Colors of Freedom

Every Independence Day I find myself wondering what freedom in that particular year's context really means. And its not a question unheard of. To put things in perspective, what is it that we are today celebrating the freedom of or questioning the lack there of. As we usher in the 65th year of India's independence, here is a penny for my thoughts.
On a micro level, what is that freedom we soak in today? And what is it, that freedom should have ideally meant to us as women in the India of 2013?
The freedom to be treated as equals.
The freedom to wear or not to wear, what we like.
The freedom to feel safe in our skin, akin to our male counterparts.
The freedom to not be judged.
The freedom to make informed choices for ourselves.
The freedom to not feel the need to be validated by the other sex.
The freedom from the shackles of the long lorn inherent patriarchy.
The freedom to be what we have always wanted to be...

Apart from the obvious play of textures I have attempted here with sequins, chiffon and crochet, I have tried to keep the make up and hair circa the '90s. Straight hair parted in the middle with a blanched face, powdered eyes and red lips. The necklace is my independence day fervor inspired piece from Voylla.com. With great customer service, on time delivery and a fine range of jewelry priced reasonably, definitely a must visit, their online store.
Wearing:
Cropped shirt with crochet patches on the shoulder: Street find (Delhi)
Sequined skirt in champagne: Dorothy Perkins
Rose Gold strappy number: Zara
Tricolored necklace: C/O Voylla.com

Till the next post,
XOXO

Fall 2013 Inventory

The endless pouring over at Style.com has been the order of the day. So much so that I have the inventory for my lust list, must haves, shall have if budget allows etc, categorically arranged in separate folders on my desktop. The crazy lady with the obsession with fashion and organizing the lust lists in order of priority. Note to self: keep these looney facts off the blog the next time.
If there were to be a list of five pieces of fall goodies that I could get my hands on the coming fall season, it would have to be these. Straight from my must-haves this Fall folder.

1. The knee high boots:

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Knee high boots are the rage this season. I cannot wait to wear mine with skirts of varying lengths and skinnies jeans. The rule: No skin.

     2.    The coats in candy colors:

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The pea coats and trench coats this season get a make over in a delish array of colors. Nobody is happier than I am. Hint: Do it a la Derek Lam, Valentino.

    3.   Plaid love:

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Plaid is back. Plaid jackets, skirts, trousers and my favourite, plaid vests for layering. This Rebecca Minkoff Fall piece is high on the trend charts and on my lust list.

    4.   Gold necklace:

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The runaway is brimming with pieces of gold jewelry and this Akong piece amongst other such is the perfect indicator for what will rule this Fall. Chunky, blingy and Indian choker inspired. Also lusting and planning to style some Indian inspired, head harness this season.

   5.    Military/olive colored bag:

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Olive colored shirts, jackets, boots and bags are the highlight of the Fall color palette. I have my eyes set on this Michael Kors Large Hamilton Saffiano Tote. An oversized sweater, tights, knee high boots and this olive green tote are the ingredients for a classic Fall, fail proof prized look. Are you feeling it?

Are you obsessing over Fall Winter collections as much? What is on your lust list? 

XOXO

Alice, Wonderland and I

The Red Queen, The White Queen and I. All sat breaking our heads together for what should be a post inspired by a book and a movie we all have loved and cherished.
Would you say I am mad? Maybe, even entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.
And if you were wondering, with my head full of dreams and hair full of glitter, where exactly are we? Welcome to my little tea party, readers.
How is this for my 'muchness'.
And if you have also always wondered why a raven is like a writing desk then maybe it would do you good to shake your head, come out of the tea pot and slay your Jabberwocky.
But if you are still lost and wondering if you have turned up at the wrong hole, then maybe this little piece of advice will be perfect to get you out of the funk:
Sometimes I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

Wearing:
Dress: Dotti (Australia)
The elaborate black and white necklace: C/O Youshine
Golden link bracelet: Colaba causeway (Bombay)
Ankle strap sandals: Forever 21

The Alice Kingsley hair, the fluff and glitter of Wonderland, the smokey eyes of the White Queen and and the pink heart a la the Red Queen. The conceptualization and the styling can be ascribed to me while the photography is my friend Sonal's.
This was a concoction of some of my favourite Alice in Wonderland quotes put together to tell a tale that is best told in my words. :)
And if you're still wondering what it is that I am *cough* consuming these days, well off with their heads, then!

XOXO

Chick lits and us

Part I: Those Pricey Thakur Girls.

If I wanted to see an exaggerated Nayak meets DDLJ, I would go back to that time and see some stellar performances instead of reading a plot bristling with weakly constructed characters.

Debjani is a lover of losers. Dylan is a hot shot journalist. Stereotyping takes another level with the use of ‘football’ and ‘playing guitar’ as the allegory for saying cool. The ‘chick lit’ as this category of light, fluffy reads for women is described, plays at two things: 1) Light read equals to absolute no brainer and 2) Cloying clichés are excusable so long as the construct of the character who employs them is hot.

Some questions begin to claw at my brain from the inception of these characters into the book. Why are the women in the book so silly? Why does the protagonist Debjani think that it is a good idea to invite the furor of the state in the most Bollywood-esque style? I am all for rose tinted glasses and love and romance but when a book fails to connect with you on basic levels like the character’s construction, it fails. And for the longest time I could not figure out what it was, was it the factual inaccuracy of the 80s that I minded so much or was it the annoying, if not pricey Thakur girls reiterating that they did not have a clue of what was really happening around them. Is it because Indian chick lits are detaching themselves far too much from the deeper meaning of romance and love? The book certainly has its funny moments and some of the lines in the Dilli vernacular crack you up but by the end of the last ‘fall from the roof on the shamiana to save chachiji act’, I could not, but be glad that this over the top circus was coming to an end.

Part-II

Enter Devil Wears Prada. Lauren Weisberger, also understood as (if not known as) the wand bearer for all things flashy and chick-lit in the American world, wrote this book in 2003. With the movie starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway as the leads, turning out to be blockbuster (and also one of my all time comfort movies), I finally decided to settle down to reading it. Two things I noticed again: 1) The movie for me was infinitely better than the book and 2) That has never happened to me before from what I recollect.

It stems from the fact that the visual appeal of an office with the sheen of Runaway, the ‘Clackers’, the shoot room with an all-access to designer fur coats, bags and boots is far more, than a trajectory created of a myriad of designer labels across the book. The movie stood for hope. It brought forth the fact that a ‘Miranda Preistly’ also had a human side which surfaces, even if for nano seconds. The book was, au contraire, a shattering of that happy bubble. Despair and misery are after all, as real as happiness.

Part-III

Revenge Wears Prada. The Devil Returns. But does she? A lot of sodden diapers, a life and magazine that clearly indicate the loss of ‘that’, that set Andrea apart from Emily or even Miranda and a presumptuous husband later, this book made me pledge never to read a chick lit again. The grim details of Andrea’s sweat and nausea are what Lauren talks most about in this book. Miranda Preistley barely returns. Apart from a swift scene or two where she promises to wreak havoc merely by looking on, there is none of the crisp Miranda Preistley soliloquy that Devil Wears Prada had, that this book offers.

Maybe chicklits are just not my thing. Or maybe, just maybe, we need better chick lits that actually make us proud to be funny, smart, sometimes psychotic and not so smart and yet real women. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed about these books in this post are strictly personal. Each to his own and the hard work of the author is obviously recognized. Thanks :)

The polka dotted line

Continuing the word play, I can sign on the polka dotted line and predict that Polka dots are here for good and not just because Newly Mommyfied Duchess Kate brought them back.

For a print that goes back to the 19th century, the polka dots sure have been around for the long haul. What is surprising and impressive is that every season, we see renditions of this trend and many a times, we just recycle the old forms of this trend. Besides, when in doubt, look at Minnie Mouse for the oldest and coolest way polka dots have become a part of our daily pop culture references.

This season, River Island did this particular ribbed skirt in polka dots of the skater style which truly seemed to have stepped right out of Betty Draper a la Mad Men's closet. Well, definitely not the cut for she would not wear a skater, but that is when we talk about my style. :)

Tried to combine the charm of the old school polka dots, layered pearls and these vintage looking sunglasses with the mass appeal vibe of brights and vests. A conceptualized mish mash, if you may.

Get cracking on your entries in the FTLOFAOT with Blueprint Coleccion giveaway on my blog right here.

Photography courtesy: Karishma of Purple Peeptoes

Wearing:

Vest with the neon detailing: Kazo

Polka dotted skater skirt: River Island (Dubai)

Layered pearls: Pierre Cardin (gifted)

Shoes: Tory Burch

Bowling bag: Coach

Sunglasses: Forever 21

XOXO

Sabyasachi for PCJ DCW, 2013

I do not believe in sharing press releases of shows that come my way primarily because a fashion show to me, is like watching a movie in a theatre. A large part of the understanding comes from the experience of watching it in size XXL. (in case of a show, live in flesh and glittery blood)
The music, the seats, the angles, the models who carry the designer's hardwork and sweat, all of these are key elements but this one time, I decided to make an exception. Not attending Delhi Couture Week, I have been glued to my smart phone for updates from FDCI, magazines and bloggers alike regarding all the shows. The moment I received the release for Sabyasachi Mukherjee's Opium, I knew this would find a place on my blog. The answer to that particular 'why' is manifold.

• Playing to your strengths, yet doing it with a twist every time has been Sabyasachi's forte. The strengths that he brings forth every time and did, yet again were the use of Indian elements. This show saw the cross of the aesthetics of the Mughal era combined with the charm of the flapper era, circa the '20s. Sabyasachi brings Gatsby to the Indian bride.
• The use of French lace and the vintage floral prints in the combination of grey and red and grey and blue. If you have been a follower for a while, you would know that if you give me lace, I am sold. But when its lace adorned with applique work of the finest form on sarees and billowing vouminous skirts, I am sold +1.
• What is it about the delicate golden embroidery and the pagdis that made the quilted sherwanis for the men work. The answer lies therein. 
• I did not particularly like the choice of shoes being open-toed clogs, in certain combination of salwar kameez that were truly stunning. The glitter embossed clogs were a bit of a drag in there.
• The dark eyes and minimal make up along with the sheen of a thousand mirrors on the palettes of ivory, gold, champagne and soft browns and reds, this truly was a Sabyasachi fan's delight.

Some of my favourite looks from the show. Images courtesy: Press release

The giveaway on the blog is up and running, so get going and enter it here to win the stunning Blueprint Dress.

Till then,

XOXO