knows how to create covetable accessories.

Images via Vogue.com

Walking Around Èze In A Blue Jumpsuit

Another must see destination in the French Riviera is the prettiest little medieval village Èze. Roughly about 1,400 feet above the Mediterranean, this charming village offers some of the best views of the ocean and is just so romantic. You can just keep walking and walking in the little lanes, and checking out random art galleries, perfume shops and various other local boutiques. For me, the real attraction was the 13th century architecture that the village boasts and the old world charm that comes with it like uneven cobbled streets, low archways, ancient stairs. And imagine hearing church bells ringing whilst you're lunching. Doesn't it sound dreamy?

Getting there is fairly easy whether you're in Cannes or Nice. There are busses and trains that can get you there but we rented a car for our stay so we just drove. Only tricky bit is you really have to make sure you follow the GPS extremely accurately as once you start going through the tunnels and miss an exit, it'll be a while till you get back on track. We missed the exit for Monaco (which is what you need to take for Èze, and next the thing we see is a board saying"Thank you for visiting, come back again" which left us very confused. Moments later we see another board saying "Welcome to Italy"! We had crossed the border and ended up in the Italian riviera and we had to drive for about fifteen minutes to get to the exit that would take us back into France. It was still fun though.

Now, for my outfit. So as I mentioned in my previous post, I've developed a new thing for jumpsuits lately. And I discovered this blue one just a few days before my holiday. I loved the fabric it was made from and this one in particular just screamed holiday with its loose and wide flared bottoms. It also had multiple straps criss crossing at the back making it very playful. I threw on a blue, sleeveless jacket  that came with a brooch to add a little drama to the look.

Jacket & Jumpsuit -Nitya Bajaj (Click here to buy the jumpsuit and here for the jacket)
Shoes - Gucci
Bag & Sunglasses - Dior
Necklace - H&M
Location - Èze, France

Exploring Old Antibes

Choopy's Coffee Shop for the best coffee in town!

Exploring Vieil Antibes was first on my to do list in the South of France. More than the seaside part of Antibes, I was more keen on taking a long leisurely stroll through its narrow, cobbled streets filled with pastel coloured buildings and the cutest window shutters. The husband and I are not too hyper about sight seeing. We always pick really historic spots in a city with interesting architecture and just walk around aimlessly or sit and sip on cappuccinos in small coffee shops and people watch.

If you liked the photos above, and want to know how to get there, then read on! Whether you're staying in Nice or Cannes, Antibes is relatively easy to get to and is just a 30 minute drive from either cities. We didn't visit the sea side part of the old town, but more towards the inside of the city. If you're driving, then you need to think of parking. The good thing about all these cities is that they have huge public parking spaces with a name so it's easy to find on your GPS. The closest one a friend told us to park was Parking LACAN 2 and we got to it without any issues. Once you've parked and paid, you can just keep walking till your heart desires. Inside one of the lanes, we discovered this amazing shop selling dried lavender, essential oils and soaps. The French Riviera is known for it's enormous lavender fields and I was in dire need to restock all my dried lavender that little Rania pretty much destroyed. So I grabbed a whole bunch of those gorgeous, fragrant, dried blooms to take back home along with soaps that were handmade in Marseille. If visiting cute little villages is your thing, then Antibes is a must see in this region.

Finally, I'm going to talk about my outfit. Holiday dressing has to be fuss free, but stylish at the same time. I've been wearing my Gucci Princetown slides non stop since I got them because they instantly change the look of any outfit and are also so comfortable at the same time. I've realised, nothing is more effortless on a vacation than a jumpsuit. I bought this white in Dubai a few weeks ago and thought it was really cute with it's playful straps and the raw looking drawstring. I paired it with a pale tank top and threw on an old denim jacket (which we all have in our closets) just in case it got a little nippy. I kept the accessories light so nothing felt too heavy on me and I was free to explore in ease.

A holiday handbag is also of equal importance. It has to meet all my requirements. Not too big in size, easy to carry (shoulder strap is a must), fit my wallet, sunglasses case and a little make up, and of course has to be FABULOUS! The Diorever in red grained leather fit the bill in every possible way and looked amazing with all my outfits. It's been one of my favourites since I reviewed it a few months ago. The best feature is the front flap which can be folded to the back and basically it stays in place because of the magnetic buttons on both sides making it so convenient for me to dig into it whenever I need to.  Read the old review here.

There you have it, an effortless chic holiday outfit inspiration.


Jumpsuit - Mango (Click here to purchase)
Shoes - Gucci
Sunglasses & Bag - Dior
Location - Antibes, Côte d'Azur

French Riviera - Getting There & Some FYI

I had been wanting to come to the French Riviera with the husband for a while, however for some reason, in all the nearly six years we have been together, it never worked out. This time, somehow, everything fell into place and we were on our way.

The main airport in the South of France is Nice and there are very few direct international flights to Nice. The only option for us was to either take Emirates from Dubai or do what everyone else does, fly to a European destination first and then take a flight to Nice. Off late, I have been a little turned off with Emirates as their pricing just doesn't make any sense to me anymore. Their fare from Delhi to Nice and flying out from Paris back to Delhi was about 130,00 INR for Business class, which we weren't in the mood to pay for so we ruled out that option. We ended up getting a fantastic deal (INR 83,000 for business class per person) with Qatar airways to Paris with a very short layover in Doha and then bought separate Air France tickets for the inland travel for the same day.

Flying Qatar Airways was quite an experience. I always research the airline before flying to see if the price I'm paying is worth the money. We got the Dreamliner aircraft to Doha and an Airbus A-380 to Paris. After being used to the Emirates lounges at Dubai airport, I wasn't sure what to expect from the lounge in Doha. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised. It was just stunning. Located on level 3 of Hamad International Airport, the lounge boasts four different eating areas and even has its own map! Upon entering, a large decorative pool welcomes you which was pretty funky and right next to it is a staircase leading up to one of the restaurants. The decor is extremely contemporary which I can't complain about because I thought it looked cool. However, I do feel they could do with a bigger smoking area. The smoking room could get extremely claustrophobic if you're there for more than two minutes!

Soon after exploring the lounge, we boarded their A-380 aircraft to Paris which I have to add was phenomenal and even better than the Emirates one and so was their lounge on board.  To check out detailed information of your seats, check out www.seatguru.com. Furthermore, it won business class of the year award so naturally, the service was exceptional.

Moving on, a little FYI on packing. Always bear in mind, when flying between European cities, the tickets DON'T include a big suitcase. With a basic fare, you're entitled to a single carry on suitcase so before purchasing your tickets, make sure you pay in advance for a checked in suitcase. You get that option to buy luggage allowance before paying for your airfare. With Air France, you can pay for a single suitcase per ticket that weighs up to 23 kilos. This way you can pack sensibly too. I made sure both our suitcases were within the luggage allowance to avoid any hassles at the airport.

It ended up being a really exhausting journey but thankfully the full flat beds in Qatar airways made life a little easier. The husband suggested we spend a night at an airport hotel in Paris and fly out the next day but I thought it was better to suck it up and just get there so I could be fresh and ready to drive to Cannes the next day. By the time we checked in to the airport hotel in Nice, we had travelled for almost 24 hours! Anyways, after a good night's rest, everything was just fine. We stayed the night at the IBIS right next to the hotel. Although a budget hotel is far from what I'm normally used to, it didn't make any sense to stay at a five star just to spend the night. Plus, we had to pick up our car rental the next day from the airport which was walking distance from the IBIS, so it was just convenient.

Whilst you can take a bus or train to Cannes, the husband and I prefer driving around at our own pace. Furthermore, we had plans of exploring nearby villages which just makes it easier if you have your own mode of transport. Renting a car is pretty cheap in Europe and if you happen to have a manual driver's license, then you can get some great deals on luxury cars too. We rented an Audi A4 for just 60 Euros a day. Smaller cars are even cheaper. Which brings me to my next point, parking. Before you finalise a hotel, always check their parking fee. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Martinez in Cannes, and never bothered checking what their charges were. At check out, we realised it was 40 Euros a day! Almost as much as the rental fee.

I hope this information will be of some help to you. In my other two posts, I will talk about two of the villages we visited and a little bit on how to get there, where to park, etc. 

Saint Laurent Paris SS17 Review

Anthony vacarello's debut collection for was splendid, albeit a little restrained. The show focussed on ultra sexy looks with plunging sweetheart necklines, sheer fabrics on the bust, and short dresses. Silhouettes were mainly in black and leather was plenty. The whole collection had a very vamp-ish appeal. And in a good way. Cleavage bearing tops in leather/velvet were worn over low slung boyfriend jeans and looked effortlessly cool. The mutton leg sleeves added a dramatic flair and were a constant through the show. In sparkling silver as an accent to a tank top, in leopard print or plain black as part of a dress or embellished as part of a fancy top; these sleeves were attention grabbing and fabulous. Jackets were part of the offering too. Grunge and biker style in leather, tapestry inspired in velvet, beautifully tailored tuxedo style or just a single good ol' denim number. Elsewhere gold lamé was draped into a mini skirt and a full sleeved mini dress cinched at the waist with fabric gathered on one side creating a bit of a waterfall effect. 

The show wouldn't be complete without Vaccarello's interpretations on the classic Le Smoking tuxedo where blazers were worn over see through, lingerie style blouses. What i felt was an unnecessary addition was the single boob bearing dress. It wasn't shocking (come on, do you really get shocked when you see a boob nowadays???), it isn't convenient and who apart from Rihanna or Lady Gaga is going to even consider wearing it? A bit pointless in my opinion. Finally, what really stole the show were some of the accessories. The ear cuff, the lapel pin and stiletto heels all bearing the old YSL logo were brilliant. Be prepared to be on the wait list to get your hands on those once they hit the market. Although, I'm stills scratching my head about why there weren't any bags on the runway. Considering they are the bread and butter for most labels, I expected to see some. Maybe some other time!

An overall fun debut collection delivered by Anthony Vaccarello. The designer played it safe and I don't blame him considering he's just replaced Hedi, who took the label to new heights. With a positive response for this show, I have a good feeling about his future collections. 

Victoria Beckham SS17 Review

At Victoria Beckham, it was all about casual elegance. “It’s effortless and everything is quite thrown on” quoted the designer of her collection. Beckham took a bit of a risk this time by creating silhouettes out of crushed velvet. There were skirts, some with a drawstring, some with knife pleats along with loose, deconstructed dresses in the most delicious colors. However, after you recover from absorbing the stunning colors, you’re left wondering how anyone can wear velvet in the summer. All I could think of was the heat and the clothes sticking to me. Some looks came with matching unstructured sling bags in the same fabric which I think the designer could have done without. For example, in the peppermint blue velvet dress look, the sling bag almost blends into the whole outfit making it slightly difficult to identify whether it is actually a bag or part of the dress.

However, the rest of the clothes were pretty damn good. There were slouchy satin pantsuits where jackets had flailing belt ties and were worn over structured bra tops. The gold one in particular was absolutely beautiful. The two oversized shirts she showcased were sure shot hits. Collarless and loosely cut, the beauty was in the lapel that was folded over to the other side. The linen slacks that the gold shirt was paired with were also equally beautiful.  Fun, kimono style, boxy leather tops with printed florals and matching skirts were playful and happy. Beckham injected some sexiness through fitted knit dresses. Some came with a cutaway fold on top revealing a contrast colored bra top. My eyes though were on a candy striped number, with swirls on the breasts.

Most of the looks were paired with summer riding boots that are bound to be the hit of the season. Apart from the fabric cross body and oversized shopper, Beckham introduced a single handled bag with a pouch like shape. Named “The Tissue Bag”, this unstructured purse looked fuss free and easy to carry.