An intro to style...

A young friend of mine who has recently welcomed her first child into the world and is also in the process of coming to terms with a changed body shape, recently asked me the age-old question on every woman’s mind : “What kind of clothes will really suit me now?” When I rattled off my list of suggestions and started using terms like “apple-shaped”, “warm skin tone” and “nude no-makeup looks“ she asked me to slow down and started to take long laborious notes. Now, we don’t all have the luxury of time to sit and figure out the basics and all style mags are really good for is to drown us in a torrent of jargon that often confuses, rather than enlightens. Which is why today I’m talking about a recent publication that decodes a lot of the mystery around everyday style needs for today's woman. It’s called Look Stunning At Any Size and I applaud the gorgeous Parimita Chakravorty’s for making a foray into my beloved world of the regular-sized woman's style.

If you’re looking for a catalogue to the latest trends for Spring/Summer 2013, this isn’t for you. But if  you’re looking for a beginner’s guide to what might suit you and what might not, then this is a good place to start. If you have a young cousin or niece who is feeling out her first steps in the confusing world of style, then this will make a good gift. If you are thinking about a wardrobe makeover for yourself, perhaps because you’re starting a new job or because you’ve changed sizes or just because spring is in the air, this is worth checking out. For those of you who do not have the time to sit and think about what your shape is or make elaborate plans about what type of stuff will look good on you, this is an all-in-one encyclopaedia. It’s a comprehensive compilation of useful tips, common sense suggestions and lots of varied information about various aspects of appearing stylish. But what I love about this and the biggest reason I chose to write about it is that it sounds exactly like your best friend or your mum sharing with you their particular brand of no-nonsense honest advice. I think you all know the exact tone of voice that I’m talking about! . 

I'm sure we’ve all read in fashion mags that if you have a round face, sharp aviators or rectangular frames are good choices in sunnies for you, but how do you know if the chubbiness of your face means that you have a (a) round shaped face, (b) oval shaped face, or (c) a heart shaped face just hidden under a bit of extra chin fat?! Parimita holds your hand (literally!) and talks you through a process of discovering whether you are indeed big boned or not (or is that just your excuse when you look in the mirror and aren’t happy with what you see ) ; the exact proportions your face needs to be to be called round vs square and your body hourglass vs pear. The section on basic makeup, skin and hair care tips will be particularly useful to those who are new to this world or those who find the myriad of terms used in fashion mags confusing. And let’s admit, we’ve all been there at one point in time or another, right?

The book is written in simple laygirl’s English and contains a lot of the common sense that we should already have, but we often may have temporarily forgotten , such as, grown women should really not wear crocs in public and that just because you can squeeeeeze yourself into a Medium sized top, you shouldn’t!(opt instead, for the Large that won’t hug your love handles quite so tightly and will permit you to breathe at the same time). I came across a lot of timesaver tips too, such as what kind of things to include in a capsule wardrobe for a holiday. The colour suggestions are particularly useful - how to determine whether you’re a warm or a cool skin tone as well as a colour chart with the exact shades of each colour that best suit each. This is everyday chic, well-explained, ladies.

An ode to canary yellow feathers

I saw these and fell head over heels. I checked the price and couldn't believe they were just Rs 80! I wore them with many many many different outfits and simply loved the feeling of carrying around two drops of sunshine all day. Unfortunately, on a very windy day on a boat, one of these beauties flew away from me. I was devastated. But I'm hanging on to the single earring that I do have left, determined to re-live the memories associated with it for a while yet. So, this is my ode to my lost canary yellow feather earring...

Dear Canary Yellow Feather Earring,

- You were the much-hyped pop of colour that really did work. You brightened up my face when I wore navy, grey or black.

- You were the quickest way to upgrade a meh uninsipired look on to a cute one. I think you might even have de-aged me a bit (or is that just wishful thinking!)

- You were the perfect antidote to a depressing day, otherwise known as any day I didn't feel like slapping on concealer with a shovel to hide my dark circles.

- You were the lightest things I have ever worn in my ears. My ears were achingly grateful for the break from danglers that feel like rocks.

- You could be used to dress up my everyday jeans & cotton tops by matching you to my yellow handbag, or dress down a dressy dress by making you my single accessory.

- You were pretty and soft, girly and yummy coloured. In other words, a great example of cute chic!

So, your lonesome twin will hang in my accessories drawer, a bright little feathery bit, that will always bring to mind your legacy to me - a reminder forever of sunny days..   

Life is what happens when you're waiting for special events

Do you wish you looked "totally with it" on those days that you’re going to spend in the hectic & dulling work environment, running around with the kids, days worn down by the demands of the bai, the family dramas requiring handling, the date with boyfriend, the requirements of public transport - in other words, everyday life?

I'll let you in on a little secret..this confidence is not difficult to achieve. All you need to do is identify the styles that suit your body shape and voila! you are in business. The business of looking good at all times, that is.

Step 1 : Find out the colours that suit you. These will the ones that warm up your skintone, the ones that make you look/feel cheery. And no, this doesn't need to be always be pink! To get a professional opinion, get a colour consultation done by an image consultant. 

Step 2 : Identify your biggest problem areas. Yes, I KNOW you want to put tummy, thighs, bum, boobs, arms, chin, ankles, all of it, on that list. Stop! limit yourself to two body parts. The rest are "issues" that exist only in your imagination, trust me. 

Step 3 :  Identify your best features. Yes, make these two too. Faces, wrists, ankles, neck, shoulders and calves often find their way onto this list. Let's not forget the beautiful B's, eh? Yes, you might think they're saggy or flat or over-ripe, but, with the correct support, your boobs can definitely make it to the list of your best friends. 

Step 4 : Find an objective girlfriend or alternatively, just any girlfriend whom you can goad into releasing her inner judgemental b*tch (You KNOW that we all have one of 'em in us!) . Now, model on all your favourite clothes for her. These are the clothes that you gravitate to on the rare occasions when you do have time to think about what you want to wear i.e. the clothes that make you feel prrrrretty . Let her point out to you those clothes that make you look slimmer, make you look more proportionate, which disguise your flabby bits better than others versus the ones that wash you out & urge you to reach desperately for makeup or the ones that make you look bigger or older than you are. Listen carefully to her comments and observations. Use them to identify the common factors amongst the "good" clothes - that will help you to identify exactly which styles suits you and which need to go into the bin. 

Step 5 : Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand your're done!

It really is that simple. Once you know which colours and styles suit you best, make them your signature. Buy different colours and variations with that basic  style(s). Accessorize differently and believe me, nobody will realise that you're wearing the same sort of thing all the time. But what they will realise is that you're looking effortlessly stylish ALL the time! 

So invest the time and effort, ladies. Or if you want a fast and professional opinion, once and for all, you can always give moi a call. It's time to ramp up to Everyday Chic. Once you've found it, I guarantee the lady in the mirror is going to smile at you every morning .

From The Runway To MY Way

I just heard that this year's Mumbai "Winter" Fashion Week is going to be held in the first week of August. The pot of swelter that is currently Mumbai is, of course, the best time to showcase the faux fur, leather jeggings and thigh-high boots that are guaranteed to be centre-stage. 


An inordinate number of Fashion Weeks seem to be bombing down upon us throughout the year nowadays, some well known and some, well, not so much (Rajasthan Fashion Week anyone?!). And just how useful are these anyway? I'm sure that many of you, like me, looked at the pictures of the "Summer" fashion weeks held a little while ago and read the fashionistas’ blogs and thought "Hmmm, all this talk of clashing floral prints, peplums and neons, sporty luxe, sheen and edgy laser cut dresses is well and good, but how does this translate into what I'm going to wear during MY summer? 

And what the hell is the pajamas-as-eveningwear trend anyway, when it’s not adorning a model's perfect clothes-hangeresque body?”

So what are you going to pick up from the many many interpretations of these clothes that litter the racks at Zara, Mango, Vero Moda, Shoppers Stop etc (And are now infact on 50-70% sales!)? 


Are you going to be the girl who: 


A) continues to look at the hundreds of"absolute must-buys" that your Femina, Grazia, Vogue or Cosmo are showcasing and feel that all this fashion malarky is not really your thing. 


B) out of sheer fear, uncertainty, lack of knowledge or shortage of time, just skips the potential pop to your wardrobe that one single trendy item can add? The zing to your step that will make you a fashionista? Or even better, a stylista! 


C) will try to convincing herself and her girlfriends that "I'm faaaaaar too busy to bother with something as pretentious as fashion, darling!" 


Or are you going to be the babe who will find the one or two gorgeous pieces that will provide the perfect on-trend edge to the wardrobe, while being comfortable, budget friendly and of course, absoutely YOU? 


Converting fresh off the runway looks into practical wearable style is an art. But one that can be learnt. I guarantee it. And once you do learn it, it brings with it the huge advantage of making you feel incredibly superior to the lesser mortals around you. 


Now, do you want to be that girl? 

Me, wear a dress?

I have a friend who is petrified of dresses. How, you ask, could one be so scared of a few metres of cloth fashioned in a shape that all of us were very comfortable with at the age of three? Oh, but she is. Terrified, that is.

Post delivering the most adorable little baby boy, and my first nephew (well done, darling!) a couple of years ago, she has just not had the time or energy to shed as many of her pregnancy pounds as she would like. For convenience sake (and because she lives so far from me that I haven't been able to get my hands on her wardrobe to empty it out !), she has taken to hiding her voluptuous figure in long indian kurtas. If she does, at all, venture into the territory of non-Indian clothes, it's a long skirt and a long top. Hence, the severe emotional distress at the thought of a "dress". Of course, in her mind, a "dress" is what Bollywood starlets parade their starved bodies in on Page 3 i.e. very short, very tight and optionally-sleeved. 

After a lot of persuasion, I finally convinced her to come shopping with me for a dress. I won't deny that there were a few false starts - some dresses were not the right length (and she's very conscious about her thighs), some hugged her round bottom too close, the sleeveless ones were shooed away even without a trial (her upper arms have not been exposed to the world in over 36 months). She was starting to get annoyed with me. Comments about "mutton dressed as lamb" could distinctly be heard (and that was probably the most complementary thing I was called that day). But finally, we found a deceptively simple looking indigo blue chiffon dress. I bullied her into trying it on (Yes, bullying is a particular skill set of mine. I'm very proud of it.). Add some sparkly heels and dangly earrings and lo & behold, suddenly this incredibly sexy, voluptuous, just plain YUMMY being emerged from the dressing room. And every single girl waiting outside the dressing room for their turn went Ooooooooooooooooooooooh!

The colour – a gorgeous gorgeous indigo blue - was just perfect for her wheatish skintone. The a-line, knee length bottom half disguised the hips and thighs very well. The top half had a neck low enough to show off a hint of her impressive assets, yet was demure enough to wear in front of her conservative in-laws. And miraculously, even the lack of sleeves didn't matter because it was just such a flattering fit and cut. All in all, it was a dress made for her. She wore it to her sister's birthday party and loved every minute of once again feeling like the hot chick that she used to be, before she started hiding her figure in tent-like clothes, dancing her heart out on the dancefloor all evening, feeling and looking every inch the beautiful beautiful woman that she is .


And today she called me and said, Babe, I need an outfit for my son's third birthday party, so let's go buy me a dress!

The skinny bitch

In polite company, I call her my slim friend. Do you have one of those? And do you hate her as much as I hate mine? She can hoover up pizza, beer and cheesecake without putting on an ounce. Unlike me, who has put on a half kilo in last 10 seconds, just dreaming about these delights. My friend has enviably slim legs and arms, which I have stared at with envy since our teens. However, I do have the larger boobs and nipped in waist that she longs for . All in all, she's a straighter body type ; biggest con - less defined curves ; biggest pro -fewer bulges. So, how would I dress her? Why, she's the perfect clothes hangar!

Skinny chic is an enviable dream for a large majority of Indian women . But if you have the shape girlfriend, I say - Flaunt It! 

If I had my way, I would send her to work in tailored shirts tucked into low-waisted trousers with smart belts and understated jewellery to underline the look with easy elegance. Lucky cow, she can get away without needing to wear high heels because of her slim legs. A waistcoat or cinched belt will create the illusion of a curving waist on the days she wants to go the extra mile. And that's it, her smart look for the corporate world is complete!

Her party look is a sequined tank with the tapering coloured jeans. Yes, these would be the very same jeans that make my thighs look like mincemeat over-stuffed into a sausage, but when it comes to her, they just change their mind and cling to her butt in a way that makes you want to just reach out and squeeeeeze . 

And don't get me started on the casual lounging-about look she does SO effortlessly in shorts and a loose top, with maybe a couple of cute necklaces and some eye makeup.  

Only this type of body shape can carry off the high neck sleeveless military-ish tops that make girls with larger boobs look like they're ready to burst out. Combined with slim fitting jeans or carrot pants, this girl is going to look like she's stepped off the pages of a fashion mag!

Now that she's on sabbatical looking after her new-born, especially with a small post-pregnancy tummy, I would put her in linen trousers with structured tops made from cotton in the summer and raw silk in the winter.

For family ocassions, I can showcase her slim thighs to full advantage in bright lycra churidars with contrasting short kurtis in a rich broacade and some mojris.

Oh not for this girl, the need to think about slimming black or monotone outfits - she can deliver my absolutely favourite way of creating impact - colour, colour and more colour! Contrasting layers mean she looks younger or sportier without much of an effort (of course, us curvy girls need to be more careful with these).

Now who wouldn't want to be this gorgeous elegantly sexy gal?   

I dare you to ignore the Indian hips

So, frozen margarita season is well and truly upon us. Or kala-khatta ice gola season. Whichever your preference may be. To kickstart the weekend, we invited a couple of friends over on Friday evening, ostensibly, to enjoy the late evening sea breeze on our tiny balcony, but in reality to indulge my craving for fresh watermelon cocktails . As dusk approached, I scanned my closet to pick out a light summer dress to pair with the iced drinks and I realised that - but of course! I have nothing to wear. Absolutely not a thing.

You know what comes next, ladies . A scheme was hatched very quickly the following morning to “invest” in a few light and breezy summery outfits. Being the obsessive planner I am, I made a meticulous plan for the perfect summer capsule wardrobe and off I went on a Saturday jaunt to tick some items off my list.

However (and isn't there always a however?), when faced with the two limitations of many Indian women (i) a budget and (ii) a body lovingly nourished with french fries, blueberry cheesecakes, pepperoni pizza and every form of carbohydrate on this planet, my excitement-laden hope of finding lots of lovely new things turned into miserable frustration, at the fact that - Nothing Fits Right!

If the store actually stocks summery linen trousers that make it up past up my knees to encase my well-rounded bottom, the waist gaps at the back. If the waistband is stretchy and hence, fits me, the narrow trouser legs, often without any stretch in the fabric, make my thighs look like over-stuffed sausages. If the trouser legs are miraculously wide enough, the crotch area often creates an unsightly 'camel-toe' effect. If the skirt rests comfortably over my muffin-top tummy, it stops exactly three inches above my knees to show off the fat deposits that adorn my plump thighs. If I find the perfect shirt that subtly flatters my waist, then of course, it has to be popping open at the bust.

Aaaargh! I get annoyed at the sales people, I vow to lose weight (starting right now!), I think about control underwear that doesn't allow one to breathe. And the more clothes I try, the more depressed I get. So I throw up my hands in frustration, eat a Costa chocolate muffin, tell myself that its a lost cause and that aaj kal ke clothes are made for skinny under-developed 15 year old teeny boppers and just cannot suit me.

Now of course, that isn't true. I'm just a regular Indian body type, who needs to be particular about the type of clothes I wear. Unfortunately, the high street in India is largely made up of European chains - Mango, Zara, French Connection, Promod, Bennetton or its copycat cousins Chemistry, Lifestyle, Pantaloons, Cottonworld. And the problem is that many of their clothes are patterned for the French, Italian and German ladies. Rather unfortunately for them, most European sized women do not have the lovely curvy bodies that us Indian women are blessed with. We have boobs, waists and hips (sometimes more of one than the others ), whereas, European women are generally taller and more of a straighter shape than us. So doesn't that leave you with an Aaaaargh?

Not to worry. The secret to elegance in such a scenario is just a one-word password away. Tailoring. For you and me, the answer is grown-up tailoring. Leave the thin, clingy, skimpy items to the anorexic 15 year olds. Avoid the 100% cotton or the 100% lycra. All you and I need to do is to find the simple looking, but well-fitting tailored separates, with the right amount of stretch. These simple separates might look plain on their own, but once they come together in the right colour combination or with the right accessory, voila! you are the very epitome of Curvy Chic . Enjoy your curves, ladies!