Rome was not built in a day. And neither was a beach vacation wardrobe. Rolling eyes are we? I know. I know. The analogy seems too far fetched. But its true. At least with me. Whenever  I have dared to be ambitious enough to think  I will shop for a vacation at one go, I have ALWAYS failed. Sometimes, when on agenda, I have found it difficult to find even the right pair of slippers!!

So, we were going to Seychelles. I had known it for at least 6 months. And I planned for it accordingly. But that doesn't mean  I had everything I needed when we went there :P Will talk about that later! For now, lets see some ideas you can use to pack for that much awaited beach vacation :D

Cotton long skirts

Though shorts are definitely the most practical piece of clothing for beach vacations, they can get boring on a long one. Long skirts with slits are a good alternative. Cotton is the material to go with. Bright colors or bohemian prints can add that extra charm.

Top: Koovs.com
Skirt: Only, Jabong.com
Bag: Zara
Slippers: Accessorize

Top: Forever21
Skirt: Thelabelife.com

Ditch the fit.

Loose is the key. Its a beach vacation and you want as much air as you can get. 

Shirt: Ishaan's
Pants: Only (Also worn here http://the-enigmatic-life.blogspot.in/2015/07/summer-essentials.html)
Earrings: Westside

Dress: Fabindia

Denim shorts are a big NO! Go for colorful linens and cottons

Everyone loves their denim shorts. I do too. But they are just so difficult to dry. And given the "Water water everywhere"  nature of beach vacations (even in the air), you should skip the denim shorts. Go for linens, cottons. Add some color as well.

Top: Koovs.com
Shorts: Woodland

Top: Koovs.com (Also worn here: http://the-enigmatic-life.blogspot.in/2015/06/they-make-me-happy.html)
Shorts: Zara

White is the sexy.

White sands call for white clothes. You have got to blend with the surroundings. Though risky when entering the water, but 100% polyester is water friendly too!

Dress: Topshop, Jabong.com
Bangles: Fabindia, Colaba Causeway

Top: Koovs.com
Pants: Forever21 (Also worn here: http://the-enigmatic-life.blogspot.in/2014/10/quirky-saturdays.html)
Jacket: Ashima & Asit, Shahpur Jat
Bellies: Jabong.com

You know what I forgot for the vacation? A beach bag! Do not forget. You need one like everywhere :P

Winter is coming. And given that I am not a big fan of this season, I try and make hay while the sun shines :D Whenever I think of a new style to try on, my "Baniya" brain automatically starts answering the following questions.

1. Is it multipurpose, e.g., Friends+Partner like it OR Colleagues+Partner like it OR Mom+Friends like it? Uff!
2. Is it customize-able?
3. Is it weather appropriate?
4. Is it too impulsive?
5. Is it comfortable?
6. Is it effortlessly stylish?
And of course,
7. All in all, is it "Value for Money"?

While some of the styles definitely don't fare well on all especially #7, most styles do. The recent one in the latter category is a combination of these rust/ brown linen pants I got tailor made and the off white high neck crotchet top I impulsively bought from a Forever 21 online (free shipping) sale!!

I am just loving the elegance this particular color (Brown? Rust?) has. Its autumn-ish as well :D I wear it both in and outside office. Add in a short blazer of the same or a lighter color and its ready for the coming winters.

Pants: Tailor made
Top: Forever 21

And you know what?!! White/ off-white is not the only color you can wear these rust/ brown pants with! 

Top: Mango
Neckpiece: Accessorize

So, it was my birthday. And it was a weekday. And I took an off :D For years, on my birthday, either I was answering a quiz or an exam or was preparing for one. Now that I am working and I have some liberty with how I plan my life (rolling eyes are we?), I decided to unabashedly take an off. And what did I do when I didn't go to work on a weekday? I ate and I shopped.

I went to Shahpur Jat (my favorite favorite place these days) and with great perseverance (mine and I's), I found and shopped from House of Blondie. And true to its unusual name, this place has quite a lot of unusual and really cute pieces, e.g., a peach shirt with a peter pan collar and cup cakes embroidered over it :D For me, I bought black and white dungarees though I really wanted to buy the cup cakes shirt too (apparently birthday have budgets too :/)

They are so much fun! And so comfortable. Do try out the age old style of dungarees! 

I miss childhood. I have never taken it for granted. Unlike many people who have so many stories to tell about how they wished to be a grown up when they were small, I don't have a single one to my credit. I have always loved the attention, the licence to screw up things, to just plant myself anywhere and not move for the entire weekend and to wear cute clothes!

But I am fully grown up (height and age wise both :/) and I often hear things like, "Its high time you start acting like an adult", "You are not in your hostel to wear a kurta with your pajamas" , "You should at least know how and when to defrost a refrigerator", "You still can't visit a doctor alone?", "You still need an alarm to wake up at 12 noon on a Saturday?". What do I do? I just ignore them at will and steal my moments of childhood. However I can. To whatever extent I can. Like this one below.

I love this skirt. Its so old school. Flared. The good-morning-ma'am vibe. And its so comfortable. And if worn right, can be quite classy too. I even wear it to office with a formal white shirt. People tell me that I look like a school girl and I am not sure if they mean it as a compliment or otherwise, but I definitely like the sound of me being a school girl. For I would give anything to go back to those days of being carefree, having stupid crushes, sharing lunches, bunking periods without repercussions, going home to mom at 2 pm, playing with friends everyday, watching cartoons and well... just being a child.

Skirt: Zara
White shirt: UCB
Boho shirt: Dorothy Perkins
Envelope: Donebynone.com

Kangana Ranaut on many occasions has worn the flared skirt too!

Source: Google images

Image source: Google images

Cheers to the inner child in us!

I love colors. But I love my whites and beige too. They are just so effortless, they shout out class. At least to me. When in summers, all I want to wear is white with white, white with beige, beige with beige. You throw in a little maroon or a golden or a silver and you have jazzed up your outfit. I recently, impulsively (again on a Friday) purchased a beige dress and look how I wore it on three different occasions in three different styles.

1. Dress with a beige blazer

Have a formal lunch to go to? Partner planned a surprise birthday lunch at a fancy restaurant? Where black is the go to color for such dinners, beige is the color for such lunches. Throw on a blazer on top of it and there you have it. The blazer during summers doesn't raise eyebrows because of its soft color. It only turns heads. Been there done that ;)

Dress: Zara
Envelope: Donebynone
Blazer: Forever21

2. Dress with a belt

Belt: Allen Solly

I have always been a fan of wide belts. Be it over pants, jeans, shorts or dresses. A tan wide belt is a must have in your wardrobe. It goes with about everything. Make sure to invest in a good one as it will be needed often and for a long time.

3. Dress with a statement necklace

Neck piece: Westside

Statement neck pieces and earrings can be your saviors. A plain dress or a plain top and you just have to wear them with a big neck piece or earrings (or both but be careful) and there is nothing plain about your outfit anymore. Have a collection of Indian and western black silver and dull golden collection of neck pieces (I have one in each color and stlye) and earrings and you are sorted for most of your too-late-or-lazy-to-put-something-fancy-together days.

Enough about the beige dress eh?! On another note, I am in love with braids these days. Do try them out.