TREND ALERT FOR MEN: Style tips to go short or long

Since it’s halfway through the year (what? June already?!), it’s time for a guy to update his wardrobe. There will always be tshirts and shirts to help change a man’s look, but how about updating your style with fashionable shorts and pants instead? From easy going shorts to comfortable jeans, here are some top choices and handy tips for the boys.

Shorts

Prints, checks, or good ol’ solids. Great for chilling at home, stepping out in the sun or for a beach vacation.

Trend Alert: Quirky prints on shorts (and shirts) are really hot right now. Play safe with polka dots and textures or go crazy with florals, camo prints.

Military print shorts from Ed Hardy

Ed Hardy mens military shorts

Linen shorts from Selected Homme (available on Jabong.com)

SHDott dark blue linen shorts H RS 3995

Denim shorts from Superdry

Denim shorts Superdry

Chinos

They’re comfy, easy and available in a range of colours. Chinos are quickly replacing jeans and formal trousers as the “smart casual” alternative to everything!

Trend Alert: After building up your chino collection with basics like khaki and black, stock up on bright blue, wine and olive green.

Complete look from Arrow

Arrow SS15 - Arrow chinos

Trousers from French Connection

FCUK blue chinos

Red chinos from Breakbounce

Breakbounce red chinos

Jeans

A man needs his jeans, no matter the season, the shade, the style.

Trend Alert: Skinny’s still in style, but wider leg and relaxed fits are slowly making a comeback. Look fashion forward already!

Complete look from Killer Jeans at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015

Killer Jeans Lakme Fashion Week SR 2015

Jeans from John Players

Mens Jeans John Players

Jeans from Lee

Lee mens jeans

SUMMER CHIC: 20 pretty pieces you will love

Pastels, pops, prints and pinks,

All these chic choices make me blink,

In wonder I look at these summer faves,

Twenty reasons to make me rave!

Enjoy these drool-worthy picks for summer. 🙂

Pretty Prints

Dress from French Connection, Peplum top from Trendy Divva, Sling bag from Toniq.

French Connection printed floral dress

Trendy Divva Black Printed peplum top

Printed sling bag from Toniq

Pretty Pinks

Tunic dress from Label by Ritu Kumar, Shorts from Elle, bra from Amante.

Tunic dress Ritu Kumar, LABEL

Elle pink shorts summer

amante Serenity Bra, Pink Sherbbet,Rs.1395

Pretty Palettes

T-shirt from Being Human, Dress from Superdry, Bag from Holii.

Being Human tshirt

Superdry TIE DYE MIDI DRESS

Holii Hyacinth white orange bag

Pretty Pops

T-shirt from Ed Hardy, Studs from Fida.

Ed Hardy printed tshirt

Studs from Fida accessories

Pretty Pastels

Polo from US Polo Association, Pencil skirt from Miss Selfridge, Shoulder bag from Viari.

Yellow USPA tshirt

Miss Selfridge yellow pencil skirt

Viari Santorini summer shoulder bag

Pretty Pairs

Heels from Clarks, Ballet shoe from Melissa, Sneakers from Superdry.

Clarks Coral heels

Melissa metallic ballet flat

Superdry sneakers

Pretty Purses

Tote from Hidesign, Tote from Accessorize, Cutwork bag from Lavie.

Hidesign orange tote bag

Accessorize mirror tote

Lavie cobalt blue cutwork bag

Which pretty piece are you buying on your next visit to the mall?

Chic Shopping Guide: Where to shop for swimwear

Chic Shopping Guide: Where to shop for swimwear

After figuring out what swimsuit is right for you (from my previous post), it’s time to go shop for one! But if you’re bored of your neighbourhood “department” store, here are our suggestions where you could find swimsuits that are stylish, trendy and fun.

PS- You can buy some of the swimsuits online- just click on the image where the website is mentioned.

Chic Swimsuit Guide: 7 questions to ask yourself when you go shopping

Chic Swimsuit Guide: 7 questions to ask yourself when you go shopping

Summer time = swim time! Whether you’re going to your neighbourhood pool for a serious water workout or to an exotic island for a holiday, you need the right swim wear. But great swim wear is as easy to find as a needle in a haystack. (Drop in to your neighbourhood store or sports shop to verify).

Swimwear picture

You should ask yourself just SEVEN questions before you buy your swimsuit for the season. Here they are:

Question 1: Maillot or bikini (aka one-piece or two-piece)?

You don’t need a buff bod to wear a bikini. As long as you’ve got a proportionate body with some flaws (all of us have them) and you’ve got the confidence to carry it off, don’t feel shy!

Question 2: What’s my body type?

If you’re top-heavy, you need swimsuits with great support (not bandeau tops). If you’re worried about your thick waist, cover it up with a high-waisted bikini bottom, a tankini (tank top + bikini) or one-piece (maillot). If you’re plus-sized, look for a swim dress or skirt.

Question 3: Where will I wear it?

You need a “covered-up” swimsuit for the local pool, while at a foreign beach everyone will be in bikinis, and you don’t want to be the odd one out.

Question 4: What activities will I be doing?

If you’re planning to swim laps like a pro, then skip the halter necks with deep necklines (chances of nip slips and undone ties). If you plan to just laze by the poolside, then a bikini, printed or lightly embellished swimsuits are just right.

Question 5: What do I want to hide/ reveal?

Swimsuits with cut-outs at the right places can help enhance your curves while covering up the problem areas. (See Question 1).

Question 6: What size am I?

Here’s an important fact you didn’t know– sizes for swimwear are different! Several brands follow sizing that’s completely different from their regular tops and dresses. So if you wear a Small top, you might need a Medium when it comes to swimwear from the same store.

Question 7: Striped, printed, single-hued or colour blocked?

Either of these is fine, as long as it looks great on you (not your friend)! For instance, a pink bikini would be perfect for fairer skin tones, while a striped or printed piece will work for glam divas.

Chic 2012: Brands that created buzz

Chic 2012: Brands that created buzz

New Movers

Formal wear suddenly became important with the launch of Kenneth Cole and Thomas Pink. I’m especially excited about the Kenneth Cole though the Indian tax-laden prices could stretch anyone’s wallet.

Kenneth Cole store

Thomas Pink store

WonderBra lifted Indian women’s hopes (pun intended) by making their debut on Zivame.com, while Furla’s accessories made for a colourful display at their Palladium store.

Wonderbra on zivame

Superdry got the best launch publicity ever with Shahrukh Khan wearing a Superdry vest in Challa from Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

SRK in Superdry- Jab Tak Hai Jaan - Copy

And Sephora’s first store in India was the best Christmas gift ever! Can’t wait for it to come to Mumbai, even though a friend has promised to bring me some goodies from the Delhi flagship at Select Citywalk this week. Fingers crossed.

Coming soon

Lipsy for party dresses and red carpet gowns; Stuart Weitzman for pricey men’s and women’s accessories; Dune for footwear and accessories that are a bit more affordable.

Lipsy

With Indian law now allowing 100% FDI in single-brand retail, we can expect many more brands like Topshop and H&M to consider setting up shop on Indian soil.

Almost disappeared

Esprit called off their deal with Madura, so the brand’s flagship stores in India are already shutting down. Miss Sixty is nowhere to be seen either—any idea if the Italian brand’s around at all?

This is the second in a series of posts rounding up the Indian fashion scene in 2012.

Bollywood Fashion: Shahrukh Khan wears Superdry in Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Bollywood Fashion: Shahrukh Khan wears Superdry in Jab Tak Hai Jaan

If you’re in India (or an Indian living abroad), you’ve already seen the Jab Tak Hai Jaan promos including the Rabbi song Challa. In the video, Shahrukh Khan wanders the streets of London strumming a guitar and looking quite cool.

SRK in Superdry- Jab Tak Hai Jaan

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

That vest is a Superdry jacket, closely resembling the Academy Vest from the current collection.

Superdry Academy Vest

(Picture courtesy: Superdry)

Since the song from Jab Tak Hai Jaan was shot several months ago, the vest would most likely be from an earlier season, but the brand’s design elements have been carried forward to the current season. (This vest could be a core product from their range).

In a wonderful coincidence, Superdry is opening its first store in India today, at Palladium (Lower Parel), Mumbai. Brought to India by Reliance Brands, the Superdry store will offer t-shirts, jeans, sweaters, joggers, shirts, rugby shirts, polo shirts, bags, and accessories for both men and women from the AW12 collection.

Whether the song was carefully planned to release around the Superdry launch in India, or is just a coincidence I haven’t figured out yet. Either ways, it’s great news for the brand. After all, Shahrukh Khan sporting a  brand prominently in a much-anticipated movie is good awesome publicity. What do you think?

Chic Guide: Top 5 things to do this week

Chic Guide: Top 5 things to do this week

Watch: BE BLUNT with Adhuna Akhtar

Every fashionista loves a makeover show. This time, celeb hairstylist Adhuna Akhtar, along with Osh Bhabani wield their styling tools to transform girls from across India. The women get a fab hair makeover and a new look in this six-part series. And they get to meet their fave Bollywood stars too. 😉

BE BLUNT with Adhuna Akhtar 2

BE BLUNT with Adhuna Akhtar will air every night, 10 pm starting July 16- only on TLC.

Buy: Batman tees

Batman fans are in for a double treat this week. First, The Dark Knight Rises releases this weekend, and second- exclusive Batman tees! French Connection’s limited edition range of Batman tees feature comic book illustrations that fan boys will love (sorry, girls- tees are for guys only).

FC City Scape Bat universal teeBatman FC Fight Universal Tee

Batman tees are available at select French Connection stores across India for Rs 1699. Limited stock available.

Look After: Your leather bag

A wet leather bag is never good news. Here’s what you can do to keep it looking as good as new in the monsoon:

  • Pat your wet leather with a soft cloth.
  • Let your bag dry out in a naturally dry place or air-conditioned room. Don’t leave it under direct sunlight!
  • Invest in an appropriate cream or wax for your bag- choose one that actually “moisturizes” your accessory. Use it after the bag is completely dry.
  • Store your leather bag in a cloth bag to protect it from dust and moisture. Do remember to air it once in a while.

Hidesign leather bag

(Tips from Hidesign).

Shop till you drop: 50-50 at Oberoi Mall

This Wednesday, Mumbai will head to Oberoi Mall for its bi-annual 50-50 sale. During this one-day-only offer, 50 brands at the suburban mall will offer FLAT 50% off on their merchandise. There’s fashion (Jack & Jones, Wills Lifestyle, Jashn), beauty, department stores (Lifestyle, Central) and even food counters participating!

50-50 sale is on Wednesday, July 18 only at Oberoi Mall, Goregaon.

Talk about: Superdry coming to India

Superdry is not a new dry cleaning service. It’s a casual wear brand with unique urban clothing that’s set to enter India in partnership with Reliance Brands. Superdry fuses design influences, from Japanese graphics and vintage Americana, with the values of British tailoring, and has got unmistakable branding. Superdry offers mostly casual wear- t-shirts, jeans, sweaters, joggers, shirts, rugby shirts, polo shirts as well as bags and accessories. They have a premium approach with vintage detailing, tailored fits and bespoke fabrics- so expect higher pricing than other casual and sports wear brands Jack & Jones, Levi’s, Puma, Adidas etc. BTW, celeb fans of Superdry include David Beckham and Zac Efron.

Superdry in India

What are you planning to do this week?