Hi y’all! It’s Monday all over again *fake yayyys and faker hi-5s to you* and before you get into the daily grind here’s a post to cheer you up!
TAN! There is something about this color…I share a connect of sorts with it! Whenever I go shopping I am drawn magically to anything Tan/brown and that’s why, when I was vigorously stalking Instagram one day night midnight and came across this Tan Bag, I knew I wanted it. Buy it, I did, and hence what better way to flaunt it than starting right here!
I kept this look really light and casual!! Pinterest is crazy about the denim and tan-bag look and I loved that idea!! So in comes the over-used over-sized denim shirt! 😋
I was looking at the security who realised we were clicking pictures and was yelling at us for it! 😀
I decided to pair my light blue denim shirt with dark blue denim jeans (what a creative genius! 😂) and decided to wear gold and brown accessories like my Peter pan collar necklace under my regular collar, my gold watch, and these brown gold sandals I flicked just for that day from the sister!
👜Coming to bag!!👜 Ba-Dum-Tssss 🎼! I loved loved simply loved the lace detailing in the bag on the sides. It’s very structured but made of very soft leather and hence I was able to stuff all the random things I carry in my handbag to work (how do men walk into work carrying absolutely nothing? How!??) It has an adjustable and removable sling and golden buckles! A close up if you wish!
Tan and lace - two things I love, in one bag!
Outfit details – Denim shirt : Thrifted, Jeans : Levi’s, Tan Bag : Bags by Anqi (Instagram – @bagsbyanqi), Sandals : Bata, Watch : Tommy Hilfiger, Peter pan collar chain : Globus, Sunglasses : Claire’s
That would be all from me folks! Hoping to add a couple of more looks styled around the versatile Tan Bag. Tell me if you enjoy the concept and tell me the colors and outfits you would pair it with. Have a great week. 💟💞💟
Upping their saree game – a feat every Indian girl wants to nail-is pretty simple to achieve. Tie your saree as frequently as possible and not be sorry about it. 😛 (See what I did there) Buhaha!
I for one love my sarees and love to explore the different ways I can tie it and the different ways I get to stitch my blouse! Thats precisely why, when Sareez – The online store approached me to do a post featuring them, I was more than willing! Upping my saree game and strutting around and getting clicked in a fabulous saree? Count me in!! 😀 For this post I chose from the WIDE collection of sareez.com a half-and-half or whats called a partly saree, where the pallu or the part of the saree I drape over my shoulder is of one color and the pleats or the fan like shape the saree takes below the waist is of a totally different color, giving it two-piece feel!
I loved Sareez.com for more than just a few reasons. Their range is just ginormous (is that a word?) and their filters are amazing – price filters, occasion filters, saree color filters and even saree material filters! Woohoo! Their quality is a next plus – right from their packing (if you are sending it as a gift to someone, you should probably remove the first “few” layers of packaging.. lol.. its so well packed! :P) and the quality of their product. I have been very skeptical about buying sarees online, but what you see is truly what you get here. Also, for a small fee they even stitch your blouse and give you the skirt required for the saree. Yayy!
This is a designer synthetic saree with golden and broze embroidery and detailing. It has a beatiful three-fourths sleeve black blouse and its a perfect party wear kinda saree. I decided to go simple on the accessories and chose this beautiful pearl earrings (twas a gift! gift! gift! 😀 ) and chose my tommy hilfiger watch and my glitter clutch!
Also, (dont laugh at me now!) in an attempt to improve my blogging I shot a video for this saree!! Sharing the link here!
These beautiful video and the amazing photos were captured by Ranjini Ramesh. Thank you so much Ranjini! This post wouldnt have been half as beautiful or colorful if it wasnt for you. :* Follow her on Insta here Here and her youtube channel here! If you want such beautiful videos done, dont hesitate to ping her at ranjini.ramesh14@gmail.com!
Outfit Details : Saree – c/o sareez, earrings – gift (I think it was thrifted in Mumbai! Correct me if Iam wrong gifter :P), Watch – Tommy Hilfiger, Clutch – PolkaDot and You (Instagram)
Thatt would be it from me folks! Have a fabulous monday (er..ok) and an amazing week too! Oh and its my Birthday! WISH ME!
Capes are one of those pieces I’d completely written off my wish list because they are always so thin and sheer and are basically attires which accentuate your curves when the silhouette alone shows off. That, or they make less fit and fab people like me look splotchier than usual because they accentuate the bumps as much as they do the curves. 😝 and then there are winter coats and capes which not me, but my city helped me eliminate as a clothing option because hey hey hey, winter is nonexistent in Chennai remember? 😂😐
That’s when this double Ikat cape came along and completely changed my opinion about capes and I’ve known no comfort ever since. 😊 It’s just amazing! What’s also amazing is the brand Just My Luck by A and M and its enthusiastic and charming owner Aruna with whom I got a chance to collaborate to present this post 😊
I’ve put together two looks with one cape. – a beach party look and an office party look, and let’s see how you like them!
Look 1 : Beach Party
This look was all about playing it cool and casual like how we would at a beach party. This cape has some beautiful pink blue and green floral patchwork along the border and that inspired me to go blue-green to match the cape. This is also the first time I’m actually posed for pictures. So tell me what you think 😀
Before we move to the next look, here’s one last picture, which obviously didn’t make the cut, but I loved too much to not include. 😝
Outfit details : Cape / long coat – Just my Luck by A & M | Blue shirt and green shorts – Vero Moda | Sandals – Bata | Necklace used as head gear (howaboudthat? 😉) – Thrift shopped off the roads of Besant Nagar, Chennai.
Look 2 : The office party
This look is a dressier version of the cape. It can be interpreted as “how you would go to an office party” or as “how you would go to a party from office” 😊 I have, here, paired the cape with a formal high waist trousers, a high-low blouse which when tucked in passes as a formal shirt and some heels. I added the head gear for some attitude… Honestly how cool is adding such head gear? (So proud of the self. 😇😂)
Outfit Details : Same cape by Just my Luck | Shirt with mild hakoba work – Nuon from Westside | High waist trousers – Marks and Spencers | Earrings and Necklace on the head – Pantaloons | Bandage Heels – Bata once again!
I had so much fun working with Aruna on this post. Its so easy and motivating when people you get to collaborate with are so full of zest and creativity. Just my Luck by A & M uses contemporary and traditional Indian fabrics like ikat, kalamkari, silks and cottons in western outfits like capes, shorts, palazzo pants, jackets, and kaftans. The founders have a love affair with their prints and colors and that’s visible on every piece of clothing they put together. Check out their collection on Facebook by clicking here or on Instagram by clicking here !!
That would be all from me folks. Watch this space for one more amazing outfit post from Just my Luck. Have a great week. Pull out those stappy heels, feel uncomfortable as hell, but walk tall anyway and take Monday headlong. 😂😉
Aaanyways! Hi you guys! As a final part of this print preview series, I bring to you quirky prints as the theme. So what qualifies as a quirky print? Any pattern which is actually decipherable and isn’t meant to be on a dress – like a face! or pineapples! or tea cups! or hair dryers (what? It’s a possibility Ok?)
All dressed for an office party! The only kinda party I attend! 😂
Since any and every unual print qualifies as quirky I’m going to restrict myself to just a few. So what you see above is a really cool tribal print bubble top. I bought this one online off an Instagram account for 300 bucks can you believe that? 😍😊
When a lot is going on in one piece of your outfit it’s often a wise idea to restrict the chaos and have every other piece quite plain. That’s why I paired that top with a red blazer and blue jeans!
Outfit details : Tribal printed Top – sugarpopssp (Instagram account) | Red blazer – Only | Jeans – 109°F | Glitter platform heels – Westside | Glitter clutch – Polka dot and you (Instagram account) | Watch – Tommy Hilfiger
Other fun(ny) prints include the famous pineapple printed crop tops and shorts which has taken over the F21 and HM market! I love them but not enough to buy them yet! 😂
Here are some really different prints I came across on Pinterest!
Typewriters have never looked this good. Agreed?
A big moustache creeps me out only in real apparently!
Also, here’s my take on these fun prints!
This is the famous iron box printed kurti my sister owns. Since she’s too busy to pose for me (😕 uh-huh) I decided to put a look book of sorts with that piece. So I paired it up with my sister’s knee length denim shorts and a pashmina shawl (my proud possession. Lol) This print never fails to turn some heads and others find it to be an easy conversation starter when she wears it. Its quirky and pretty cheap and we had no reason to not love it 😊
Outfit Details : Iron box printed Kurti – Aakriti by Pantaloons | Knee length denim shorts – Bare Denim | Pashmina Shawl – Thrifted off the beautiful streets of Delhi.
That’s all for today’s post my beautiful readers. Do you have any such fun prints which make heads turn too? Tell me! I’m all ears 😀🙉
Also, watch this space for some amazing outfit posts and website recommendations in the days to come! Have an amaze-balls weekend! 💝 Ciao!
Its Monday my dear readers and publishing this post will probably be the best thing I’ll be doing today. 😟😀 Today’s post is about a few western prints. When I think western prints I think geometry I think precision and I think formals. I don’t know why, but all that comes to my mind are these prim and proper pencil skirts and A-line dresses but let’s try and break that stereotype henceforth shall we 🙂
Houndstooth Print
The houndstooth print became pretty famous last year with it taking over the runway and many blogs too. I love (with a capital L) monochromes so I had no problems embracing the houndstooth print.
The houndstooth is literally in the shape of a houndstooth. No really. 😛
See? 😀
This print started being used in predominantly every outfit possible. Skirts, blazers, scarfs, entire dresses, etc. Since its basically a black and white (mostly) print it lends itself beautifully to bright colors like red, yellow, violet, pink and so on…and on.. 😉
This is how I styled this print!
While you get skirts and dresses with really big houndstooth prints I chose really tiny prints because..well…I’m not exactly petite and nothing gives that fact away like big prints. 😂
Outfit Details : Houndstooth shirt : Fast Fashion | Chino Trousers : Marks and Spencers | Nude Pumps : Westside | Purse : Lifestyle from Lifestyle | Shades : Rayban
Chevron Print
Chevron is basically an Multi National Company and their logo is basically two downward arrow heads. For some reason this print grew really popular about a couple of years ago and what’s more, they decided to call it Chevron, the name of the company that originally designed it. Ha.
So chevron is one all-rounder print let me tell you! It lends itself as much to outfits as it does to home decor!! Don’t believe me? Google it! Also here’s what I did with the chevron print for home decor. (Warning! This was when I used paint and canvas for the first time in my life. So shoddy painting ahead!)
Outfit wise, the chevron print again is used on any and every outfit. They are a special favorite of the shift / shirt dresses because the vertical downward arrows and lines give some amount of shape which is clearly lacking in those dress styles. I have no dress which has this cool print yet. I’ll get one soon!! 😤 After publishing this post, Nandhini, my running inspiration and reader of my blog told me she had an outfit in this Chevron print and so sweetly and readily agreed when I asked her if I could put it up on my blog! So here you go! Nandini owning the chevron in this mint and white peplum chevron top for you!
Thanks Nandini for contributing to my blog (again!) You’re a savior 💝🙏😍
Polka Dots
Polka dots is a classic. Its so 80s I feel like an old time heroine whenever I wear it. Nope that’s not same as feeling old. Nope. 😂 Polka dots are everyone’s favorite and everyone has at least one Polka dotted outfit as a matter of principle! 🙏
I have styled my polka with stripes once on the blog before.
I also own a beautiful polka dress which I am just realizing I’ve never shown you guys before.! 😱
Yes. Short hair.! 😍 so long ago!
Also, here’s how my fashionista friend Madhu satisfied her polka craving.
I love the frills on her sleeve and her choice of shoes too! Thank you Madhu for contributing to my blog. I couldn’t have asked for a better outfit or photo! Yayy 💝💝
Outfit details (mine) : Polka shirt – Thrift shopped in Mumbai | Striped T-shirt – Waves Chennai | Polka Dotted Dress – Max
Outfit details (Madhu) : Polka Cardigan – Splash | Black Jeans – Calvin Klein
Symmetrical patterns
While all things east are handmade and labor intensive, they can’t and they don’t follow much symmetry. This symmetry is more than achieved in western machine made outfits and don’t we love them. 😇
I recently bought this diamond print silk jacket from Vesa Online and here’s how I styled it again for this post.
This jacket defines style in so many ways for me. Its classy, its colorful, it’s rich in material, its Indian in texture but western in print. Ufff! I love it!
Also,going completely off topic, guess what readers? I STITCHED THAT DRESS.!! 💃🍹🍻🎶🎊🎉🎇
Yes that’s right! If you’ve been following my blog I made no bones about my stitching experiments and this dress is one of its results. Its a bit loose (I might have cringed and cribbed about how loose it is if someone else had stitched it, but now I use “bit loose” 😂) but its a labor of love and I can’t but love it two hands and two legs. This is how I styled it without the coat!
I cinched it up at my waist with my tan belt to give it some shape.
Outfit Details : Dress – Stitched by me | Jacket – Vesa online | Platform Heels – Westside | Tan Belt – Lifestyle
That’s all from me readers. Thank you so much for coming back and reading and loving my blog every single time. Have an amazing week ahead!
1. She tries varied styles. She’s does not do a Vidya Balan or a Sonam Kapoor – sticking to particular attires or sporting just international labels.
Source : minmit.com via Pinterest
2. She has through the years maintained, flaunted and made us fall in love time and again with her curls. She made us believe curls are cool. Cools are curl…lel.
Source : India times via Pinterest
3. She is not the perfect size zero nor does she particularly have the perfect legs or body but she gives a damn, throws caution to the wind and experiments anyway.
Source : Unknown via PinterestSource : Pinterest
4. She mixes prints, colors and trends like a boss.
Source : Bigindianwedding.com via Pinterest
5. When she has an occasion she dresses up, but for the other days, its simple comfortable and cozy staples you and me would be seen in that she sports.
Source : India times via Pinterest
6. She never tries too hard. When she imitates a old time fashion icon its never a “oh look at her, she’s subtly trying to be actor.x” its always a “oh look its actor x” ya she just goes all out and looks like the icon’s clone, thus paying a tribute to them rather than aping their style.
Source : Mid-day.com via Pinterest
7. Have you seen the way she answers her interviews? From not knowing a word in English and being branded as a village bell with an accent she went on to becoming such a force in English and vocabulary and diction and pronunciation and CONTENT that it was such an in-your-face to so many in the film fraternity.
Source : Indiatimes via Pinterest
8. She has recently declined to endorse a fairness cream (She was offered Rs.2 crores for it mind you) because she strongly believed color means nothing and that it would be like insulting her dusky sister, which if she could never do, she could not insult an entire nation. Read this link for more news on that!
A quick post this one! Ever since I launched a facebook page for my blog I haven’t been giving the usual life updates that I used to. Granted, I don’t lead a page3 life (not even page 16 if you ask me 😂) but it used to be fun, talking about completely random stuff. But going big means channeling and focusing on strengths which effectively put an end to these ancillary topics. *Sob. Sob.* However, here’s a “life update” I’m gonna have to give you! I’m learning STITCHING.!! Ahhhh!!! Yes its the most fun thing to do! I enrolled myself in a stitching class recently and boy am I having a ball – a cotton ball – a stitched cotton ball – hahaha! So far I’ve done a pillow cover (elementary my dear Watson!), a kids jubba, an A-Line dress (more on that later 😍) and now an umbrella skirt. Yay!
So when my teacher asked me to buy material for my next class which was going to be an umbrella skirt I didn’t quite know what print I wanted. I went shopping and a bit of picking and prodding ended with me getting a beautiful material. Add a class of sewing hemming and a lot of struggle and Ta-daaaa 😇😍🙌👇👗
I won’t say this skirt was easy for me to stitch. Especially the waist where I had to insert an elastic into a slit and sew up after that but I had fun all the same with my tailor-teacher. 😍📍✂📏😇
This skirt is basically a patchwork of odds and bits of plain and kalamkari prints which were probably in excess. It must have involved so much labor because use square you see there has been individually sewn to the next square. I got this running material for Rs.200 per meter x 3 meters. So for Rs.600 ($10) I have a lovely summery printed maxi ready!! 😍
I found a lot of Indian fabrics and prints in this skirt. Its a prettiest and the most satisfying thing I have done and/or worn in a long time. Hope you guys liked this post. Thank you so much readers for coming back and showing so much love every single time. 💝
Hi you guys! I am back (about time!) with yet another post about Prints!! Back when I did my first post – I dint think this theme through and chose florals as an individual post and went ahead with it. But then the very obvious struck me! Taking prints as a theme just brings in almost an entire genre of fashion into its purview and here I am trying to talk about prints in like four to five posts. Which is impossible. Which is not doing justice to the theme. Which is why I decided on this elaborate plan of choosing groups of prints per post and what better way to start than closest to home. So presenting to you – (cue music 😂) my take on INDIAN PRINTS! 😀
The fashion scene in India is pretty competitive (Indians – ‘nuf said) and growing. While designers love experimenting with colors and cuts there is something common across the country’s fashion industry- Embroidery!! Embroidery is so South Asian and specific to us that I bet its not even a considered as an option for the designers of the West. While prints have been prevelant from before embroidery came into the picture, the sheer workmanship and creativity one can display (and hence charge a bomb for,) through embroidery makes it a luxury and preferred favourite of the runway. So while embroidered-wear can sit snootily in the throne I am today going to embrace its less glamourous cousin Indian Prints because hey prints are here to stay!! 😀 They have been around for ages, they are at times handmade, they fit our purse strings and they are fun to work with and sport. For this post I have chosen four basic prints every Indian girl knows or should know!
Kalamkari
While I have yapped enough and more about Kalamkari on this blog to you before, heres what you need to know of what Kalamkari is all about !!
“Kalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile, produced in parts of India and in Iran. The word is derived from the Persian words ghalam (Pen) and kari (craftsmanship), meaning drawing with a pen (Ghalamkar). The “kalam” or pen is used for free hand drawing of the subject and filling in the colours, is entirely hand worked. Only natural dyes are used in Kalamkari and it involves seventeen painstaking steps.”
While in modern times, on the kalamkari dresses we wear, the parts about natural dyes and the “pain staking process” part might not be true, it is said that artisans still use their pens to touch up the lines and pictures created mechanically! So you say its handmade or nothing? Haha good for you bro, I am happy with a “fully machine made but thoda handmade bhi” tag too!
Chennaites looking for Kalamkari, the place you gotta be is Shilpi! (Nungambakkam or CP Ramasamy Road)
I have had a love affair with this Print and material right here on this blog several times before! See for yourself! 😀
Meanwhile, here’s how my favorite cousin styles kalamkari palazzo pants while vacationing in Thailand
Gosh! This chic knows to holiday in style!
Block Prints
Another traditional form of prints are block prints. This is another form of Kalamkari but its quicker and easier to make because they are block printed!
Anyone can try block printing because it works on a simple concept! You’ll know what I mean when you see this!!
Yes! We all, each one of us, could have become artisans had we had the vision mission and purpose when we were taught the highly messy, satisfying art of vegetable printing. Lel.
So blocks which basically look like this are available on etsy and amazon! Wet paint on them and plop them really hard on a fabric of your choice and you get your block print!
Block printing is widely used in India. It works really well on cotton and hence we Indians embrace it with two hands and two feet because a thing called winter is nonexistent here.
This Kurta – my all time favorite, is a really old block printed piece I have!
Also here’s how my school mate and friend Anusha loves her block prints
Anusha is giving western outfits and retail brands a run for their money by rocking New York in this block printed beautiful salwar kameez.
Nailing looks since 1990 can be a tagline for this cute fashionista friend of mine 💝😊 thanks Anusha for the contribution
Bhandhani
Bandhani is a type of tie and dye practiced mainly in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, India. The term bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit word banda (“to tie”). Bhandhini is tough process whereby a piece of cloth is tied up and covered in small loops at various places and then dyed. On drying these tied up portions are opened up and since they weren’t exposed to the dye they remain in the original shade.
Bhandhini is again a work of art special to Gujarat and Rajasthan (honestly how skilled and creative are these people?)
My friend Nandhini readily agreed to help me out with showing my readers how she styled her beautiful bhandhini saree. I love the way she has accessoried so perfectly for this saree!
How Nandhini? How do you manage to find the perfect accessories every single time 😍!
Bhandhini apart from being styled as sarees is really popular as dhupattas and skirts
Ikat
I must say I knew nothing about ikat until very recently. I call it the aztec of Asia. I saw this video about how ikat is done and it is such hard work!! Check out the video here :
Giving you the link because a) seeing it is so much better than reading about it and b) even describing the process seems like hard work for me 😐
I recently bought an AMAZING ikat short skirt and I’m surely posting about it soon. But for now lemme show you how some of the lovely girls I know styled and nailed this pattern!
Niveditha does Ikat in style with this boho type blouse. She has pulled it off with such grace and elan and she gets brownie points for such a fabulous backdrop 😍
My style crazy shopping crazy bestie preeti does Ikat in this party wear shirt and she sure has moved out of comfort zone and is rocking the look!!
While these are not all the prints that there are in India I have tried covering the main ones. Hope you enjoyed this long and long due post. Have a happy rest of the weekend peeps. Love y’all 😘
A change in weather calls for a change in theme and a change in theme based on the weather calls for us to talk about the FLORAL PRINT! Associated with spring spirits from time immemorial the floral print is close to every woman’s heart and that’s why I chose this to be the first print we discuss in the new theme!
Image source : Pinterest
Having always been a representation of the free spirited woman there is something incredibly attractive, yet easy, grand and yet not at all made up about this print!
Image Source : Pinterest
While western designers have used and over used this print for many years now, it is quite new in the Indian runway scene! A reason why this Anushree Reddy Lehenga was literally a runway-hit 😉
Image Source : Pinterest
Using florals in blouses (crop tops used by Indian women while wearing a Saree!) have been around for a little longer!
Image source : Pinterest
Designers around the world have realized that women lap up anything floral. Why else would flowers be used in any and every surface used by women? 😊
Image Source : Pinterest
(Floral headphones seriously? 😂)
So how did I incorporate this trend? Honestly, it wasn’t the toughest task guys.
No. I don’t know why I was holding onto my braid. 😑 in every single photo. Gosh. So moving on, I got this floral crop top at a Westside Sale. As I’ve said before, when it comes to crop top lengths, the struggle is real! 😰
So what was meant to be a crop top for a long- torso-ed person (see how I steer away from adjectives like tall, fit, et all?!) was in fact an almost full length top for me. Owing to this confused hemline, once again my high waisted red umbrella skirt came to the rescue! Honestly haven’t I overused this piece? The rest of the look was in subtle gold because I liked how the gold looked with my red skirt.
Outfit details : Crop top and heels- Westside, Skirt – Oasap.com, Shades and clutch – Polkadotandyou (Instagram Sellers), Earrings – Thrifted in the beautiful lanes of Mumbai!
There have in fact been other instances when I have worn florals right here on this blog! Like this one below 👇
Floral tights – Imasocool or what?😎😂
I am so looking forward to putting up some amazing posts in the Prints theme in weeks to come. And in my constant bid to make this blog more about every woman and not just me, I have already asked my friends to submit pictures of any quirky fun prints they own. I would be more than thrilled if you all would also send in pictures with any print you particularly love to frillthrillsindia@gmail.com ! Enjoy your long weekend Indian readers. I know I am going to! 💝😘
All images which don’t have my beautiful face on it are from Pinterest! 😉
What is it like when you reveal to the world you are an amateur fashion blogger? Its funny how people ask you the same set of not at all irritating questions and make not at all punch-worthy comments 😝 yes that was pun heavily intended there. :mrgreen:;) If you’ve been there done that to a fashion blogger, henceforth just, don’t. Please. 😂
1. Do you spend your entire salary on clothes?
Yes most definitely and then I steal money for food, rent, and gas. 😇 Truth be told, I try to eat my clothes, try to live in my clothes and try to shove my clothes down the gas pipe of my car and that’s how I survive. 👍😑
2. “She’s pretty self(ie) obsessed”
Follows you on Instagram Facebook and WordPress and calls you self obsessed for every post. 😐 maybe you’re obsessed about me and my obsession. How about that huh? 😝
3. You’re a fashion blogger. How can you come dressed like THAT?!? – employ a “I’m trying to be smart and funny” tone to that one.
You are a human being. How could you come into this world processed to ask these dumb questions like THAT!?! – employ “truly amazed by the beauty of life” tone to that one. 😝
4. Ho.! So that’s going on your blog next.
Gosh you smartie… 😨😱Had Einstein heard you he would have adopted you. Wonder how that smart brain of yours looks so small. As small as a pea maybe? 😤😜
5. When do you intend monetizing your blog
Ummm…I don’t know, when do you intend monetizing the sleep inducing subjects you decide to talk about. When? When? Whe….zzzz! 😴
shilpaviswesh.com 