Rising Colors: Bag

Showing posts with label Bag. Show all posts

April 9, 2014

Mixing Textures Grunge Style

Was I successfully able to create a 90’s Grunge look? Well I guess so.. hmmm.. more or less!! This is definitely not me, but it is fun playing up sometimes.. Doing what you never thought you would!
On other note, it appears Spring brings a lot more opportunities of celebrations in D.C. We have this one month long carnival going on in our neighborhood. There are rides, food stalls, games, and lots and lots of children as the main visitors. I myself don’t mind enjoying a few rides and eating those Twinkies, corn dogs etc.
On Sunday we decided to go and just have fun! We ate soooo much that evening.. Haha! We rarely do that.. It was a good street side food though..
But then, once we were back home.. we kept cursing ourselves for indulging too much.. Haha.. (the usual story of foodies like us)..

I thought of dressing up in an unusual way considering we were going out to a local fair anyways.. So I pulled my hair back, wore an old mini dress (first wore here, then here) plus the black leather jacket (which is kind-a bad ass in itself) and my comfortable leather boots. Red lips were a last minute touch to break the black and white color code. What do you think about a grunge look? Like it.. don’t like it? Tell me now!

April 7, 2014

Blossoms

So much has happened this past weekend. Where do I begin?? OK, so the weather was kind of good. I won’t call it a proper Spring weather, since I know what Spring feels like, but still let’s give it 6 points out of 10. Ha!
We recently came to know about the colorful Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. I know the cherries have not blossomed fully yet, but we decided to go anyways. What a wonderful day we spent in the park with live music, lots of people, the hush-hush of children playing and running! It was like we are out for a picnic or something! It was a lovely experience for us.. Some things stay with you forever, and this was surely one of them.

So this all-women band was playing in the park. Their band is known by the name of Batala Washington percussion group. They play Brazilian music on these big drums which they hang on their hips. Not only that, they dance while playing too. The special part was their colorful costumes. They looked so cheerful and fabulous in those red and white colors. They played like about 5 - 6 songs (which was kind-a like 2 hours or so..) and people were enjoying, dancing to their music, clapping, grooving…!! It was some crazy fun performance.. These girls are normal people just like you and me.. They practice five hours on Saturdays. That’s what the cute instructor told us and also invited us to join the group. No rules, no restrictions – all are invited! I was ‘this’ close to joining them but then I thought of 5 hours of practice on Weekends and I thought there you go my travel plans.. Huh!! Anyways.. May be someday.. I will join some group like that.. How much fun it would be!

I wore a denim jumpsuit and my favorite white jacket which I refuse to part ways with – until it becomes super-hot and sunny in my city (which doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon). I also wore sandals that day (for a change).. and trust me, it felt like it's been ages since I wore something open-toed out in the sun! But then, it was not a very wise decision I would say, since by the time the sun was setting, my feet were cold.. so we usually rush home in such cases.. haha!
Anyways.. my weekend went quite well, how was yours?

March 18, 2014

Printed Denim Jacket

I am an Indian (born and brought up in India) and in my head March = Spring. Though that might not be the case in other parts of the world, and certainly not where I am living right now, but a girl can only hope!
Anyways.. I bought this jacket like 3 weeks ago and have been waiting for it to get sunnier so that I could wear it. (I know – it’s the story of every fashion blogger's life)! We buy warm clothes in summer and wait for Autumn/Winter to arrive so that we can wear them. And we do the same for Spring/Summer. No, we are not stupid people, we just like to plan ahead.. LOL.. Ha! You get where I am coming from? (here is where all my fellow fashion bloggers nod their head and say 'yes')..

Anyways.. so back to the outfit. It's the same old story - It was sunny and nice on the weekend. We (as in husband and moi) went out.. ate delicious street food.. drank coffees.. walked endlessly.. clicked tons of pictures.. secured all these wonderful moments in our memories.. and came back home dead tried! You get it? That is my weekend routine!

Putting a few extra pictures in today’s post. Why? Just cause I can.. Ha!

February 19, 2014

White in my City

Can I say that I am more creative in pairing summer outfits (than winter outfits)... since I am from Northern India (New Delhi to be precise), where summers last up to 9 months, and hence my tolerance level for humidity is quite high! No wonder I managed to happily survive in Phoenix, Arizona for more than a year..
Anyways, so back to fashion – What I am saying is that sometimes I feel short of ideas while dressing up 'these days' (specially for work) since I have to get my creative juices flowing while also making sure that whatever outfit I come up with, should be new, keeps me warm and helps me avoid shivering. (Trust me, it’s a huge challenge in this girl’s life..!!)
Hence, I have come up with two formulas! (math always works, you know!) So these days my go-to dressing includes –

A camisole + a warm turtleneck top + Skinny Jeans + a vest + a warm over-sized long coat
A basic (thin) button down or a collared t-shirt + an over-sized superbly warm sweater + Skinny Jeans + a puffer jacket

| Plus |

a scarf, leather gloves and snow-proof comfortable boots/shoes! Oh, not to forget I also like to add a chunky watch and a quirky slash neutral bag (depending on the outfit), and there you go! I am ready to be taken anywhere..!! (mind you – all this dressing takes less than 6 minutes)!!

Just like that - it's so simple. Also please note that this formula works for the casual day outfits only! It obviously does not includes dresses or skirts or shorts (since I am giving them a rest till spring!!)..
So I follow these two formulas and my winter layering never goes wrong. I don’t shiver, I don’t feel cold and I don’t jump around like a goofball wanting to run indoors.. (a girl gotta have her gears on, you see!)
On that note, I think it’s safe to say that I am officially obsessed with over-sized chunky sweaters 'these days' (remember I am a summer person..?). They feel so cozy, and so warm, I feel helpless not wearing them over and over again! Do you also have a certain piece (or style) of garment that you are obsessed with? (tell me..tell me..)
Also when I say layering is the key, you have to think creatively! Nobody wants to wear the same old boring stuff.
My advice - Pastels look so, so good in winters too! Include different colors and textures in your outfit. Wear white (like me here).
For instance a leather vest (like this) or a denim vest (like this) looks cool with a wool blended coat! Want to take a bolder route? Opt for sequins (like this one) and color-blocked coats (love this one)!
Tell me everything you have to say.. Or we can always connect on my Facebook page.

These pictures were taken on a cloudy day right after a heavy snowfall. I love how they came out! I must say - GM does an amazing job at playing the role of a fashion blogger's husband/photographer! Thank you and love you hubbs!!!!

February 13, 2014

Jewel Tones for Valentine's

I would never understand the logic behind wearing pink and red on Valentine’s Day.. I mean there are other equally beautiful colors too, which one could create wonderful outfits with, then why only stick with mainly these two colors?
Also, I am not a big fan of Valentine’s Day, however, I don’t mind dressing up (a little more fancy) that evening and going out for a romantic celebration (why leave a chance of any kind of celebration, right?)!

The pictures in today’s post were definitely not taken on a Valentine’s Day (obviously since Valentine’s is tomorrow).. We shot these pictures on a very chilly afternoon while we were out furniture shopping for our house. Since the days are so cold and gray, I like to dress up in jewel toned pieces these days. I have added lots of colors in this outfit along with neutrals. The gray coat and sneakers are helping putting the whole outfit together. The orange, the green, and the navy colors in the outfit are popping out more thanks to the gray (coat, sneakers) and navy (jeans) base.
Wearing stilettos seems like a dream these days (unless my schedule includes being indoors all the time, which is rare), hence I am gravitating more towards sneakers.
If you ask me what is the favorite part of this outfit, I would have to say my green shawl, which was a gift from my mother-in-law. I love how warm, huge and cozy it is..

Are you getting what I am saying here? Try experimenting with jewel tones for your Valentines outfit this year… think amethyst purple, magenta or cobalt blue etc. Your date will not be able to take his eyes off you!

P.S. The tiny white dots you see in the pictures are snow flakes. It started to snow and we had to jump under a roof to get the outfit pictures! Typically, we were just chilling!! :-)

October 16, 2013

Mellow Yellow

I am (very) happy to see such a positive response on my previous post. More than that, I am glad that there are other bloggers/women out there who agree with me! Great minds think alike.. {wink! wink!}

So coming back to our today’s post – since my last post was quite heavy (for some), I am keeping this one light! You are welcome..

In current news, we are flying to India TODAY! {happy dance}.. In a few hours I’ll be thousands of miles away.. far, far away from Phoenix.. However, the bad part is the hideously long journey, which feels like it's never gonna end.. blah..! And the best part is our parents would be waiting for us at the airport with their arms stretched out - wide open to absorb us in a bear tight hug! Oh, I can't wait for that moment...
For now, this is a six-week trip. Let’s see what future holds in for us next!

Anyways, I have been quite busy packing for the past two days (on that note, sometimes I think, 20 percent of my life has been spent alone in packing for trips…!!). And since this is such a long trip, obviously I had to turn my closet upside down to see what all I can squeeze in! And while doing that, I found so many hidden treasures waiting for their debut.. and this bright yellow dress happened to be one of them! It was a thrift find and the moment I came home with it (like a lottery winner), I hanged it in my closet to wear it on a special occasion. And like always, that special occasion never came and doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon! Finally this weekend, I decided to wear this dress and go shopping all by myself (you know, the last minute shopping before a long travel..). And what a lovely day it was.. I also got quite a few compliments (yes, again) by strangers!

Leaving you with this quote -

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” - Susan Sontag

Enjoy the pictures! See you in India..!!