Stylish Summer!!

Greet summer this season with 5 easy-to-do style tips

With the summer setting in, in almost all parts of India, I thought of writing something related to beauty and fashion this time. Although, this is a completely different genre from what I usually write, hopefully my endeavor will prove useful to my readers!

After the dark and cold wintry days, we are finally free to let the summer breeze cool our senses. Its summer…..so… take out all those floral and colorful pieces out of your wardrobes! Flaunt the colors and do so in style! Below are five suggestions that will jazz up your summer look and set you for the kill! Take a peek in the below list to see if you are all ready to greet summer in a stylish way!

1. Color me White! - The piece of clothing in question may be a shirt for men and women alike, but may also be a white salwar suit or a dupatta and salwar. White, being a soothing color, it will not only keep you cool if you are traveling or working in office, it will also give a soothing touch to your whole appearance. For gals, if a complete-white attire irks you, then combine darker shades of maroon, red, green or blue with a white Patiala salwar and dupatta. You can also pair a colorful kurti with white leggings.

All things said, steer clear of white footwear. White footwear tends to draw a lot of dirt and is a little high maintenance. Wearing a white footwear to work every day will also draw everyone’s attention to it, putting you ill at ease. However, if your style is ‘I-really-don’t-care’ then why not?

  (Check out the cool white salwar suit made with self-embroidered fabric)

As for men, I think a white shirt paired with a casual terri-cot or linen trousers or denims, for that matter, has become a style statement in itself. White linen trousers are cool and comfy and you may wear them to work, if you can carry it with style. A casual white tee with some cool message spread across in the front will work very well with a casual pair of jeans.

 (Check out the stylish white shirt and denim combo sported by actor Ranbir Kapoor)

2. Printed & Sequined! – All of us has in some point of time invested in a loud piece of outfit, be it a T-shirt with sequins all over it or a satin shirt or a sequined sari or a too bright and printed shirt, top or skirt. It is best to keep these pieces of outfit away for the summers. But if you are absolutely in love with these pieces and you have just the right occasion to them flaunt them; then pair them with other subdued pieces.

(A combination of the sequined top and the plain scarf will subdue the outfit and make it look cool) 

For example, guys can pair a bright satin shirt with off-white or white trousers. Similarly, gals need to pair a gorgeous sequined sari with a plain blouse preferably with a sleeveless one; this will at once move your look from a traditional one to modern-chic. You can also go for contrast with the blouse color, instead of matching the blouse exactly to the sari color. Red and green for example make for a classic contrast.

Same should be the treatment meted out to large prints and patterns all over a kurti or a top. If you have a lot of bold prints on a top or kurti you can mellow down the outfit by using a mono-colored scarf or dupatta, if you are comfortable with the latter. A brightly colored, printed or sequined trouser or skirt can thus be teamed with a nude color blouse or with a white stretchable top or tee. In all case, try to restrict the sequined pieces to evening outings or some special occasions, which will have other people dressed up too. However, large and bold prints are in fashion this season, so flaunt them as much as you can!

3. Accessorize Right! – Accessories play an important role in completing your whole look. Accessories does not always mean necklaces, earrings and bangles, it also encompasses the wide range of neck ties, cuff-links, belts and bags. This point is mainly for the gals to watch out for but why should guys be left behind! In general, Guys... pair your black or brown shoes with office formals and a similar belt to go with it.

You can stylize your casual office wear with a stylish laptop sling bag or a light brown belt paired with trousers in light hues of gray, white or beige. Red or green or printed canvas shoes are also in fashion, but this, of course, is not for the faint-hearted!

(Check out the uber cool silver jewelry) 

You can add bling to your otherwise plain white or pastel shade churidar kurta with ornate buttons or large chunky earrings in white or black metal; Silver will do just wonders. You can also add a number of bangles in white or black metal to go with your otherwise plain outfit. A lot of bangles often, interfere with the nature of your work, like typing, so you can substitute it with a sleek looking watch.

If you are not a person who likes accessories much, then invest in some colorful scarves. These scarves can be hung loosely around the neck and goes really well with Indian or western outfits. Another unique style of draping a scarf is to tie it around your handbag. It gives a careless look to your whole appearance.

 (Isn't it absolutely cool and sassy to tie a scarf around your handbag?)

4. Shady Connection! – If you are a person about town, then it will do you good to invest in a pair or two of sunglasses or shades. If you can carry it well, then pink, orange, green or purple color shades will drastically change your personality. For those who wanna play it safe, go for the good old black or brown color shades. The city stores everywhere will offer you more than a couple of designs for choice. Along with being stylish, sunglasses are very important to save your eyes from the harsh UV rays of the Sun.

 (Check out actor Priyanka Chopra's stylish shades)

Along with shades you may also like to carry a lacey umbrella or a plain old conservative one, but in a bolder shade this time, like red, orange or bright green. If umbrellas are too old fashioned for you, go for big hats or caps. If you stay near a beach then getting hold of straw hats or colorful big ones will not be a problem at all. People in the cities wear big hats only if you are comfortable with it, otherwise stick to your old friend, the umbrella!

5. Watch your Step! – The winters are gone, stack up your covered boots and shoes and bring out the flat, strappy and cute sandals, peep toes and the loafers. Before I embark on a discussion on the right kind of footwear, it is absolutely mandatory to mention that you should first get a pedicure done. Either get it done professionally or do it at home. For men and women alike, personal hygiene is of utmost importance and cleaning your footsies before flaunting them will increase the appeal manifold. Gals.... go for a change in the color of your nail polish. Paint those talons a bright red or blue or pink before you slip into your sandals and watch those heads turn!

(Take your pick from strappy colorful sandals or strappy high heeled ones) 

If you spend most of your time indoors, like that in an office, then you can comfortably go for high-heeled sandals, otherwise if your work requires you to walk and travel a lot around town then go for flat, well-fitted sandals. Comfortable footwear is a precondition to a more confident you. 

A loose, flowy outfit made of cotton or linen, with a dab of minimal make-up, a cool pair of shades and the matching pair of trinkets or bangles, and you are ready to hit the town and shock the summer Sun.! And yes… don’t forget to slip on those super cute strappy sandals! Guys… gear up your casual look this summer with cool message tees and a pair of colorful shades! Happy Summer to All….

[P.S: The above article is based on my personal research and opinion. This article is not an act of promotion or publicity and does not endorse any particular brand or product. The pictures used are only for aiding the reader to visualize the summarized suggestions.
Please let me know what you think about the suggestions in the 'Comments' section.]

‘To Do’ or ‘Not To Do’….

Was it the door bell ringing? No… all was quiet….. it was just her mind…. imagining things. The sound of the clock in the Living Room was going on at full speed. It was, as if, someone was purposefully increasing the volume of the clock. It seemed too loud. Rye held the pillow on her ears to drive out the noises. What noises would she drive out? She had a lot of things going on….and she needed to get some of it out of her system. She pulled the covers, got up and started walking towards her Parents’ room. She could see a light glowing from under the door. It meant that, may be, her father was still up reading something. Slowly she knocked on the door. She heard shuffling steps hurrying to the door. ‘Are you alright? What happened?’ asked her father worried to see Rye standing at his door at 2 in the night.

‘Nothing…. It’s just that I am scared…I don’t want to marry Papa…’ she blurted out all at once! Suddenly she broke down almost sobbing. Her father removed his reading glasses, held her hand and closed the door behind him to move towards her room along with her. He held her by the shoulders and walked beside her ‘Shh… it’s alright… you don’t have to marry. We will call off the marriage!’ he soothed his 28 year old daughter, who was engaged to be married within a few days.

‘Really…? You will do that..?’ asked Rye forgetting her tears. ‘Yes of course! Why not? We decided to get you married because Abhi and you liked each other, so we thought it was best to have you settled. As it is, you are my only child and all I want is your happiness. If you are not happy about this, we will not have any marriage… alright?’ reasoned her father.

‘No… actually it is not that… maybe…..maybe, not cancel… can we delay it?’ asked Rye apprehensively…. already confused at her father’s proposition. She had not expected him to be so supportive. A few days back, she had asked her mom the same thing, but what had followed then was sobbing, crying and blaming…. when her mom blamed her of trying to malign their family name in the society. Had she known her father would react in this way, she would have never gone to her mom in the first place. Right from her school days till the time she secured a job, she had shared everything with her father and he had supported her and also spoiled her with all his love.

‘I think, Abhi is a fairly understanding person….. he will understand why you want to cancel the marriage… isn’t it? Then in the meanwhile, if they find another bride…. he may marry her and we will find a better groom for you…. Is that alright?’ offered her father.

‘No… I don’t want that… how can he marry someone else?’ questioned Rye quite perplexed by now. ‘That is not what I want…. actually I don’t know exactly….’ trailed off Rye’s voice and she looked down. Her father lovingly held up her face and said: ‘But I know exactly…. I still see the small girl in you, who never wanted to go to sleep without hearing fairytales and stories…. It is perfectly okay to be scared, Rye…. We will miss you a lot when you are married and gone. But whenever you get married, it will be the same process and we will miss you still….. whether you marry now or later it will not make any difference….. but if you feel so, I’m okay with having you with us forever…. There will never be any marriage. And you will never have to leave us and go. For now… go to sleep and we will think it over in the morning….ok?’ he could see a childish smile appear on his daughter’s face, akin to that of a child, who has finally seen Santa Claus, and had proof that he existed.

‘What about Ma? Will you talk to her too?’ she asked her father. ‘Oh…. What about her? You don’t worry about anything… I will take care of everything…. You just get back to bed and try to sleep. We are all with you!’ Rye was relieved…. finally her problem was solved. She would not get married and Papa would take care of everything. She felt light at heart and felt her eyelids go heavy with sleep. With a sleepy smile she concluded: ‘Good Night Papa!’

‘Good Night to you too’ saying he left her room and closed it behind him. He smiled knowingly to himself and headed towards his room.

The morning was happy with bright sunlight streaming in through the curtains and cool breeze blowing from the balcony. Rye slept till late and got up around 10 in the morning. She was totally refreshed and very happy after her talk with Papa last night. As was her habit, every day before getting up from bed she checked her phone and put it off the ‘silent’ mode. While doing so, she found 5 missed calls from Abhi and a message saying: ‘Unable to sleep without you anymore. Come Soon. Love you!’ her face blushed reading the message and she got up from bed quickly. She was about to call back Abhi when she remembered the talk, she had with her father the last night. She was thinking of what to do next when the door to her room opened and her father entered with her morning-tea in one hand and the newspaper in another.

‘Good Morning….Sleepy-head! It’s almost afternoon…. Get up now?’ chided her father playfully.

‘Papa, I…. I want to talk you about what I said last night…’ replied Rye.

‘What talk? Last night? Did we have a talk? And if we did….. then its top secret and already forgotten…’ added her father with a wink. ‘Now have your tea and call back that fool, he has already called and woken up the whole house trying to reach you. I asked him to wait since you were sleeping…’ added her father almost teasing. Rye laughed out loud and mouthed ‘Thank you Papa!’

Her father kissed her forehead and added ‘Shh…don’t mention it ever….and now….. call Abhi… he’s been waiting for a long time!’

[P.S: For another interesting read check out http://wehaveastory.blogspot.com/2012/03/surprise-surprise.html ]