earrings

In Manmarziyaan, Taapsee Pannu plays a character whose fashion journey is as crucial as her personal journey. As she evolves, her clothing choices reflect the different stages in her life, and finally when it’s time to make a big decision she makes a style decision to reflect her state of mind.

Manmarziyaan’s costume designer in Prashant Sawant.

Pre-wedding style aka Rumi the Carefree

Rumi, played by Taapsee Pannu, is a tomboy and a badass. She plays hockey, goes for a run through Amritsar, rides a Bullet, works with her uncles at their sports goods store, and sneaks around to hang with her passionate boyfriend Vicky (Vicky Kaushal). She doesn’t hesitate to give non-committal Vicky a piece of her mind and a few kicks and punches when he pisses her off with his reluctance to take things forward.

(Photo by Khamkhaphotoartist)

In this tomboy avatar, Taapsee wears men’s shirts as kurtas paired with loose patiala salwars. Makeup is markedly absent, while her jewellery is only a pair of tiny earrings. In her daily life, Rumi wears plain cardigans and hoodies over her shirts and rolls up the sleeves to look tough.

Rumi has streaks of red in her hair, perhaps to match her boyfriend’s blue highlights, and it’s a curly mess (her aunt calls her Amritsar’s “Laal Pari”). What’s just as outrageous is her pair of bright-tinted sunglasses (I found them bold!).

When Rumi carries a dupatta it’s completely mismatched with the rest of her outfit, showing her nonchalance for anything sartorial, too feminine or too conventional.

(Photo by Khamkhaphotoartist)

But guess what is Rumi’s most out-of-sync style choice? The sporty sneakers she wears with her salwars!

Want to adopt Taapsee Pannu’s pre-wedding Rumi look in Manmarziyaan? See our style picks below.

Checked shirt by Roadster available on Myntra

Patiala by Go Colors available on Myntra

Sneakers by Clarks available on Jabong

Post-wedding style aka Rumi as a Married Woman

Every Punjabi bride gets a trousseau from her family with clothes and jewellery that the bride will need in her new home, and Rumi gets a set of 21 outfits. Since Rumi doesn’t seem to be fashionable types, I get the feeling that her aunt chose her trousseau.

Once Rumi gets married, she wears her new outfits as she must, albeit a bit reluctantly, complete with her bridal chura and some jewellery. The little studs give way to small jhumkas but there is very little attempt otherwise to keep up the appearances of a blushing bride or bahu.

(Photo from Manmarziyaan official Facebook page)

As soon as they reach their hotel in Kashmir for their honeymoon, Rumi pulls out sneakers from her suitcase, ties them up and off she goes running, music in her ears to nurse her heartbreak.

The post-marriage wardrobe upgrade expands to smarter jackets, bright-coloured wedding embroidered kurtas and salwar kameez sets with (ahem…) matching dupattas.

Meanwhile, Rumi’s hair is still a mess but then there’s a hint of lipstick, nothing too obvious, just a nude shade to make her look a bit more well, married and grown-up.

As Rumi’s marriage goes through a series of ups and downs, her clothing choices fluctuate. At her family’s home, she is pretty much her old self. But as rapid changes happen in her life, she seems to grow. She begins seeing things more clearly and she makes some changes to her wardrobe to keep up with her newfound maturity.

Most notable is the final scene of Manmarziyaan, when Rumi heads out to woo her man (no spoilers here!). Rather than her usual careless look, she makes an obvious effort with her appearance, but without compromising on her crazy personality (she still asks impertinent questions and speaks random stuff to throw off people).

In this scene, Taapsee Pannu wears a knee-length straight-fit kurta with little embroidery motifs all over and carries a somewhat-matching purse. Then she applies lipstick and wears earrings, even though she doesn’t need to. Clearly, it’s a woman in love putting herself out for her man.

Get Taapsee Pannu’s post-wedding look in Manmarziyaan. Here are some suggestions.

Kurta suit set from Biba

Zaveri pearls jhumkas available on Myntra

Lipstick by Kiki Milano available on Nykaa

What do you think of Taapsee Pannu’s look in Manmarziyaan?

In Bollywood Fashion, Celebs, Fashion, News, trends

Style & Shopping Guide: Deepika Padukone’s Piku look

Speaking ChicMay 27, 2015May 29, 2015Leave a comment

FOUND: Deepika Padukone’s kurta from Piku! (Read on to know more).

In Piku, Deepika Padukone has one of her most unglamourous on-screen avatars. Here’s a complete style breakdown of Piku and where you can shop Deepika Padukone’s look.

Deepika Padukone as Piku

Deepika Padukone’s character Piku is a working woman and always in a rush due to her father’s morning drama. No high-end designer wear or heavy makeup for her. Instead there’s minimal styling and accessories. Piku’s look is relatable and girl-next-door and indo-chic but deliberately non-colourful.

Clothes seem to be thrown together, her hair is almost a mess, and there isn’t much time for makeup and accessories either. She carries one big bag in which she can dump everything.

Piku (Deepika Padukone’s) complete style breakdown

Minimal no-fuss kurta

Loose pants (salwar pants or palazzos), sometimes skinny jeans

Long printed scarf/ dupatta tied on bag or loosely draped on her neck

Footwear: Flat sandals/ chappals

Bag: Large leather carryall/ tote/ shopper

Jewellery: Small drop earrings that go with almost everything

Sunglasses

Makeup: Almost none. It’s mostly a nude-ish lipstick and a small bindi

Shop Deepika Padukone’s Piku look

Blue and white kurta-pants set from Biba

Black kurta from Aks (available on Jabong.com)- exactly the same Deepika Padukone is wearing in Piku (see the first picture above)

Maroon palazzo pants from Soch

Bag from Elespry

Glares from Titan

Drop earrings from Tanishq

In Accessories, Fashion, News, trends

Just Jewellery: Indian accessories you need for the festive season

Speaking ChicOctober 21, 2014Leave a comment

Diwali! The festival of lights heralds good fortune and the upcoming Great Indian Wedding Season. So when you shop this week, make it worthwhile and shop for those weddings as well.

I headed to the Just Jewellery store expecting for a one-stop shop to all jewellery needs for the season, and I wasn’t disappointed. This ethnic-inspired store has the answer to all your needs for Indian accessories to take you through the season and beyond. Located close to Mumbai’s famous Mahalakshmi temple, the store is a little haven for the ladies who love semi-precious Indian jewellery. It’s especially a hot favourite for brides-to-be and guests headed to destination weddings.

As I walked into the store, I spotted vibrant colours, quintessential Indian styles with contemporary design elements. The Just Jewellery store houses gorgeous pieces of jewellery such as necklaces, earrings, bracelets, kadas, and hair accessories.

While entrepreneur Jasmine Shah introduced me to the collection, I took in the statement necklaces, ornate earrings and super-cute rings. Keeping in line with current trends, there was plenty of play with colour and contrasting elements. For instance, bright orange with royal blue on a ring, or a Buddha motif with a wooden panel on earrings. Each piece has been made in Jaipur, using elements conceptualized or sourced by Jasmine and Sandhya Shah from across the globe (they are a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law duo). Jasmine was delighted to share that they don’t really visit Mumbai’s famous Zaveri Bazaar for their jewellery. I guess that’s what makes them stand apart in terms of design.

Jasmine also mentioned that they have private consultations for brides or anyone else who wants jewellery tailored to their specific needs.

While most of the jewellery is completely wearable and WOW, I’ve picked some pieces and styles from Just Jewellery that you could wear for Diwali and rest of the festive season.

An eye-catching necklace

The statement necklace could be multi-tiered, beaded or studded… all you need is the pizzazz to wear it. My favourites:

Traditional earrings

Kundan-style earrings are really popular right now and Just Jewellery has plenty of those. What I also also loved were traditional-looking earrings (with Indian-style beads or finishing) with a modern twist, such as a print or marble-textured pieces. Check out the ones I liked:

Hair accessories

Clips, maang tikkas and even hair bands add a dash of luxury to any ensemble. If you don’t believe me, try one of them and you will feel like a royal. These are the choices of hair accessories… cool, huh?

Hand ornaments

Bracelets, kadas and rings are easy to pair with any ethnic outfit, since they don’t need to be too matchy-matchy. I’d pick at least two of each for the festive season.

Some of the rings and bracelets from Just Jewellery could easily double up as accessories for Indo-western and boho-Indian looks. I’d easily wear this ring with a white shirt and skinny blue jeans!

What jewellery are you looking to wear this festive season?

In Accessories, Fashion, Shopping

Chic Shops: Three online stores to shop for accessories now

Speaking ChicSeptember 23, 2013September 22, 2013Leave a comment

Customised Bags: Toteteca

You know when you fall in love with a bag, but wish it was another colour? It’s a disappointing shopping moment. But with Toteteca, that won’t be a problem anymore. Toteteca makes custom bags . Pick your favourite style, choose colours of the bag, customise the flap, the handles, the details, the tag, and voila! You’ve designed a bag that’s one of its kind. Unlike some other cusomisation sites, you can see the colour changes on the website. I loved the colour options and the prices (average price of bags is Rs 1600–1800), and some of the designs were good too. I’m bookmarking this one!

Bags & Baubles: The Rummage

The Rummage is an online store that sells fun accessories that include hats, jewellery and oddities like umbrellas and lens cases. I’ve been window shopping on The Rummage since months- first on their Facebook page, and now on their website. My favourites on the site are their painted clutches and stackable bracelets. And specsy girls will love their cute lens cases.

Concept Jewellery: Rreverie

Leaves, postage stamps and Mughal motifs have inspired Isha Katoria to create the jewellery you see at Rreverie. While the prices vary from Rs 750 to Rs 6000 plus, some of the pieces are unique with excellent finishing and materials so you could use them for a long time. My picks: the vintage key pendants and the Avadh collection.

In jewellery

I am a Mia Woman—are you as beautiful as your work?

Speaking ChicAugust 16, 2013August 16, 2013Leave a comment

This blog post is a contest entry for the Mia by Tanishq Blogger Contest. You can check out the Mia TV ad on YouTube, and the gorgeous Mia by Tanishq jewellery collection here.

I am a multi-tasker by choice. I’m part of a marketing team by day, and full-time fashion blogger at night. For both jobs, I am constantly looking out for new ideas, exploring new avenues, dreaming of new content….

Both jobs require me to communicate important messages to the right people while making sure my work looks appealing. There are several things that need to look great when I work on something for office or the blog — numbers in black Arial from monthly reports, boring press releases, and seemingly-disconnected fashion pictures.

No one really wants to read rows of numbers on a sheet or images that mean nothing. There has to be a connection somewhere- maybe even some sort of story, right? And that’s why I try to brainstorm– to make sense of what I need to write as a report or blog post. I may need to sell an idea to the team at work, or hot trends to my blog readers.

So how does that happen? I read everything I have- again and again till I can figure out a “story”, with a specific purpose. This could be anything- from convincing my boss on a new SOP we should make, or making readers think they’d look great in this colour or that print.

Once the purpose is clear, everything falls into place! The boring numbers get transformed into simple categories, arranged in neat columns demarcated by colours and type of information. The press releases are completely re-written, and the drab documents get a new look with a theme and an eye-catching layout.

Embellishments, colours and fabrics suddenly appear in a different light– making for a hot trend! A collection of pictures becomes a slide show or gallery. For quarterly and monthly reviews, the right pictures are selected and re-arranged, while mostly meaningless data shows insight into the business. With each slide, blog post, chart, or even a spreadsheet formula that I work on, I aim to make a lasting impact, and make it fun, reader-friendly and as creative as possible. The standard “templates” for work or blogging are certainly not for me.

Yes, transforming the terribly mundane to the creatively exciting is part of my daily life, and I’m loving it. And that’s why I’m as beautiful as my work. Are you?

In Bollywood Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Sonam Kapoor does a double desi, which Indian look should you wear?

Speaking ChicJuly 23, 2013July 22, 2013Leave a comment

Sonam Kapoor- the fashionista. Sonam Kapoor- the willingly typecast actor? In both her new releases (Raanjhanaa and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag), the young actor is seen in similar desi girl styles, although from different eras. Even so, it would be tough to pinpoint an outfit from a specific movie.

Sonam Kapoor is the typical small-town girl in the movies- demure and tongue-tied in the 1950s-based Bhaag Milkha Bhaag; and educated and confident in the present day Raanjhanaa.

Here’s my take on Sonam’s looks from both the movies.

Sonam Kapoor as Zoya in Raanjhanaa

Costume Design: Payal Saluja

In this movie set in Varanasi and Delhi, Sonam Kapoor starts off as a pretty school girl (Zoya) who evolves into a shrewd college graduate with a political inclination.

Sonam’s clothes in Raanjhanaa feature deep Indian earthy colours that blend well into Varanasi’s crowded markets. She’s mostly wearing cotton kurtas with contemporary prints, that include paisleys and geometric Indian designs. These prints are quite commonly spotted in Indian stores, and are perfect for the girl-next-door that Sonam plays.

The kurtas have a border with a hint of embellishment or detailing (like gold thread work), and her outfit is completed with a contrasting dupatta. Sonam’s accessories are mostly jhumkas of various colours, shapes and sizes, carefully paired with her ensembles. As a look, Zoya’s style is easy to achieve and imitate if you’ve got the right mix of kurtas (available everywhere) and jhumkas (those too).

BTW, I’ve noticed recently that most actors playing young women from small-town India are spotted in colourful kurtas and jhumkas (example: Kangana Ranaut in Tanu Weds Manu). Are there no other accessories available to these girls?

Sonam Kapoor as Biro in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Costume Design: Dolly Ahluwalia

In Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Sonam Kapoor’s Biro is a typical 1950s girl. Living in not-so-dandy conditions near the railway tracks, she steps out to fill water from the community tap every morning. Her Punjabi attire is a super-short kurta, and, surprise surprise(!) a patiala salwar. And there’s a contrast dupatta again, with her red chunnari playing a somewhat significant role in Milkha Singh’s life and memories.

I’m not sure if this is what young Punjabi women wore in the Fifties, but if they did I hope they know the short kurta-patiala combo wasn’t really flattering. The extra wide patiala salwars and voluminous gathers that Sonam wore aren’t exactly meant for well-built Punjabi women. But the mismatched print combinations and floral prints were just right– portraying Sonam as a lower middle class girl who has little time or inclination to do matchy-matchy to make it in time for the tap water. Her rustic appearance is kinda rustic with unstyled hair and plain kada and balis (so no makeup, and almost no accessories).

It won’t be a good idea to try aping Sonam Kapoor’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag look, as you would most likely come across as a behenji in 21st century India. Milkha Singh’s legend may live on, but the fashions from his era most certainly don’t!

In 2013, Fashion, trends

Chic Trend: 10 best floral pieces for the season

Speaking ChicApril 8, 2013April 7, 2013Leave a comment

Ever since European queens donned floral ornamentation in portraits, flowers have appeared in hundreds of stylised forms, and have persisted even as the fashion cycle changes. They were popular in the 1940s, 1960s, and recently then in the last decade.

With girls around rhe world wearing florals this season, how do you embrace the pattern and still stand out? I’ve made it easier with some of the best floral fashion choices for the season, in dresses, tops, and accessories. Florals this season are bright and dark, modern and vintage, delicate and bold. Match them to your mood and have fun!

Take a look:

Psstt… My pick from these floral pieces is the top from French Connection. Love the colourful artsy print on the dark background!

In Fashion, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: The best jewellery of the week

Speaking ChicApril 2, 2013April 1, 2013Leave a comment

While I enjoy watching clothes at the fashion shows, sometimes the best part of the shows are the accessories—whether it’s the bags, shoes or jewellery. At Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013, there were plenty of accessories on the ramp, and some were as exquisite as the clothes. Here’s a closer look at the best jewellery at LFW SR 2013. (More accessories to come in future posts).

Best Jewellery

Pallavi Foley’s designs focus on “movement”, customisation and unusual shapes, but are still wearable at all sorts of occasions.

This was my first chance to see Pallavi Foley’s creations up close and I liked what I saw, especially the way she moulds the metal into shapes with white spaces. I took a fancy to these earrings. 🙂

Suhani Pittie’s tribal-inspired work was a tad disappointing this time, because the tribal-inspired pieces almost seemed kitschy and repetitive. Some of the pieces were ordinary (like the kadas), though she’s still with complex neckpieces.

Amrapali, as usual, was great (as seen in Vikram Phadnis’s show for Swades Foundation).

In 2013, Bollywood Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Inkaar’s style will make you want to work in advertising

Speaking ChicJanuary 24, 2013January 23, 2013Leave a comment

Inkaar’s fashion is kinda agency-style cool. You’ll want to wear Chitrangada’s pencil skirts or Arjun Rampal’s blazers. Either ways, it’s a stylish introduction to ad agency fashion though agency guys will tell you they dress cooler and way more relaxed. After all, they can get away with chappals to office and Simpsons tees on a regular working day.

If you want to dress for success, join an ad agency, or just know how to dress like either of the two super-hot actors, read on.

Chitrangada Singh: Awkward junior to bitchy boss
Maya Luthra’s transition from a gawky copy writer to National Creative Director (NCD) is documented through varying levels of bitchiness and change in wardrobe.

So from baggy printed peasant blouses, messy hair and chin piercing, Maya gradually moves to crisp blouses, designer accessories, formal dresses and blow dried hair. Her put-together look (by Nick Roy) and choice of accessories might be too jarring for a chilled-out work place. Statement neck pieces, Louis Vuitton belt, and well-coordinated totes would stick out like a sore thumb among the Angry Birds slippers and Fab India kurtas. But hey, Maya’s NCD and I know women would want to dress like her (including me).

The only fashion faux pas were the few “revealing” outfits Chitrangada wore. The unwritten “no-cleavage-in-office” fashion rule was broken, and the sari blouses covered way too little though there was good reason to highlight her sex appeal.

Get Chitrangada Singh’s Inkaar look:
Team a pencil skirt with a pastel blouse that flatters your skin tone and figure. Accessorize with solitaire earrings (real diamonds if you can afford them), killer pumps in neutral or pop colours, and a statement watch. Apply nude makeup with special focus on the eyes.

My favourite piece: The pencil skirt!

Arjun Rampal: The suave, smart CEO

Arjun Rampal’s character Rahul Verma is a small-town guy who has made it to the top and is now “grooming” young talent (which involves sleeping with the new girl). He seems to be the serious type– staying aloof, not smiling much, and wearing dark-rimmed spectacles. BTW, those glasses make him look handsome in a geeky sort of way. The mature look by Niharika Khan suits the actor wonderfully.

His workwear choice is semi-formal and smart casual, such as shirts with smart jackets and blazers. The colour palette is largely blue and grey with some additional subdued colours that a career man would wear. I especially liked the dull green blazer with elbow patches.

Get Arjun Rampal’s Inkaar look:
Wear a lightly-coloured formal shirt with interesting detailing such as a contrast placket, collar or cuffs. Add a blazer in a colour of your choice with slim fit trousers or dark jeans (depending on where you work). Put on a pair of glasses that suit your face shape, preferably with dark rims. Skip the tie, but do wear lace-up or slip-on leather shoes.

My favourite piece: The glasses—they would make any man look instantly mature and sexy! 😉