Summer Heels

With the start of summer, who says you have to ditch the pumps and wear flats instead?
Okay, I did tweet that, but I did find a great alternative, and by that I mean these wedges by Kurt Geiger.And I don't mean just any wedges, I mean THESE wedges!!
I'm not a huge fan of wedges and although I know they're summer must haves, I couldn't really find a pair that I liked. I know every fashion retailer out there is doing the structured wedge design, but I still didn't like any !!
So as I was going for my usual stroll in the park, no wait- the mall, I happened to see these babies staring at me.I swear I could hear the hallelujah chorus as I tried them on.
It didn't take me more than 2  minutes to make up my mind.

Wedges: Kurt Geiger

Also, Here's what I wore to brunch with the girls!

 

 Blouse:HM, Jeans and Bag:Mango,Wedges:Kurt Geiger

Hope you all had a great weekend!

xxoo,

Taash

Dancing in the sunshine

I've been on the look out for the perfect maxi skirt... and I'm not kidding...for almost a year now. Yes, A whole year!! I do have many maxi skirts , but I never really found "the one".

But I'm happy to say as of last month, my search has finally ended.
How gorgeous is this cotton maxi skirt? I love how big yet light it is and I love how swooshy it is. Every time I walk, I feel like I'm floating on clouds!
When I did the photo shoot for this post, I had tons of fun playing with the skirt and simply...Dancing in the sunshine!
Oh and by the way, I found this skirt in a tiny Indian boutique on a small road side shop in Bahrain!I'm so glad my mom dragged me in there with her! Thanks mommy :)

 

 

 

Skirt: God Send, Pink vest:Camaieu, Denim Vest:F21, Bag:Thrifted, Accessories: Aldo, Daisy Head band: Turkey

Its Thursday tomorrow! Yay!!!!
xxoo
Taash

Convert your Indian kurta into a dipped hem top

It's been a tough couple of days at the design office-so much to do and so little time.I have some sad news to announce soon and although I wish for it to not be real...it hurts to say that it is.
Moving on, In today's post, lets talk about Indian outfits- kurtas, kurtis, salwaar suits etc. I mean, how many of you actually wear these around?
There's so much you can do with Indian wear and here is one way how you can wear your kurta in a more trendy way, by converting it into a dipped hem top sans the fabric shears.

What you will need:

• A kurta- preferably one that has slits on both sides.
• Your awesome self.

All you need to do is tuck in the front portion of the kurta into your jeans and that's it. Its as simple as that. Add on a shiny belt, wear your favorite pair of heels and remember to accessorize well.

What I did to keep the Indian part of it alive? Stacked up thread bangles and oxidized silver jewellery and carried my Indian-ish fringe bag with bead work.

Can you tell  I'm Indian but born and brought up in another country?

 

Kurta: India, Bag:Monsoon, Jeans:Mango, Shoes:New look, Belt:Alcott

I'm actually going to put in a separate section on how to wear Indian outfits in an entirely different way. Cannot wait to share ideas with you guys!

Do leave your comments and don't forget to hit the "Join this page" button :)

xxoo
Taash

The Power Of Black

The colloquialism "X is the new black" is a reference to the latest trend or fad that is considered a wardrobe basic for the duration of the trend, on the basis that black is always fashionable.

Wearing black can signify many things, for eg: it could portray that you are feeling powerful, sophisticated, strong and independent.
Although wearing all-black often can make you look boring and washed out, if you're the one to never wear black, wearing the color can instantly make you look slimmer, taller and give you an appearance of confidence.

Don't like wearing black too much? Here's how you can make it work by adding pops of color to balance it out.

1)Black + bright color

Hot pink and black is one of our favorite combos. There's nothing better than portraying strength and woman power at the same time!You can wear a bright pair of heels, carry just a bright colored bag or even wear a blazer over your all-black outfit to make it stand out.

 

Shirt:H&M, Trousers & Peep toe pumps: Zara, Long line Blazer: Centrepoint

P.S: We love how this blazer fits!Even beats the fit of all our Zara blazers!

2) Black+bright color+white

White and black: BORING!! But wait, you can make it better by adding a bright color. White and black although a trusty combination can look very sedate as everybody out there is doing it. Set yourself apart by adding colorful jewellery, footwear or a bag.

              Tee: Mango, Wrap around skirt: From India, Sandals:Alcott, X-over bag: Thrifted

3) Black+Bright color+dark animal print

Animal prints never go out of style so use a print that's on the darker side of the color wheel and add an accent color. Hot pink and black again with a grey leopard print dress.

  Blazer, Dress: Mango, cutout heels: Spring, Leggings:H&M, Clutch: Centrepoint (who would've thought? )

4) Black+black+black +statement jewellery

Wearing black head to toe can look like you're mourning , so always remember to get creative with the hair. Add statement jewellery and killer heels to point out that you're in style, a la Audrey Hepburn.

Dress: Zara, Pumps: Miss Selfridge, Clutch: Lancome, collar neck piece: Thrifted

So go ahead and don't be afraid to wear black. It all comes down to how you decide to dress it up or down. And don't forget to remember the 3 W's when dressing up: Where,What and Why.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend, Taash certainly did.

Spread the love.

xxoo,

Taaash

Color Blocking 101

Color Blocking 101:

Even though the color blocking trend has come and gone, I still see a lot of women doing it and sometimes it hurts the eye when you see someone just strutting around looking like a walking box of Crayola.
Colorful clothes make you feel better  and can lift up your spirits instantly but you must follow the rules of the color wheel if you're going to work the trend.
Some safe combinations you can try out are Red+Yellow, Pink+Brown, Green+Yellow, Navy+Coral. When wearing black, you can coordinate with up to 3 colors.

Rule# 1: When working with two bright colors, Remember about accessorizing-Less is always more. Also, you do not want to overwhelm the look by adding another bright color on your feet.Stick to a tonally darker/lighter shade of what you're wearing already. Or you can even pick up hints from little details on your outfit and play match.
Note below how I've used the gold heel on my pumps and the gold buttons on my blouse to match my clutch with. You could also tuck in your blouse and add a lacy gold belt!
I personally love yellow and blue but it depends on the shade of the colors, really!

Blouse:H&M, Jeans and shoes:Zara, Clutch:Versace, Accessories:Thrifted

Rule# 2: When in doubt, Always look at the color wheel.Pick out the colors that are directly opposite each other and try to look for something in your closet that is the closest match.Sometimes taking a risk is good if you are very confident with yourself and your choices. 

Here I've picked out 2 shades of purple and paired it with 2 shades of green. Note how the shades differ from my top to bag,both in purple and my skirt and shoe, both in green. When playing with shades, always remember to not bring another color into the picture as it can disturb the entire look of the outfit.

Blouse:Vero Moda, Bag:Monsoon, Pumps: Zara, Skirt:Koton

Rule# 3: The break in silence. If you're looking to color block in a more subtle way, Always remember to use a basic color like black or nude. There's just so much to do with these colors. 

With nude or lighter shades always keep balance by choosing two complimentary bold  colors to go with it. Remember both the bright colors should compliment each other as well as compliment the neutral color individually.

Blue and pink sit splendidly together and look great against a pale brown.P.S: The skirt is actually a top. Its just worn as a skirt! :)

Tee: F21, Top worn as skirt:Alcott , Cutout heels:Spring, Clutch:Centrepoint

Another option is to use black.You can go as crazy as you like with black .The loudest colors and accessories can sit beautifully with black bust just make sure you've got enough black on you to distract the onlookers eye.

Here I've paired chunky black heels and jeans with pink, yellow and this gorgeous green-blue.

Rule# 4: Breaking all the above rules. At the end of the day everyone's style is their own. And its great to simply stand out from the crowd by just breaking the norms.The way you dress actually speaks a lot about yourself and every one has the right to express emotions and feelings through clothing.

Below: Jeans:F21, Scarf:Alcott, Neon bag: thrifted, Blouse:Camaieu, Pumps:New look

But remember, always mix to create a harmonious palette.

Hope you all found this helpful!!

XXOO,

Taash

Shopoholism Treat or Threat ? ........

Hope every one has been enjoying the lovely weather..... before it gets toooo hot in a few weeks.

I have been working on a few pieces recently to blog about, and then came across a very interesting article " Women who feel ignored seek out expensive fashion brands with prominent logos". Well its only natural that it's us women, who are the most addicted to shopping more than men. It is our nature isn't it-? To shop till we drop and max out all the credit cards by shopping all the expensive brands that our heart desires!

WHY DO WE SHOP ??!!

We don’t always shop because we need something ... that's is usually very rare. In fact when we need something in particular we will surely find it somewhere hidden in our closet (ha-ha), yet we choose to ignore it and have that as an excuse to call our friends in panic and go shopping.  Shopoholism can start as fun but end up very badly and dangerous, in some cases turns into an addiction like gambling, alcoholism etc., where you have no control and have to keep buying and buying and buying which WILL eventually put you in a financial rut.

Why do we HAVE to shop ?

We shop when we have nothing else going right in our day - This is one of the common reasons for us to shop. If our day is going bad, I'm sure many of you have done this, " chuck everything else aside and just head to the mall", thinking oh what the hell some retail therapy wont hurt me!! This attitude eventually leads to impulsive shopping. How many of you'll stop to think if you really need it?? Or where you would wear or if you will wear it? Is there enough space in the closet to store it? ! Not many I can assure you, according to our research almost 90% of the people have bought something or the other that they might or might just wear it once or in some cases never - It might lie around your closet for a few months or even year and then eventually goes into charity. 

Shopping spree based on our mood!  - I think this is “the” main reason for Shopoholism. We shop depending on our mood, when we have a fight or an argument with some one, we go shopping, when we feel sad, angry or depressed, we go shopping, when we are happy excited or feeling adventurous, we go shopping, hence shopping for items are highly based on our mood. Its true retail is the best therapy, at least for most of us it is. It makes us cheerful when you walk into shops and look at stuff try them on and then finally the contentment of owning it, surely changes your mood for the better. I lost count of the shoes I have in my closet and I can't recall when I got some of them and why I did! Lets just admit, that we all just love to shop, and we create reasons and excuses for it. 

 Temptations - Another major reason for compulsive shopping! We are tempted every day with different types of advertisements by retailers. Today the retail industry is highly competitive and they all keep having different sales and other promotions to attract the customers. The moment we see something that is a bargain or those shoes or dress you loved so much is on sale you have to buy ASAP, assuming the price is great or may be it will run out!! Only, in another week it has further reductions! But lets admit we will never learn, we can’t stop!! Once we set our mind to have it, there is no satisfaction until we buy it, and then we walk into another shop see a better deal a better style we buy that too!! We know this in our minds that sales will always occur every season; there will be more promotions etc., yet we have very little self-control. It’s an addiction, a weakness!!!

There are many reason and excuses we do create in order to shop! Like keeping up to the trends of the season, look different, being fashionable, end of season sales etc., but be honest with your self, out of the 100 % in your closet, how much of it have you actually just worn once or not worn at all??  I’m sure there is at least 10-20 % of clothes, shoes, accessories that you have yet to wear, or have been kept to wear “ some day “ like that part of the closet you buy assuming one day u will eventually fit into!!

We still complain every day, what to wear, I have nothing no clothes!!  There is no end to this; it’s a vicious circle!  Bottom line we love shopping, and as long as we know how to control our addiction, it will be fine, but the moment you cross the line, then its trouble. Shop wisely guys, enjoy it but be wise about 

it !

Hugz !!
X's and O's
Taash !

Bad Hair Day?

Firstly, we apologize for having been MIA for so long-We have been so caught up with our High Summer and Ramadan collection, the office is crazy,and if you come by the design office at Centre Mall, do look for us under the pile of production samples.

Today let's talk about bad hair days, where your locks decide to be plain stubborn and take over your entire look-Its happened to us quite a few times. With summer coming in, we all can expect frequent bad hair days but don't worry!! We've picked out our top 5 Bad hair day hairdos and once you've mastered the art of creating a chic look out of dry, dull, lifeless hair you will be prepared for almost anything that comes your way.

Number 5: The bed head bun
Not many can pull this one off, and although it takes a little back combing and a volumising spray, we guarantee an instant chic look right out of the runway.
Use two different colored headbands to add a pop of color in between the pouf, to keep up with the trends-color blocking on the hair. Oh we love it.
All you need to do is create a bee hive by back combing the top portion of your hair and stretch the bands around.(Always wear your elasticated band on your neck before starting). Use bobby pins to secure the second band as it may bounce off the back. Tie a pony tail, Back comb with some hair spray and just twist and pin sections of hair to create a messy bun!

Number 4: The dry shampoo
Oily hair and cant stand it? No time to shower? Here's a tip. Use a dry shampoo before stepping out. Dont have one? Use baby powder! This works just as well.
Take some baby powder in one hand and with the other hand massage some into the roots of your hair and leave for 5-10 minutes. Just before stepping out, Dust out the powder from your hair.
The powder instantly absorbs all the grease from your hair.
After the dry powder trick, always finger-comb your hair and scrunch for volume and that bed-head look.

Number 3: Plaited stories:
One of the easiest ways to get a chic look out of unmanageable hair is to go crazy with plaits! Braid them in any style- french, waterfall, dutch, fish, etc. You can also tie a ponytail, braid it and create  bun, a la SJP.We love her !!!

Number 2: The greasy look
Not everybody's favorite, but if done right , you can look like a supermodel, right out of the runway. Last season all the designers at fashion week showcased garments on models with greased hair- loose or tied up. The easiest way is to side part the hair and secure the bun tightly at the nape of your neck. Keep the eyes smoky, bronzed cheekbones and nude lips. Trust us- this is a very sexy look for a night out.

Number 1: Accessorizing the top knot:
The top knot has always been the quick fix to bad hair days. Add a headband, an over sized bow or a corsage to give a little something extra. Our favorite updo hair styles come from Dulce Candy's hair tutorial videos. You can find it here :http://www.dulcecandy.com/

Do feel free to leave us comments or some of your tips for bad hair days !!

XXOO,
TAASH :)