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!!  :-)

Cheers!
Ritika..

Outfit Details:
Coat: Guess (similar) | Sweater: Old Navy (similar) | Denim Shirt: Levi's | Shawl: Gifted by MIL | Watch: Invicta Wildflower | Jeans: Lucky Brand | Shoes: Puma | Bag: Anne Klein (similar)

Tango with me

For  a long time, I had a love and hate relationship with cropped tops. I loved them on models, other bloggers etc. and hated them on myself. So it was more of a hate relationship from my end!
I never wore a cropped top in my life (till today)! And when I sat and thought about it, I came up with the following reasons for my hatred towards the cropped tops –

1. They suit teenage girls more than women with curves. And I have got curves. <Hence, cropped tops is a bad idea..>
2. My upper body is heavier than bottom. <See - cropped tops is a bad..bad idea..>
3. I do not have those super-toned, super-flat abs which makes the situation worse. <I already told you - cropped tops is a bad idea..>
4. It just will not suit me.. I am just not made for it. <How many times do I have to say that cropped tops is a bad idea..??>

- Well, truth be told, we all do that. We all have these preconceived notions about some or the other thing in our life (and sometimes, people). We tend to reject it by saying it’s not good enough, or its not made for me etc. even before trying!

Like my husband dislikes the idea of eating at a new place. According to him, one should not experiment with food! Eat only where you have eaten before! However, my opinion is completely opposite! I love going to new places and trying different kinds of cuisines. Hence I keep dragging him all the time to new eateries. And it always turns out good (okay fine – most of the times). We just have to give it a try!

So anyways, back to our cropped tops… I bought this orange top back in September last year from the clearance section of Forever 21 (obviously I didn't think much before buying it). And since then, it was sitting in my closet waiting for its turn to come out in the sun! And yesterday, just like that, I was in the mood of wearing something I have never tried before – something different from my usual style! I picked this top and keeping it the center piece, I styled the rest of the outfit.
- That’s the story of this cute little outfit. And I love how it turned out.

Confession – Sadly after these pictures were taken, I suffered with a wardrobe malfunction. It so happened that I was in the dressing room trying a skirt in a store and these pants got stuck in the wooden hanger on the wall. Since I did not know they were stuck in the hanger, I simply pulled the pants from the hanger in a quick motion and there you go – before I knew it, there was a big tear and my favorite pants were ruined! Just like that! The damage was irreparable, hence, I bought a skirt from the same store, put it on and discarded these pants..
<Sob.. sob.. they were my favorite..> I have already bid adieu to these pants. You are free to do so too!

Cheers!
Ritika

Cropped top: Forever 21 (similar here and here) | Pants: Forever 21 | Shoes: Sole Society (now available in brown) | Necklace: Janpath, New Delhi (exactly same) | Sunglasses: Aldo | Watch: Michael Kors | Clutch: Gifted by MIL

Maxi - The Classic Stunner

Today let’s talk about maxi dresses, or shall I say ‘I want to talk about Maxi dresses, since it's my blog and that’s what today's outfit pictures are all about’..!! pssst…
Well, anyways, you will have to bear with me, cause I have mixed feelings for Maxi dresses (like I do for SRK, but let’s leave that topic for another post).
I feel Maxi dresses are themed around romanticism and femininity. I love the way the maxi dresses impart sensuality. The fitted upper body and the flowing bottom present a likable contrast that all of us love to embrace. Here are some Pro’s and Con’s of maxi dresses -

Pros –

1. The first and the most important being – it is so comfortable! Secondly, the maxi makes you look like a Greek Goddess in a Roman style, which is a plus point, any day!!
2. If you are slim and tall, this can (read 'should') be your go-to choice in summers! Jeans is so boring now, at least for me. What do you think?
3. It gives you a sexy bohemian look, and who doesn't like that? Key tip – Accessorize with lots of rings and cuffs, and chunky jewelry for a boho look. Or keep it simple with just a watch and a simple piece of jewelry (and/or a hat) if you are not interested in taking the boho-route!
4. Its sexy! (I bet you are with me on this!). And, most importantly, it elongates the figure. That’s a Bonus!
5. You don’t have to worry about shaving your legs! Ha! Life-saver.
6. Easy washroom breaks! Do I need to elaborate, or you got it? Hope you got it!
7. Day at the beach – Use it as a cover up with your sexy bikini! You may not need to buy a separate cover-up. Voila! Money-saved!
8. Dress for work – Pair it with a blazer and you are ready for office! Ok, I agree some offices have a strict dress policy, but still, this point can be considered as a valid one! No?

Add more, people, let’s make this list going..

Cons –

1. Usually made for ‘tall’ people, since others would have to get alterations done. I know, that’s bad, very bad! Can understand.
2. Climbing up and down the stairs (wearing a maxi). Need I say more?
3. There is no chance for you to win that race (around the kids, or even if it is a spontaneous race on those weekend picnics)! Nobody likes to lose. Right!
4. Imagine it rains and you are drenched and now a long piece of cloth is clinging to your whole body and those legs! Ahhh.. nightmare!

Care to add more?

Key Tips –

• Maxi dresses are suitable for both formal and semi-formal occasions. Hence, dress up or dress down as you like!
• Bold prints look good on women with good height! Hence, if you are not that tall, opt for solid colored maxi’s (or small prints on dark colors) since, that would help in elongating your figure.
• Choosing darker colors like black, navy, burgundy will also help you look slimmer.
• The key is to accessorize! A hat, a scarf, gladiator shoes, the list is just endless!

How do you like to wear your maxi??

Cheers
Ritika

Maxi: Gap (similar)
Necklace: Gifted by MIL
Shoes: Target (similar here and here)
Sunglasses: Ray Ban
Belt: Local Shop in Kanpur, India
Watch: Fossil (similar in white)

Castles N' Coasters

I don't normally post twice in one day, but today I simply wanted to! It was an official event where the families of our office employees were invited. Since me and my husband work at the same place, we had to attend the event being each other’s families (LOL)..!

We were given a full day pass to Castles N' Coasters, an amusement park based in Phoenix, Arizona.

It was a half an hour drive to the venue, and needless to say we had some great time with friends and their families. Few of the rides were quite scary but at the end it was too much fun!

The day was bright and sunny, which is why, I chose to wear cotton shorts with my favorite high rise sneakers.

Cheers

Ritika

Blouse: UMM, Pantaloons, India

Shorts: Loft

Shoes: Forever 21 (similar here)

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Watch: Fossil

Bag: Wilsons Leather (similar here)

Hat-trick

I feel bad about missing for these days. And typically there were two reasons. One, I was tied up in few other important things of life (truly, seriously, no lies!). Second (being the prominent one) - my laziness was super active last week.

And did I tell you I watched four good movies in the past few weekends. "End of Watch" being the latest one last night. And to my surprise, the movie had absolutely no storyline, but it manages to keep you seated. A different kind of movie. The only bad part was the hand-held camera which makes your eyes roll and head pain for a little while in the early parts of the movie.

Other than that, I watched "Loopers" - a science fiction thriller. I personally liked that movie. Don't worry, this post is not a movie review post, let's keep that to some other day.

Remember, I mentioned about my affection towards skirts lately in my previous post. Hence, I bring upon to you another fun-filled 'skirted' post! Third post with skirt - It's a Hat-trick! Yayy!!

This is one of my favourite skirt, because it's color pops! Lovely orange for me :)

Enjoy and let me know what you think!!

Good Day!

Cheers
Ritika

Blouse: Forever 21 (last worn here)
Skirt: Sherry Taylor
Shoes: Bata
Bag: Wilsons Leather
Beaded Necklace: New Delhi
Watch: Michael Kors

From Long to Short

Lately I escape for a coffee all by myself. And because I don't have a car of my own yet, I take a 15 minutes’ walk to Starbucks and enjoy my evening coffee with the company of my own.

I enjoy doing this once in a while. Though I have shared the best coffee dates with my husband, but still I relish the ‘ME’ time I enjoy these days.

Well of course, there are mood swings on bad days (I being a Cancerian) when I don't feel good about anything, but such bad days are few. And I make sure to divert my mind into something creative or something that I enjoy doing, like cooking something new (from scratch) for dinner, or baking a cake, or watching a movie or simply doing a high intense short workout  (at home itself)!

Yes, my workouts give me an intense energy boost and it lifts my mood! There is no better feeling than those out-of-breath moments post workout every day!

Try it out people, I bet you won't be disappointed J

I know, I know how can I forget that I spoke about a surprise in my previous post, and I am super excited to share it with you guys! Check the last two pictures and you will know!!

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Here goes the surprise people! Yayy.. It’s a haircut. From Long to Short! I am loving this new look of mine with short hair, it is so easy to handle and I feel so chic myself! And trust me on this - Life is much easier now.

You know what, I have been wanting to cut my hair short for about a year now. Finally made up my mind one Sunday and BOOM! Got my hair chopped to an inverted bob. And here are the results!

Cheers to healthy living!

Blouse: Forever 21

Pants: Allen Solly

Shoes: Metro Shoes (last worn here)

Sunglasses: Oakley

Watch: Invicta

Bag: Wilsons Leather

Pearl Earrings: Random

You're Beautiful!

Sometimes people are beautiful.

Not in looks.

Not in what they say.

Just in what they are.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part.

You are beautiful. Your beauty, just like your capacity for life, happiness, and success, is immeasurable. Day after day, countless people across the globe get on a scale in search of validation of beauty and social acceptance.

“You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life."

Get off that scale! I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are. I have yet to see a scale that can show you how wonderful your hair looks when the sun shines its glorious rays on it. I have yet to see a scale that can thank you for your compassion, sense of humor, and contagious smile. Get off the scale because I have yet to see one that can admire you for your perseverance when challenged in life.

It’s true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!

“The human body is the best work of art.” 

Think of nature! Nature didn't need a surgery or an operation to be beautiful. It just was!

To the people who love you, you are beautiful already. This is not because they’re blind to your shortcomings but because they so clearly see your soul. Your shortcomings then dim by comparison. The people who care about you are willing to let you be imperfect and beautiful, too.

I think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness. No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.

When I lay my head on the pillow at night I can say I was a decent person today. That's when I feel beautiful.

Crying is for plain women. Pretty women go shopping :)

At last, I would like to say, a fit and healthy body - that is the best fashion statement ever!!!

Cheers

Ritika

Orange Top: AND

DIY Shorts: Levis

Shoes: Stilettos, New Delhi

Sunnies: Aldo

Watch: Invicta

Flowing the ethnic way

Skirt Power! These pictures were taken in Kanpur (my home town) before me and my sister headed to CCD for a chilling coffee and my favorite dessert - Chocolate Fantasy with hot chocolate sauce. Slurrrrp!!

Yes, I piled on some calories by this pure indulgence, but who cares, when such yummy looking things are created by God for us. ;)
A full flowing skirt enjoyed me and vice versa. I love the neck details of the orange blouse. And the colors were perfect for a summer outing.
Mr. Summer is getting fiery! So how are you going to give it back to him? - I'm going the flowy skirt way!
I have kept the accesories to bare minimum due to the humidity in the atmosphere. Just could not load on to anything! I am oh so over summers.. now.. need some rain badly.
Please do tell me, how do you like my outfit - Yay or Nay?

And yes, for pre-post teasers and other updates, please like my Facebook page.
Happy reading!

Cheers
Ritika

Orange Blouse: Globus
Skirt: Local buy from Janpath, New Delhi
Sandals: Local buy, New Delhi
Watch: Titan
Earrings: Macy's

Color Soaked

Learning is pleasurable but doing is the height of enjoyment.
So what do you think about that? Well, that was just random!

Hey Everyone!
As it is too hot here in New Delhi (Oh God, please spare us. Yes, we love thy Sun but not ‘this’ much!) I am planning a quick getaway to a hill station with my husband and friends. What a relief it would be. Actually refreshing.
Now eagerly waiting for next weekend.

Stay cool, stay fresh! And yes, keep sipping – coolers, juices etc. to beat the heat!

You can follow me on Bloglovin / Facebook

Cheers
Ritika

Top: Aadro
Jeans:  Levi's Denizen
Shoes: Metro Shoes
Bag: Wilson Leather
Watch: Titan
Bangles and earrings: Local vendor, New Delhi