the OUTFIT base

The Colours of Spring

2010-02-17T20:38:00.001-08:00

Gucci

Lanvin

Herve Leger

Ferragamo

Colours without Contours - Peter Pilotto

2010-02-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

I love dresses all over again.

Window Shopping on Net-A-Porter.com

2010-02-14T02:39:00.000-08:00

Pringle 1815

Miu Miu

Lotta Stensson

Jil Sander

Giambattista Valli

Crumpet

Alexander Wang

Thanks to Max Azria I'm ready for Spring 2010

2010-02-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

Herve Leger SS10

RIP

2010-02-13T02:15:00.001-08:00

Thank you for everything.

Gladiator Sandals

2010-02-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

Abide by the following:

1) I will not wear gladiator sandals at work.

2) I will not wear gladiator sandals with anything that flares - be it a skirt or pair of trousers.

3) I will not wear gladiator sandals that are brightly coloured.

4) I will not wear gladiator sandals if I have fat feet or ankles.

5) I will not wear gladiator sandals after five pm.

Art is Fashion

2010-02-08T03:05:00.000-08:00

I love anything old/old-fashioned, and this is especially true when it comes to art and fashion.

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley was a Victorian illustrator, and some of his work is simply divine. Some of the clothes depicted in his work are very wearable, and the drawings themselves work as great inspiration for prints.

I have also recently become obsessed with cowl necks. This is primarily for two reasons:

1) I do not like wearing too much jewelry, and so I tend to accessorise minimally.

2) I'm not a fan of prints or pleats or lace or any kind of fancy decoration on my clothes. I like simple cuts and designs.

So the cowl neck is sort of a savior for an outfit that might otherwise look very dull and boring.

Viva la cowl!

Golf Shoes

2010-01-26T19:08:00.001-08:00

Golf Shoes are awesome! I was looking at my cousin's shoes the other day and was completely smitten. They have this elegant silhouette, but because they're sportswear they're still butch and bold. I need to get myself a pair. <3!!!

Sherlock Holmes - the clothes

2010-01-22T03:22:00.002-08:00

I've always been a fan of corsets and gowns and stuff. And I loved Sherlock Holmes, because I thought the fashion was just mindblowing. I couldn't find any decent pictures, but here's the trailer, so focus on the dress.

And here's some stuff from Vivienne Westwood's AW09 that it reminds me of:

The blog is back!

2010-01-22T03:22:00.001-08:00

Here is some of my favourite stuff from Andrea Klarin.

More here.

Mumbai

2010-01-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

Adapting my New York-oriented sense of style to a place like Mumbai is not easy. The problems are many:

1) Mumbai is just too goddamn hot for boots or cardigans or scarves or knits, or even long sleeved tops sometimes.

2) The people don't like it. Okay granted, the Indians' attitudes towards western fashion are growing more and more welcoming, but only very VERY slowly and you will get stared down on the road if you wear something even remotely eye-catching.

The thing is even with these restrictions a person should be able to dress admirably well because Indian fashion, when manipulated appropriately, can be VERY becoming. Here are some of my favourite articles of Indian/Indian-inspired clothing:

The kurta. Like a tunic, only it oozes ethnicity. Classy and comfortable.

The patiala. Sort of like harem pants, only more ethnic-ey. Also surprisingly adaptable; you could wear this over a T-shirt or a tunic or a traditional Indian kurta.

The long flared skirt (something I am just too tall to pull of, but which looks fabulous on a lot of other body-types.

Mojdis. These sandals are just about my favourite part of being Indian. Love the fact that they're turned up at the toes.

Kohlapuri chappals. Classic.

Also, Indian theme sling-bags!

These seven months in Mumbai don't seem so bad anymore ;) Cheers!

Fantasy

2010-01-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Dress from Pucci's Pre-SS10:

Belt from Gucci's Cruise 2010:

Shoes from Ferragamo:

Alternative shoes from Vicini Woman FW09:

I LOVE THIS VERY MUCH!!

2010-01-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

This is where scarves go once winter ends. Prada Resort 2010. This would look excellent on flats.

Jewellery

2010-01-12T04:25:00.000-08:00

I don't wear much jewellery, because I find it uncomfortable, but I love it to have and look at. Here's some of the more interesting stuff I own.

Then, of course, there's my massive collection of nose studs, but that is for another post.

If I had all the money in the world...

2010-01-11T21:52:00.000-08:00

This outfit has been put together in collaboration with Laasya the Brilliant.

Dress from Lanvin.

Shoes from Loboutin's Resort 2010.

Belt and clutch from Gucci.

These heels look stupid

2010-01-11T03:41:00.000-08:00

But that bag is to die for. From Marc Jacobs' SS08. Love you MJ!

Okay Marc Jacobs and Michael Jackson have the same initials. I think that means something but I'm not sure what.

That is Couture

2010-01-11T00:26:00.000-08:00

Thomas Gainsborough was a lanscape and portrait artist of 18th Century England - my favourite time and my favourite place. He has this fragile technique that works really well when he's painting clothes - its adds an air of delicate, almost tragic femininity to the subject. The fashion in these paintings is just mindblowing, it really makes me wish people still dressed like that.

Aldo

2010-01-10T19:41:00.001-08:00

Out of the eleven pairs of shoes I own (I'm working on it), seven are from Aldo. I like Aldo because its the only seriously classy label available to me (in India) at a decent price. Their designs aren't all fabulous, but most of their stuff is more than just wearable.

Here's a sample of some of the stuff I own.

The Treto is a pair of bold black high heeled knee high boots, perfect to wear with a thigh-length dress, bare, over stockings or even over skinny jeans. My favourite though, is when I wear them with my thigh length green and white Zara dress and a drape-y Topshop cardi.

I have a pair of wide ballerina flats - the Markevich - which is a daring, dark almost-maroon red.

They're incredibly comfortable and the colour, contrary to my expectations, very easy to wear, probably because it speaks for itself. I love wearing it with an otherwise all black outfit - typically, a black tunic from French Connection and black skinnies from Topshop.

Then I have this pair of Rosenberger sandals that I love to wear with skinnies or leggings. The colour goes perfectly with my bottle green HnM tunic or emerald Banana Republic top.

My next conquest is this pair - called Kapetanos - that I love against all judgement.

Pink has never been my colour and I don't usually go for the pointed toes, but this is one pair of shoes that broke all my rules and then broke my heart. I'll get them once I figure out what to wear them with. Stay tuned.

Ophelia

2010-01-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

Probably one of the most interesting characters when it comes to fashion. A good blend of raw, primal innocence, and classic femininity.

Some illustrations I found:

The Belt Thing

2010-01-10T04:07:00.001-08:00

Belts complete an outfit. They are essentially that je ne sais quoi that an outfit can do fine without, but just really desperately instinctually craves.

Belts need intuition. I love writing rules when it comes to fashion, but the truth is that belts just don't follow any. I've been studying belts for a long time, and I have finally come to the conclusion that the final decision - to belt or not to belt - can only be made in the moment, on an impulse, driven by primal instinct.

Belts that give shape:

I remember as a girl I used to wear dresses that had a bow at the back. Now that bow has been replaced by bold, chunky belts that flatter the figure.

Lanvin's AW09 loves thin belts on dresses that are already quite figure-ready without them. This works because the colour of the outfit is pretty constant and basic - the belt just gives it an edge, makes it interesting.

This dress by YSL is classy, and the belt adds that raw, urban touch to it. Definitely my style :)

Similar concept, though I'm not sure who its by:

This one's worn hers over her cardigan. Not something I'd think of doing myself - this probably works best on leaner figures.

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

2010-01-10T03:16:00.000-08:00

Spring got me Sprung

2010-01-10T01:19:00.000-08:00

A lot of Gucci's SS10 looks like it belongs in the Ice Kingdom of the Land Without Sun. But to be fair its all stunning. I had no idea white could look so hot!! My favourites:

And these are some blazing greys:

And then there's some prints in orange and blue to create a nice summery feel:

Topped off with some classic, stunning black:

All in all, pure beauty. This year's going to be good.

I know rubber wellingtons are supposed to be all the rage, but...

2010-01-09T20:33:00.001-08:00

Today we will cringe at designer wellington boots. I know people love them, and I also know we need something to keep our feet dry, but I am not going to pretend I like them. You want to stay dry during the rains? STAY INDOORS, where you can keep your stilettos on without any issues.

Gucci

Jimmy Choo

Burberry

Burberry again

Okay, change of opinion. I kind of love designer wellingtons and am now wishing it was the monsoons in India.

2010-01-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Christian Louboutin has one of the best designed websites I have ever seen. Its fun, theres a lot of action, and its incredibly easy to browse, just like a good store should be.

The man is a master of art in almost all its forms.

I mean just look at the man's label:

Beauteous.

Here is something I have been recently smitten with:

Love you Loubi :)

Fashion Photography by Richard Avedon

2010-01-09T19:53:00.001-08:00

Samples of work by the master:

Stephanie Seymour in Chanel

Stepahnie Seymour in Charvet

Malgosia Bela and Gisele Bundchen in Dior Couture

Short People Clothes

2010-01-09T03:30:00.000-08:00

Today I solicited a friend of mine, who is all of five feet tall, while we were window shopping around the mall.

Now, the thing about vertically challenged people and fashion is that they present too small a frame to work within. And I don't intend this to sound mean, you know its true. An outfit that might look great on a tall person would just look like too-much-information-in-too-small-a-space on a person who was not so tall.

But while someone my friend's height might never be able to pull off knee length boots or cropped pants, they will still be able to wear high heels and thick knit sweaters better than I (standing at 6'1'') ever will.

Now even though I'm 6'1'' and my friend is 5', we share a common problem - that our torsos look too short for our legs. So in the tops arena, the rules are the same for the both of us. Neither one of us should ever, EVER, wear a top that stops anywhere above our hips.

But thats where the similarities end. While I am allowed to lavishly parade in cropped leggings and pants and flared trousers, my friend needs to stay the hell away from those and wear more skinny jeans and tights to give her legs sexy, willowy length.

We finally found her the perfect outfit, a combination of French Connection and GAP:

The shirt covered her hips and the leggings had to be scrunched up at the ankles - that added a raw, casual edge to the whole outfit. Very becoming :)!

The Ubiquity of Skinny Jeans

2010-01-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

Because skinny jeans have become almost a default setting in everyone's fashion life, when you're not wearing them, people sit up and take notice.

Here are some interesting alternatives to the far too overdone skinny jeans that could be worn with tunics, long shirts or even a nice tee:

1) Cropped pants, simple and sophisticated

2) Patterned stockings too add that bold, definitive edge

3) Tights - simple, classy and timeless

When not to wear skinny jeans:

1) when you're wearing a top that only barely reaches your hips

2) with a tight fitting tee and ballerina flats, only because its the imagination-less woman's default day-gear.

3) when you need to pretend you have curves. There's nothing more depressing than seeing straight lines all over a woman. Flares add the illusion of boot-eh, so swear by it.

The Purple Cowl Neck Jumper from Promod, Continued

2010-01-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

So I bought the jumper I was talking about (re:) and spent an hour staring at it, trying to figure out interesting outfit combinations to use it in. Then, realizing I needed professional assistance, I did some online research and found an interesting bunch of ideas. I now know I can wear this jumper...

1) on its own:

2) under a drape-y cardi:

3) over a long-sleeved top and/or with a belt:

So, all in all, brilliant investment!

Every woman should have...

2010-01-08T04:22:00.000-08:00

One pair of plain back leather ballerina flats.

These go with just about anything, be it skinny jeans or a knee length skirt. Timeless. Also incredibly comfortable.

One pair of high heeled knee length leather boots. To wear over tights or skinny jeans, with a tunic top or mini dress. Sex on heels.

One pair of gladiator sandals. For when the rest of the outfit is a little too blah.

Anything with a bow. Anything. Ballerinas, sandals, pumps, whatever. A bow, for when you need that cute, pseudo-virginal feminine touch to your outfit.

And last, but probably most important - red patent leather pumps. Because you're a woman.

The Purple Cowl Neck Jumper from Promod

2010-01-07T21:16:00.001-08:00

I can't wait until I'm in New York again so I can wear wonderful winter clothes!! So there's this Promod jumper I've been eying for a while.

Its absolutely stunning, but I keep imagining that I'm going to be very restricted in terms of what I wear it with. I have a feeling its going to become part of a standard long-sleeved-black-top + jeans/dark-trousers + jumper combination, something similar to the picture above. And after you've worn that outfit about five times, it stops being fun, and ends up at the back of the closet.

So to make sure I get my money's worth out of the jumper, I'm going to do some serious research before I actually buy it.

What can one wear with a purple cowl neck jumper? Stay tuned.

Lets start at the bottom

2010-01-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

Ankle boots are probably the most precarious item of clothing in existence. Every inch of those ankle-grabbing odes to brilliance spells death:

The reason ankle boots are so precarious is that they only go with a certain kind of outfit. Tights, flared pants, and very very rarely, cropped pants. (Please don't wear them with a skirt, thats pathetic). And for some reason they almost always seem to command attention.

This kind of thing would only work on a model:

And even then this is barely passable:

So what does a regular person with a pair of stunning ankle boots and no idea of what to do with them do?

1. ALWAYS REPEAT THE COLOUR. If the boots are black, throw on a back cardi. If they're beige, put on a beige belt. By reinforcing the colour, you're sort of welcoming the boots into the outfit, making them fit in to the family, making an excuse for them being there.

Of course black is the exception to every rule.

Unfortunately red is not:

2. Don't mistake the 'reinforcing the colour' rule as a command to reinforce the design. If the boots have a buckle, stay away from buckles for the rest of the outfit. If the boots have a design, make sure the rest of the outfit is extremely basic, unless you want to look like you've walked straight out of a Bollywood film.

3. And this rule just goes for all boots in general: Do not match them with your purse or clutch unless they are black!!

We like:

We are not fans of: