Artistic License

There is a lot to be said about the use of this title for this post. But then again, suffice to say that I decided to use my artistic license by creating a potpourri look which works best for my cold loathing self. The priority, even now however remains to stay warm since I do not believe in following fashion at the cost of comfort. So while my vintage apparel loving self drove me to buy this dress from ASOS which is midi length and voluminous by it sheer texture, I decided to shake things up a little with some bohemian elements. A vintage granny dress wearing hippie with flowers in her hair. Yes, makes perfect sense. Well at least my artistic license reprimands that I use it to create fun looks that make the cold weather a little less dreary and thats where my Owl printed Loca Chica portfolio clutch comes into the picture. Its always easier to style staple classics. A black dress. A pair of nude oxfords. But adding a spin on a granny classic with my quirky owl print and floral wreath, this is me taking on the winters, in my full raging fashionista avatar.

Don't tell me I didn't warn you.

Wearing:
Black midi dress: ASOS
Bohemian necklace with victorian charms: Fab Alley
Tweed jacket: Mango
Oxfords: Zara
Floral wreath: Accessorize
Owl print clutch with golden flap: C/O Loca Chica India

If you are still looking for that perfectly girly clutch bag which fits right in your palm (and your budget) then Loca Chica is where you should head.

For all your love and more, I'm thankful for all the responses and love I receive on the facebook page here. Keep it coming. :)

XOXO

A starry symphony

I am truly a fan of the candid camera. Its partly because I believe that somethings just belong in their natural form and partly because an outfit post shot at a music festival should not look staged. This is my outfit from day 2 of the NH7 Weekender, Delhi Chapter and the reason I have prolonged these posts well after the Weekender is over is because some good things leave an aftertaste that we cannot help but relish long after its over. The outfit is as starry as it is bohemian which you will notice when you see the pairing of the sequinned crop top with the striped maxi skirt (good 'ol favourite) and a grey ruffled long cardigan that shares its silhouettes with the skirt. If that is not bohemian then I do not know what is. Finished off with my neon pink tasselled earrings and a messy braid, the star of the outfit are my tan bag from Youshine and the black nearly knee-length boots that stay hidden yet provide ultimate comfort when we jump to the music of the Midival Punditz. The starry symphony had just one thought behind it, Nischay Parekh's beautiful single 'I love you baby, I love you doll' that we sang along to and were serenaded by. The highlight, for those of you uninitiated was watching Mutemath live. Enough said.

Unedited, candid. Just so you know how magical it really was.

Wearing:
Sequinned crop top: Forever 21 
Striped maxi skirt: Forever New
Ruffled cardigan: Some store in Australia
Tan bag: C/O Youshine
Tassled earrings in neon pink: Diva, Australia
Boots: ASOS

Till the next time,
stay warm.
XOXO

Music and Lyrics

The funny thing about music is that it determines choices aplenty in our lives. So while we might choose to eat a fluffy sponge cake while listening to a Katy Perry track, the idea of and the music by someone like The Beatles always transports me back to my time in the city of Bangalore. Its magical, really. My tryst with some of the best music has been streamlined in my head unconsciously and as soon as I am faced with that music, I automatically tune into those memories and moods. Music is omnipotent. On the first day of Nh7 Delhi Chapter, I decided to be dressed to tap my feet and twirl a little to the music of Dualist Inquiry and Nucleya and some other assorted artists. Comfortable, yet snazzy. The leather and studded elements seemed quintessential and not to be the one dressed for summer in the freezing Delhi winter, the leather and the stockings did a good job of keeping me warm.
As the electronica tunes of Dualist Inquiry merged seamlessly into the far end of Lucky Ali's strong vocals, I can safely say that a music festival like Nh7 brings you the best from all musical genres. Music, of any kind, will always blend together, come together. Much like the aztec print of my shorts' pocket comes together with the self patterned tights. Comfortably.

Wearing:

Leather jacket, old nude oxfords: Zara

Grey Teeshirt: Mango

Studded olive green shorts, retro framed sunglasses: Forever 21

Gold necklace: C/O Chic Accessorizer

Camel colored satchel: ASOS

Till the next post,

love and peace.

XOXO

The Black Swan

At some point at the horizon, the grace of a ballerina meets the devil-may-care attitude of a grunge dresser. Its the point on the scale where its difficult for the needle to tip towards either, glitter or grease. Its a melting pot of style where the lines between girlie and biker are blurred and where it becomes difficult to tell which one is more effortlessly stylish. 

This is the era of the neo-style where it is never black or white. We are never just black or white either. As a follow up to which our style aesthetics draw from different parts of us. The good and the bad. The joy and the sins. The black and the white. 

Don't try too hard with this look. Elements of these two deep ends of fashion come together seamlessly, for the contrast of the silver rivets with the tulle or the golden glitter of the ballerina shoes and smokey eyes and studded wrist wraps is almost too inviting to miss. The ballerina goes grunge with this one. Just another facet of a person who chooses to not fit into air tight compartments. Don't fall for the twinkle in her eye, for it has seen much more than the beauty of ballet. Much like the black swan. 

Wearing:

Pale pink tulle dress: Forever New (Australia)

Leather gilet with silver rivets: Forever 21

Golden ballerinas: Wanted shoes (Australia)

Aviators: Ray Ban (Nicked from Dad)

Arm party: Youshine and Fab Alley

Before I give in to the utilitarian winter fashion dynamics, here is to some whimsical, phantasmagoric styling.

XOXO

Jil Sander: the story up till now

When the news about Jil Sander leaving her eponymous label for the third time hit us in October 2012, it did not come across as much of a shock to many. Was it because of her previous choices to be a bench warmer in 2000 and 2004 because of her creative differences with the other stake holders?
Possibly. The news flash and Net-a-porter's choice of Edit story here made me decide to conceptualise this ode to the work of a designer whose USP lies in clean cuts, minimalist designs and great work with fabrics. So this fall-winter, there is something we could all borrow from Jil Sander's style aesthetic. Be it the chunky knit sweaters or the cleanly tailored pencil skirt with the unexpected gold trim. Jil Sander's designs have come a long way from being purely androgynous to now throwing in bursts of colour and unexpected winging as she goes along. If anyone knows how to do clean, flawless cuts it is her. Here is to mastered tailoring and a starry eyed fashion girl's fall lust list.

Wool skirt with the metallic gold trim source

Cashmere sweater source

Silk blend double breasted jacket source

Ankle boots with block heel source

In my opinion, if its a Jil Sander, it has to be a comfortably oversized single buttoned coat. Or a mohair sweater. Or these boxy androgynous shoes in that polished leather that I would pair with a tweed dress. Jil Sander, thou art magic. We shall await your return, yet again.

XOXO

Youshine on twitter Contest

Is there anything we enjoy more than fun, fast evolving trends? Yes, probably a shaken martini but we won't get into the after dark concoctions here.

The coolest new trend, much like pop-up sales is hosting a twitter contest. Quicker than blogposts and its actually a lot of fun cause it is so mobile, literally.

Collaborating with one of my favourite sponsors Youshine, presenting to you a 3 day Twitter contest where the rules are really simple. The coolest part of course, you stand to win a gift voucher worth Rs. 1000 (INR) courtesy of Youshine.

What do you have to do? Of course to get you started, I am hoping all of you are signed into twitter, rearing to go. Here's what you have to do:

1. Follow Youshine and FTLOFAOT on twitter.
2. Once you have done that, pick your favourite item from the Youshine website and tweet "Love this product from @Youshinein *insert link to your favourite product*" Do not forget to tag Shreya_1 (thats me) in the tweet too. Also, please use (hashtag) #youshinein to help us track your tweets.
3. There is no third step. :)

So get cracking, pick your favourite product and tweet about it as explained above, tagging Youshine and me in the tweet, alongwith the correct #youshinein.

One of you will be the lucky winner, picked at the end of 3 days.

This contest is open to all Indian residents and ends on 25th October, 12 a.m.

Good luck. 

XOXO

Shopping at Youshine: A review

Having been a shopper at Youshine for about a year now, this post has long been due. The idea behind reviewing the services of some of the most popular online/offline retail outlets is to ensure that my readers make an informed choice. The idea also is to create awareness about the options in the market because as consumers we are entitled to the best quality and the best bargains.
My most favourite aspect of shopping at Youshine is the fact that they add new products every week. They have an interesting mix of new-age edgy styles and some old classics that never go out of fashion.  Their forte, in my opinion is the mixed bag of jewelry they do. Any trend that hits the market and a very affordable version of that is mostly available with them within a few weeks. A shopper has all the payment options of course, including cash on delivery. The delivery of your shopped items is made within the next 3-4 days and it has never exceeded that for me. What is also amazing and needs to definitely be mentioned here is the fact that never, in a year's time have I ever had to get in touch with customer care at Youshine concerning any delay, wrong item or loss of a package. That in my opinion definitely makes for a great shopping experience.
Will I continue to shop there? Yes.
Will I recommend it to others? A sure yes.
A sneak peek into my latest purchases from Youshine. Bauble bar. :)

Find them on Facebook and also find their stores in your city here.

XOXO

Scarlet and Emerald

The winter is fast approaching and along with the smoggy silhouettes of the Diwali crackers appearing in the sky, we are ready to take baby steps towards what I call, 'bundling up'.
While I will never claim to be an expert at doing casual fashion with brilliance, blogging makes you adventurous when it comes to your sartorial choices. With the right pinterest inspirations and with just the right about amount of inspiration from the Man Repeller herself, I decided to partake in the fall fashion romance, casual style. It helps that I still decided to add a little bit of classic me in it via the multi-colored (dominated by shades of scarlet and emerald), paisley printed Kashmiri scarf sent over to me by the lovely folks at KCS Kashmir Shawl Emporium. Dilliwalas who love scarves and pieces of fine Kashmiri apparel as much as I do, head over to their store in Janpath. The rich variety of Pashminas will definitely not disappoint. :)
If there is one thing that I have learned about transforming day looks to night, a bright lipstick and some jewelry usually do the trick. My dennis crystal earrings from Outhouse are intricately ornamental and the right amount of bling for me to pull my hair back, even at night.
As the days become shorter and the nights become longer, the warm tones get exchanged for the cooler tones, the sparkling mojitos in mason jars are replaced by large mugs of hot chocolate. Make that extra large with marshmallows on the side.

Wearing:
Tee: Mango
Ripped skinnies: Diesel
Nude clutch: Aldo
Spiked pumps: Zara
Gold rings: Forever 21 and ASOS
Scarf: C/O KCS Kashmir Shawl Emporium
Earrings: Outhouse at Pernia's Pop-up shop

Love and wishes for all the festivities ahead of you.
XOXO