An ode to canary yellow feathers

I saw these and fell head over heels. I checked the price and couldn't believe they were just Rs 80! I wore them with many many many different outfits and simply loved the feeling of carrying around two drops of sunshine all day. Unfortunately, on a very windy day on a boat, one of these beauties flew away from me. I was devastated. But I'm hanging on to the single earring that I do have left, determined to re-live the memories associated with it for a while yet. So, this is my ode to my lost canary yellow feather earring...

Dear Canary Yellow Feather Earring,

- You were the much-hyped pop of colour that really did work. You brightened up my face when I wore navy, grey or black.

- You were the quickest way to upgrade a meh uninsipired look on to a cute one. I think you might even have de-aged me a bit (or is that just wishful thinking!)

- You were the perfect antidote to a depressing day, otherwise known as any day I didn't feel like slapping on concealer with a shovel to hide my dark circles.

- You were the lightest things I have ever worn in my ears. My ears were achingly grateful for the break from danglers that feel like rocks.

- You could be used to dress up my everyday jeans & cotton tops by matching you to my yellow handbag, or dress down a dressy dress by making you my single accessory.

- You were pretty and soft, girly and yummy coloured. In other words, a great example of cute chic!

So, your lonesome twin will hang in my accessories drawer, a bright little feathery bit, that will always bring to mind your legacy to me - a reminder forever of sunny days..   

Life is what happens when you're waiting for special events

Do you wish you looked "totally with it" on those days that you’re going to spend in the hectic & dulling work environment, running around with the kids, days worn down by the demands of the bai, the family dramas requiring handling, the date with boyfriend, the requirements of public transport - in other words, everyday life?

I'll let you in on a little secret..this confidence is not difficult to achieve. All you need to do is identify the styles that suit your body shape and voila! you are in business. The business of looking good at all times, that is.

Step 1 : Find out the colours that suit you. These will the ones that warm up your skintone, the ones that make you look/feel cheery. And no, this doesn't need to be always be pink! To get a professional opinion, get a colour consultation done by an image consultant. 

Step 2 : Identify your biggest problem areas. Yes, I KNOW you want to put tummy, thighs, bum, boobs, arms, chin, ankles, all of it, on that list. Stop! limit yourself to two body parts. The rest are "issues" that exist only in your imagination, trust me. 

Step 3 :  Identify your best features. Yes, make these two too. Faces, wrists, ankles, neck, shoulders and calves often find their way onto this list. Let's not forget the beautiful B's, eh? Yes, you might think they're saggy or flat or over-ripe, but, with the correct support, your boobs can definitely make it to the list of your best friends. 

Step 4 : Find an objective girlfriend or alternatively, just any girlfriend whom you can goad into releasing her inner judgemental b*tch (You KNOW that we all have one of 'em in us!) . Now, model on all your favourite clothes for her. These are the clothes that you gravitate to on the rare occasions when you do have time to think about what you want to wear i.e. the clothes that make you feel prrrrretty . Let her point out to you those clothes that make you look slimmer, make you look more proportionate, which disguise your flabby bits better than others versus the ones that wash you out & urge you to reach desperately for makeup or the ones that make you look bigger or older than you are. Listen carefully to her comments and observations. Use them to identify the common factors amongst the "good" clothes - that will help you to identify exactly which styles suits you and which need to go into the bin. 

Step 5 : Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand your're done!

It really is that simple. Once you know which colours and styles suit you best, make them your signature. Buy different colours and variations with that basic  style(s). Accessorize differently and believe me, nobody will realise that you're wearing the same sort of thing all the time. But what they will realise is that you're looking effortlessly stylish ALL the time! 

So invest the time and effort, ladies. Or if you want a fast and professional opinion, once and for all, you can always give moi a call. It's time to ramp up to Everyday Chic. Once you've found it, I guarantee the lady in the mirror is going to smile at you every morning .

Me, wear a dress?

I have a friend who is petrified of dresses. How, you ask, could one be so scared of a few metres of cloth fashioned in a shape that all of us were very comfortable with at the age of three? Oh, but she is. Terrified, that is.

Post delivering the most adorable little baby boy, and my first nephew (well done, darling!) a couple of years ago, she has just not had the time or energy to shed as many of her pregnancy pounds as she would like. For convenience sake (and because she lives so far from me that I haven't been able to get my hands on her wardrobe to empty it out !), she has taken to hiding her voluptuous figure in long indian kurtas. If she does, at all, venture into the territory of non-Indian clothes, it's a long skirt and a long top. Hence, the severe emotional distress at the thought of a "dress". Of course, in her mind, a "dress" is what Bollywood starlets parade their starved bodies in on Page 3 i.e. very short, very tight and optionally-sleeved. 

After a lot of persuasion, I finally convinced her to come shopping with me for a dress. I won't deny that there were a few false starts - some dresses were not the right length (and she's very conscious about her thighs), some hugged her round bottom too close, the sleeveless ones were shooed away even without a trial (her upper arms have not been exposed to the world in over 36 months). She was starting to get annoyed with me. Comments about "mutton dressed as lamb" could distinctly be heard (and that was probably the most complementary thing I was called that day). But finally, we found a deceptively simple looking indigo blue chiffon dress. I bullied her into trying it on (Yes, bullying is a particular skill set of mine. I'm very proud of it.). Add some sparkly heels and dangly earrings and lo & behold, suddenly this incredibly sexy, voluptuous, just plain YUMMY being emerged from the dressing room. And every single girl waiting outside the dressing room for their turn went Ooooooooooooooooooooooh!

The colour – a gorgeous gorgeous indigo blue - was just perfect for her wheatish skintone. The a-line, knee length bottom half disguised the hips and thighs very well. The top half had a neck low enough to show off a hint of her impressive assets, yet was demure enough to wear in front of her conservative in-laws. And miraculously, even the lack of sleeves didn't matter because it was just such a flattering fit and cut. All in all, it was a dress made for her. She wore it to her sister's birthday party and loved every minute of once again feeling like the hot chick that she used to be, before she started hiding her figure in tent-like clothes, dancing her heart out on the dancefloor all evening, feeling and looking every inch the beautiful beautiful woman that she is .


And today she called me and said, Babe, I need an outfit for my son's third birthday party, so let's go buy me a dress!