Of Kazo and a swarm of colors

When an event offers you cupcakes, take it and go.
But even if I keep my sombre attempt at humor aside, there are more than enough reasons to love the Kazo Bloggers' Meet and style event. At the onset, pointing out the basic seems only fair. A well organized and an interactive event where we definitely got to work on our fashion and style instincts. The Kazo Spring Summer Collection boasts of a myriad of the prettiest shades of neons and pastels and prints to die for. So smitten was I with the warm yellows and the fluorescent oranges, that I have to admit I could forego the monochrome trend for all those lovely clothes and accessories. Each invited fashion blogger picked their five must haves from the Spring Summer 2013 collection and a video was shot with each one of us where we explain to you, why we picked what we did with our little styling ideas. *The photographer was just short of telling me to stop yapping so much, true story*
Here are some snapshots of the activity and my Kazo picks for the season. The video shall come out soon too so you get to hear my reasons soon enough. ;)

My top five picks included:

• A lacey pencil skirt in a warm lemon
• A necklace in a fluorescent orange with gold accents
• A summer dress with small geometric print on top and a yellow skirt and a bow belt
• A classic white vest with neon pink bead motif
• A geometric statement clutch in animal print

I'm wearing: 

A sheer oversized shirt with orange pink and black houndstooth print: Vintage boutique (Australia)

Jeans: Guess

Brogues: Zara

Fringed bag in black leather: Mango

Tribal necklace with leaf and Victorian faces: Fab Alley

Brace yourself for the summer swarm of colors at Kazo and I can't imagine you would walk out without picking a couple of things.

If you liked this post then you are definitely going to love whats coming next with relation to Kazo. Get set. :)

Till then,

XOXO

Pearls and Orange

Just back from a wonderful weekend getaway, I'm bubbling with energy, thoughts and words I would love to pen down. With accompanying photographs of course. While I work on that and get set to slip back into regular life mode *groan*, I shall share some more Indian-ness on FTLOFAOT with you. This kurti pajami was designed for me by one of my closest friends, S. Definitely a piece after my own heart with the pearl and swarovski detailing, the deep back with the brocade dori and the net and gota dupatta. Also, if anything, the orange and green patriotic combination is definitely a hit this season with the ladies adorning the Indian avataar.
To match the pearls of the kurti, Youshine had this month, these stunning silver and pearl drop chandelier earrings. Not ones to miss, are they?

Earrings: C/O Youshine

Till the next post and more about the travels,
XOXO

Retro Summer

Summer outfits should be fun, flirty and feminine. Most importantly they should be comfortable. No one wants to be out gallivanting in the sweltering heat wearing uncomfortable shoes or too many layers, for the sake of fashion. I'm ringing in the Retro era ('40s to the '80s) with this heart printed shirt which I decided to tie at the bottom into a knot and these swinger sunglasses with the hipster green check. The summer staple in this outfit are the ombre shorts from Max fashions in orange. They made me think of a melting orange lolly and I knew I had to make them a summer staple. Keeping it clean in terms of accessories, I have just used my watch and the tan bag and nude oxford shoes. Definitely a fuss free summer look that I would want to play around with this season. For the women worried of the leching that the hot pants might attract, I would definitely suggest factoring in the occasion and the place you decide to sport this look at. Dress as you please, we are definitely a free country on paper but these liberal ideologies do not exactly translate into a hard and fast follow up by the state.
But that debate is for another day.
For now, channel the inner 'Disco Deewane' this summer with a hint of retro in your summer clothing.

Wearing:
Heart print shirt: ASOS
Ombre shorts: C/O Max Fashions
Sunglasses: Quick Brown Fox (Australia)
Nude oxfords: Zara
Tan bag: C/O Youshine

Till the next time,
XOXO

Baubles galore

Store reviews, collection previews are exciting under a few conditions. Either its a launch that sounds very promising or its a brand whose collections/products I have enjoyed and respected. This one definitely falls in the latter category. Youshine has been churning out ranges of jewelry and new products galore, every month and being a loyalist already, needless to say I love their products. My sure favourite amongst their scarves, jewelry, bags et al is definitely their jewelry range. Its interesting also because they take a trend and tweak it in their pieces with a lot of style. With the help of cooperative staff and an interesting collection, visiting the Youshine kiosk at Select City Walk, Saket, Delhi was definitely a hit with me. Took a little chance to play dress up with this one very interesting piece. Here's a sneak peek into some of their bubble necklaces, drop earrings, gold accented collars et al.

Style tip: Use these big, chunky and colorful gold accented pieces over bright solid colors and the more solid colored, mono-hued necklaces against the floral and geometric prints.

Wearing: Blue dress with ruffled sleeved and green polka dots- Street find (Delhi)

And for what I finally picked from Youshine this month? Watch this space. :)

If you were looking for some extra FTLOFAOT bites, you can also now find me on instagram. 

(@shreyakalra1)

Till later,

XOXO

Five Summer Lovin' products

I don't know how many of you all agree with me, but there is no cosmetic product that will give you a 100% result. There are no magic wands, nor tricks that will end all your beauty concerns in entirety. But thats just a personal opinion. However, in the last few years, I have become a little more cautious, a little more concerned about what products I use for my hair or skin. Maybe thats a part of the maturity I was talking about a few posts back. Actual concern about what is good or bad for your hair or body. Moving on, here are my few favourite products for some summer loving. After all, there is no loving greater than that of self. Okay, I totally made that up. 8-)

Lets get into the interesting stuff right away.

1. Pivoine Flora L'Occitaine Shower Gel:

I'm not an expert but this is what I have learnt. The creamy shower gels are a no-no for summers because they tend to leave your skin a little too moisturized which is good for the winters. If you have an extremely dry skin, sure go ahead. For a normal skin, a light floral/fruity quality shower gel should do the trick. For the same purpose, I picked this peony fragrance in the L'Occitaine collection, having been a big fan of their products. Summer with a hint of moisture. Perfect.

     2. Clinique Anti Blemish Solution

As the name suggests its a post face wash, cleansing lotion. Its a part of a 3-step, 3-product of the same range, routine. This is especially for skin that has slight blemishes or runs the risk of blemishes. The idea I had when I started using this anti blemish range was a thorough cleanse with no blemish of any zit that might foray onto my skin. Definitely works for me. Like I said, not a 100% but it does its job and doesn't give me a reason to change.

    3. Moroccan Argan Oil for the hair by Organix

I have raved and ranted about this magical product (close to it), on my facebook page enough so some of you would know how well this works. For others, avoiding the summer dry, lifeless frizzy hair is a one step solution with this slightly expensive but value for the cost product. You can buy the Moroccan Oil in other makes also, I chose Organix. It is available in select salons across the country amongst which is Affinity, Looks and the likes, I believe. Wash your hair, towel dry it and take two drops of this on to your palm and apply it till the end of the hair. Your hair is bound to noticeably softer and more supple. A home made therapy for softer, moistened hair in summers I use is applying curd to your hair before a shampoo. Its not gross, simply because it doesn't smell! :D 

     4.  Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion (SPF 15) by Body Shop

First important thing about this product is that I do not suggest this to women exposing themselves to a really harsh sun in the peak of summers. The summers here in Delhi have just kicked off and this sun block provides a fair amount of coverage with minimal stickiness. That is a total win win for a sunblock. It is SPF 15 and hence when the Sun gets more brutal, I will definitely recommend switching to a stronger sun block. Sadly, Body Shop does not make another product in this range so I will be on the lookout for a stronger sun block, yet again this summer. Till then the fresh sea weed fragrance and the non sticky texture has me sold on this one.

  5. Colorbar Nailpaint in 15 Exclusive (Mint color)

I have to be honest. I was not intending on buying my quintessential mint nailpolish in Colorbar. I had my heart set on Essie and despite scrounging around the internet for days on many websites, I could not find one that delivered Essie to India or otherwise had these gorgeous pastels in stock. Giving up, I found this absolutely splendid shade in Colorbar at a cosmetics store and I realized that they have some wonderful summer-spring 2013 colors. From mad pinks to yellows, they have the range covered. Affordability is also the USP since this costs about Rs.150 (INR)

Agree? Disagree? Want to use? Never using again? Whatever you think, share with me :)

XOXO

Collection preview: Chiclique

The love for fashion and other things takes you to many avenues and ever since I moved to the city of Delhi, I have enjoyed being a part of many fashion events that this city holds. It is very interesting to do some unbiased reporting of the fashion scene in Delhi and how it is evolving. Last evening I decided to attend the collection preview of a relatively new e-commerce retail outlet called Chiclique at Hotel Madhuban.
Chiclique is a venture of three fashion aficionados who decided to translate their friendship into an entrepreneurial venture. Chiclique's USP is undeniably the fact that it empowers young, fresh and promising designers who hold a certain key customer base in the market. From someone like Nida Mahmood who has already established a strong foothold in the fashion industry to interesting designer duos like Shashank and Prajwal who work under the label SP designs, the array of designers looked very promising. It was a fun evening where I had the opportunity to meet the founders who were young and vivacious, designers behind the labels and many other fun fashion people. Here are some of picks from Chiclique which I would personally recommend since they also keep an affordable price point in mind.

Namrata Kumar does pops of brights and neons and funky bling in bags.

Nida Mahmood with some interesting prints

Ritu Jain Singh does sorbet colors contrasted with neons and girly embellishments

A structured jacket with motifs by SP Designs

Samor Designs do graphic animal prints and interesting newspaper print for quirky sarees

Gayatri Chopra does box shape and briefcase bags in interesting candy colored options with tassels and sequins.

Till the next post,
XOXO

Back to the Roots

I cannot specifically point to the age where I started loving Indian fashion but I reckon it was somewhere in my late teens. I grew up believing that pretty blingy saree were for the Mothers. Or Bollywood actresses. Which is an almost true depiction of the life in the '90s. And then I grew up. I think. :P Along with the seeming maturity in my outlook came a similar maturity in fashion choices. This included developing a love for Indian ethnic wear. Having spent hours pouring over magazines in my teens, Manish Malhotra's bedazzling numbers always made my heart skip a beat. I also grew an insane amount of respect for Tarun Tahiliani's love for sophisticated bling and Sabyasachi Mukherjee's understated, Earthen bling. All bling, nonetheless.

Lately, my Indian ethnic inspirations have included the quirky and bright numbers by Masaba Gupta and now Masaba Gupta for Satya Paul too. The silhouettes, pops of colors and fun mad prints like never before.

After tracking down the history till today of my love for ethnic wear, I should tell you that it is also the most effortless look to don. I decided to skip the regular Anarkali routine for a straight cut, sharply fitted  kurti with a pajami. The neon pink with green and blue detailing was an instant hit with a neutral pajami and nude toned dupatta in net with a lighter pink and 'gota-pati' work. This piece of apparel has charmed its way into my ever increasing collection of Indian clothing.

Statutory warning: If you are about my age and you decide to make a public appearance, so to speak in one of these bright, embellished Indian outfits, you are bound to play Pied Piper to all the 'aunties' who will tell you all about how grown up you suddenly are (Duh. We call it the natural process of aging) and how it is time to look for prospective grooms for you (Yes, because wearing Indian is the yardstick to determining whether you should get married, Pfft! ). Don't tell me I didn't warn you!

Wearing: 

Stitched to wear Salwar Kameez

Watch: Marc Jacobs

Bangle or 'kadaa': The bangle market (Hyderabad)

Earrings: Borrowed from the Mother

Strappy sandals with an embellished bow: Shoe store in Bangalore

Love hearing the feedback. Keep it coming in. Much love.

XOXO