Color in Formals - After pregnancy

Hello peeps! While I resumed blogging in March of this year, I have till date been sharing old pics taken during or before pregnancy. This is the first photo shoot after pregnancy and I was so happy to get back to doing OOTDs! :-)

Since Varaa is still quite small, I do not go out much. And when I do go out, it is more about getting Varaa ready and me just grabbing any old thing lying around. So it was a pleasure to again dress up and think about what accessories to wear. 

I wore the shift dress in this post during pregnancy till the seventh month and now it is useful for hiding the post pregnancy fat ;-) For wearing it to the office, I paired it with a cream lace jacket, a pearl necklace and grey pumps. Added a light pink gloss and I was done. And the pop of color from the red purse. Love the elegance that a string of pearls can add to any outfit!

I will also be doing a post on how to convert this outfit into a party outfit if you need to attend a party after office. For now, I hope you like this OOTD. Do let me know in the comments!

Dress - AND

Jacket - Code (Lifestyle)

Bag - bought in Spain

Pumps - Mint Drop (bought in Japan)

Pearls - gifted by mom

Outfit of the day - Red and Black

These pics were taken when I had just become pregnant, so they are a bit old. But since I missed on putting them up before, am sharing this outfit today.

I bought this red and black dress from Forever21 especially because my mom loved it. I kept the styling simple and paired it with a black purse and black pumps. 

So what do you think of this outfit? Like it?

Dress - Forever21

Pumps - Mint Drop (bought in Japan)

Purse - Rhysetta

Necklace - Romwe

Outfit of the day - Blue polka

I wanted to make a 'Colour in Formals' post with this dress. But when I paired this dress with a cream necklace and grey heels, I loved the effect so much that I decided to forgo on the colour :)

The only is through my lips - a nice cherry pink - though this is not very visible in the pics. I paired the dress with a white and green purse with a chain strap and I was done. 

So what do you think of this outfit? Like it?

Dress - H&M

Shoes - Mint Drop (bought in Japan)

Necklace - Forever 21

Purse - exhibition in Ghatkopar

Lolita dresses at Tidebuy

Having lived in Japan for sometime, I am familiar with the concept of Lolita. I also saw quite some examples of lolita dresses in Harajuku which is the center of Japanese youth fashion and culture. 

Lolita fashion emerged in Japan in the 1990s out of Japanese taste for cuteness - the Hello Kitty type cuteness. Lolitas are immediately recognizable by their frilly dresses, lots of lace and doll-like make-up. And Japanese girls do look really cute when dressed up as lolitas :-)

Having experienced this first hand, I was quite eager to explore the lolita dresses being offered by Tidebuy. They have an amazing collection which is quite true to the lolita concept and the range is quite extensive.

So if you are interested in lolita dresses, do explore the Tidebuy website and let me know your favorites! :-) My favorites are shown below.

http://www.tidebuy.com/product/Sky-Blue-Polyester-Straps-Sleeveless-Sweet-Lolita-Dress-10961072.html

http://www.tidebuy.com/product/Elegant-Pink-Polyester-Straps-Sleeveless-Sweet-Lolita-Dress-10961104.html

Introducing 'Colour in Formals'

Please vote for me in the Kama blogger contest

People who know me know that I love colours. And so I have decided to start a series of posts dedicated to including more colour in formal clothes.

Generally, western formals (Indian formals include the salwar kameez which can be quite colourful!) include dull colours like black, grey, beige and navy blue. Of course, there are also brighter formal clothes, but generally the dull colours dominate. And I agree that these colours look more formal than say a bright green suit. But wearing only a dull grey suit can be so boring!

So my new series is dedicated to having more colour/brightness in office life ;-)

Either by wearing brighter clothes which are still super formal, or by including a hint of colour, even if it is only through a pair of earrings or a colourful bag. 

I will start with a note that I will not be very regular with these series since it is not everyday that you can include something bright. But whenever the inspiration strikes, there will be a post :-)

So I will start off the series with today's outfit which includes a top which has 5 colours in it! But I think it still looks formal when paired with fine checkered pants which look grey. I have also added lovely bright green button earrings and a light yellow tote to add more colour.

So let me know what you think of this new series and today's OOTD :-)

Top - Chemistry

Pants - GAP

Belt - road side shop in Masjid Bandar

Earrings - local exhibition in Ghatkopar

Pumps - Mint Drop (bought in Japan)

Bag - bought in Japan (near Asakusa)

Outfit of the Day - Black and gold

Like I mentioned in the previous post, I also received a dress from Choies. This dress has a PU panel at the top which looks like leather. Its a simple but elegant dress and fits very well :-)

I paired the dress with a chunky necklace, gold sandals and a yellow purse. Hope you like the OOTD!

PS: I took a longer break than normal in posting this time. This is because I am quite sick right now - have bronchitis :-( That's why I look so tired in the pics - sorry about that.

Dress - Choies

Necklace - Express (bought in Dubai)

Purse - bought in Japan (near Asakusa)

Sandals - Inc. 5

Outfit of the Day - Bright Blue + Statement Necklace

I bought this dress from Forever 21 some time back because I loved the bright blue colour and currently I am in love with pencil dresses which fall below the knees.

But this dress needed something to perk it up and I knew what it was when I received this gorgeous necklace from Choies. This necklace is so beautiful that even my in-laws and my mom, who are generally not very impressed with costume jewellery went ga-ga over it :-)

I am very impressed with the quality of the necklace, the packaging that Choies did and the speed with which this necklace and a dress I had ordered (to be featured in a post soon) were delivered. Overall, I find Choies to be a very good website for buying reasonably priced clothes and accessories (especially since they offer free shipping worldwide!). And after seeing this necklace, I will certainly be returning to Choies! :-)

With the brightness of the dress and the lovely statement necklace, I kept the rest of the styling simple, going for a white bag and nude pumps.

So how do you like my OOTD? And isn't the necklace just awesome?

 

Dress - Forever 21

Necklace - Choies

Pumps - Mint Drop (bought in Japan)

Purse - Roma (gifted by mom)

Sunnies - IDEE

Outfit of the Day - totally Retro!

Short flared skirt - Check!
Big hoops - Check!
Wide hairband - Check!
Oversized sunglasses - Check!

These pics were taken more than a month back but I did not have time to put them up!

As I was getting dressed, the idea hit me to use the matching belt of the skirt as a headband. And after that, it was all smooth going. I added the big hoops and the sunglasses for a total retro look :)

So do you like this look?

Turtleneck - Zara

Skirt - Globus

Pumps - Poolside (bought in Japan)

Clutch - Forever21

Sunglasses - IDEE

Hoops - Strawberry

Outfit of the Day - Betty Boop!

Many of you loved this Betty Boop T-shirt when I showed it in my sale haul. Its really comfy, particularly in the current hot weather in Mumbai. I tucked it into a black pencil skirt for more structure (its quite flowy) and paired it with silver jewellery and a red purse.

Would love to have your suggestions on how you would style this T-shirt :)

And of course, hope you like this OOTD :)

T-shirt - Mango

Skirt - H&M,

Shoes - Mint Drop (bought in Japan)

Necklace - Talisman's

Earrings - Infinity

Bangles - FBB

Purse - bought in Japan

Day 6: On the cruise

We boarded the cruise on Day 5 around midnight and after finding our room, having a really late dinner and exploring a bit, it was off to bed :)

On Day 6, we explored the ship (Superstar Virgo), explored Malacca (in Malaysia), the island near which the ship had docked for the day, and then came back to the ship for a bit of rest and total entertainment at night!

Day 4: Off to Singapore

For those joining in late, please see here for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.

On Day 4, we left early from Genting Highlands and travelled to Singapore by bus. It was a long journey spent mostly in sleeping. When we reached the Singapore border, we got down, went through immigration and customs and got back into the bus for our ride to our hotel.

We had an option of a Night Safari that night. We didn't take this option. I had been to the Night Safari before and knew that the experience was not all that great. So we skipped that and instead went to Clarke Quay by metro. The metro system in Singapore is really good and you can travel to most parts of Singapore through the metro.

Clarke Quay is a must visit in Singapore. As the name suggests, it is the riverside. While it is good to sit there in the evening, its a great party hub at night. Go to Clarke Quay in the evening and stroll around, have a drink and enjoy dinner at the many different restaurants (all types of cuisine) there. You can also take a river cruise which is a fabulous experience.

Dress: Globus

Day 3: Batu Caves + Genting Highlands

On Day 3, the agenda was Batu Caves and then on to Genting Highlands.

Batu Caves are natural caves which were converted into temples in 1980. To reach the caves, one needs to climb 272 steps. The steps are heavy and my suggestion would be to take it easy while climbing. You will definitely be tired when you reach the top. There is also a 140 ft high statue of Lord Murugan which is the main attraction at the caves.

It was wonderful to visit Hindu temples outside India. :) Hope you enjoy the pictures below after which I will write about Genting Highlands.

Dress - g.u. (bought in Japan), Bag - bought in Japan, ring - made by my niece, Sunnies - IDEE, necklace - H&M

Outfit of the Day - minimum stripes

Just another simple outfit I wore for mall trolling. It is a very comfortable dress and I just added a necklace for effect.

I would love to know whether you like this outfit. Also, I would welcome ideas that you have on styling this dress. In fact, I would love it! :)

A simple outfit

Today mom-in-law took me shopping to buy a dress for a festival that is coming up next week :) So sweet of her!

This is what I wore to go shopping with her - something simple and comfortable :) I love the tunic because of the beautiful detailing at the neck.

Let me know whether you like it!

Cherry Blossoms!

The cherry blossoms are blooming in Tokyo and the world is beautiful again!

Before I went to Japan, I didn't know anything about cherry blossoms. The first I heard about them was from my colleagues in Japan. They mentioned that the flowers bloom for a week once it becomes warm in Japan, and I was like ok - how come people are so excited about flowers?

But then came April 2012 and I was fortunate enough to be around for the cherry blossom season. It is like nothing I have ever seen. So beautiful, so mesmerising! I thanked God that I was around for when the cherry blossoms bloomed - I flew back to India a week after that - 6 months after I had landed in Japan.

Outfit of the Day - Print!

This is my mom's favorite dress. So I think of her everytime I wear it :)

This is also one of my go-to dresses, both comfortable and stylish. So basically I just love this dress! See below for what I am raving about :D

Dress - AND, Clutch - bought in Japan, Shoes - Mint Drop (bought in Japan), Necklace - fashionandyou.com

Outfit of the Day - Casual!

So another casual outfit to office since we are celebrating 10 years and are allowed to wear casual the whole week .. yay!!!

T-shirt - Promod, Jeans - Forever21, Shrug - H&M, Necklace - from Bhuj