Sparkle and shine

everyday style, fashion

fortypluspic

Not a recent picture but included because I was forty plus for sure when it was clicked. We were off to a wedding, the offspring and I. And I was damned if I was going to get myself into a saree. So here I am, with fitted trousers, a mid thigh chiffon top with exquisite beadwork, my favourite golden wedges which have since unfortunately collapsed on me and which I have mourned the demise of, some diamonds at my neck and the best arm accessory I could sport, the offspring. Now, ofcourse, I’m at the tip of his ears, and those shoes he’s wearing I’ve inherited.

Madhumita Sinha shares her saree love

everyday style, fashion

 

“I can’t really call myself a fashionista but have always loved to look fashionable in every attire without being too obsessed about the idea. I have always been known as a pant/jeans/t shirt/top kind of woman since my teenage for both casual and work look mainly because I loved the comfort wear both at home and work. Even though I always admired women in sarees for me personally it was nothing less than a nightmare and then getting married to an Army officer and wearing sarees for every other formal parties became my biggest worry  I spent hours perfecting my drape and eventually lost interest in attending such parties.

With time things changed as I crossed mid forties having more time to myself with kids grown up and husband busy in his own world. I started enjoying the experience of draping the six yards to my pleasure and in the bargain collected sarees from different states, weave, material and work from all over the country wherever my husband got posted from Valleys to deserts to mountains. Having touched my golden era, the 50’s, recently I realised that I am absolutely crazy about draping a saree for any occasion matching them with beads, pearls, semi-precious and precious jewellery along with silver, gold and diamond. I do wear my long gowns and anarkalis for certain stage performances or semi formal occasions too but sarees are my all time favourite which I feel surely adds the feminine charm and grace at my age.”

(Madhumita Sinha is an HR professional and a corporate trainer by profession , a published author of a book of poems ‘Heartbeats ‘ 72 random beats , a performing poet by passion and contributes regularly to international and national literary journals. She is part of four anthologies published by different publishers so far. She is also an avid Toastmaster.)

Rajeshwari Jain shares her favourite looks

everyday style, fashion

IMG-20190217-WA0005

Rajeshwari wears a creamish ivory cotton silk saree from Pallam Silks with a blood red and blue border accessorized with Kemp temple jewellery, sporting the traditional South Indian look and finished with a mogra gajraa hair accessory for her bun.

IMG-20190217-WA0007

A pastel yellow chiffon shirt with minimal accessories defining her Corporate look.

 

(Rajeshwari Ashish Jain runs an organisation that empowers women.)

Mishta Roy on how her accessories make her happy

everyday style, fashion

Hello. I’m a 43 year old freelance graphic designer, living in Bangalore, with my husband and my six year old daughter. After I birthed her, I developed Peripheral Neuropathy, which is a progressive chronic condition where the nerves in my body degenerate, starting from my toes, feet, fingers, hands and inwards.
So my fashion choices are largely informed by my health. I wear lots of  long dresses in bright colours and prints, many of them from Zara to hide support shoes most of the time, and I accessorize with chic hats and sunglasses to match the gloves and walking stick that I have to use, to protect my hyper-sensitive skin. I have leopard print gloves, leather gloves with little bows, and many other designs that I have a lot of fun sourcing and collecting.


I also have to wear socks 24/7, so I think long and hard about buying awesomely cool socks, from Hong Kong based websites like Shein, and  Lulu and Sky, among others.
The same with shoes. I need to wear soft flats that causes the least amount of pain to my damaged feet. I love Clarks. I was recently thrilled to be able to wear a really pretty floral shoe I found tucked away in Westside!
Fashion cheers me through my painful condition and keeps me positive and feeling youthful as I age.

Priya Narendra shares her quirky style

everyday style, fashion

Inspired by a father who loved being stylish even when impoverished or restrained by the demands of a government job, I have always enjoyed putting my own spin on style. Bandanas around my hair, scarves around the knee, dresses worn with churidars, dramatic earrings etc were all part of my hatke take on fashion back when I was in college. When I began working in advertising, salwar kameez was the norm, and wearing business suits or pants and formal shirts with a tie was considered avant garde (!) but I did it anyway. To me, getting ready every morning is almost like putting on a costume for a role in a play – who am I going to be today?

A few years ago, the saree pact rekindled my love for the saree – at one point in time, I had vowed to have one saree of each type woven in India, before I realised the number of distinct weaves India is home to! But I was determined to own the saree look in a way that made it super comfortable for me. So I discarded the ubiquity of the saree blouse and took to wearing sarees with whatever top felt convenient – fitted white shirts, t shirts, crop tops and the like. It was a great way for me to make the saree as easy a choice as western wear when dashing out the door every morning.

One of my fashion dreams was to start a label that made western wear out of Indian fabrics suited to Indian weather, especially our never-ending summer – jackets with a muslin lining, not synthetic, and dresses that wouldn’t hug me too close for comfort in our sticky monsoons. Now there is a host of fashion labels has sprung up which does this with panache. In the hot Delhi summers, if I’m not in a saree at work, I’m usually in one of many anti-fit cotton or muslin dresses, Ikat pants and the like.

A constant challenge, thanks to an auto-immune problem, is that my size varies hugely – between water retention, weight gain and a bad gut. As a result I have found that if I pre-plan an outfit, typically on the day I will find it’s not fitting well, feels uncomfortable, makes me look fatter etc etc. So serendipity plays a huge role in helping me pull an outfit together for any occasion. At least, that’s my excuse for an ever-expanding wardrobe J!

My Must Haves:

accessories

Accessories – they can make or break an outfit. Shoes, bags, jewelry, scarves, hats – and the more expressive of your unique style, the better, be they never so weird. They add so much pizazz to the most sober outfits, and make the outfit you! Plus they make the same dress or jacket look so different each time. One of my prized possessions is a necklace made of zips with temple motifs – it looks so rich and distinctive. Another, a nod to my love for writing, is a necklace made of fountain pen nibs!

Antifit dress (1)

Dresses – drapey and anti-fit for the most part, since my size varies and we have 8+ months of gruelling summer

sarees and tops

A variety of sarees, especially in ikats, and an array of versatile crop tops, Tshirts and fitted shirts to pair with them

Just being me

Most of all, my mantra is that I must feel comfortable and confident in what I am wearing, and it must express my identity. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t considered ‘in vogue’ currently, I’ll still wear it if I love it. And if it is in vogue but I don’t love it, I’m never going to wear it.

(Priyadarshini Narendra, 48, is a marketing professional with over 25 years of experience in advertising, consulting and trend spotting. She is currently Head of Brand Solutions with the Hindustan Times group. A published author, she is also a moody chef, serial hobbyist, fashion aficionado and mother to three human children and two canine ones.)

Saree Swag and litfesting…

everyday style, fashion

I’ve already confessed I have a mortal terror of wearing sarees. I’ve tripped too often and sprained my ankles, ripped exquisite ones to shreds, pinned them ineptly and have had them uravelling visibly in a public situation, had horrific experiences of going to the bathroom in public places where the floors are literal swamps, and more, and so have actively avoided wearing them for all my 47 years. Let me also confess that I am most disorganised a dresser, so the effort of coordinating saree, blouse and petticoat, not to mention, having appropriate number of safety pins at hand is something that has been one of my perpetual failings.

Last year, I think I wore a saree just once, and that too for one of the functions at my niece’s wedding, for the other three functions, I made do with salwar kameezes. This year though, my resolution is to wear more sarees, especially for formal occasions and especially for litfests. I love being in long dresses in the regular course of affairs, but realise that one doesn’t quite have the gravitas needed on stage, something that a saree effortlessly endows one with. And as for the horror of all my Michelin man waist tyres being on public display, thank god for the new style of traditional blouses being dispensed with and anything and everything being okay in place of it.

For the Times of India Bangalore Lit Fest on Saturday, I borrowed this exquisite soft silk Ajrakh saree off my sister in law, Tara (in pic with me), wore it with simple double chain of silver beads and a black shell top. Works?

timeslitfestblr7.jpg

Priya Saxena makes for a chic grandma

everyday style, fashion

Sent in by her daughter Deepshikha, this is Priya Saxena’s style

IMG_6558

 

Pic 1: Homemaker by choice, her life revolves around her two daughters. She has always had a simple life and that’s what she wants in her dressing style too. Graceful and Chic as she puts it.
IMG_6557
Pic 2: Once done with the daily chores, this grandma of one beautiful girl likes to tune into Cibaca Geetmala on her latest music gadget with a kadak adrak chai. Her style is comfortable, sustainable and classic.

Soma Ghosh shares how she rocked the bald look

everyday style, fashion

The forties for me, so far, have been like being in the doldrums. In September of 2016, I was diagnosed with a rare form of Cancer, of Mullerian origin (there are evidently only about 400 reported cases in the world so far).

I knew I had a long battle ahead of me. But whoever said that I couldn’t have fun while battling my nemesis?

The one thing I promised myself is that, I wouldn’t wear a wig or ever feel bad about losing my hair. Instead, I took to dressing myself better and accessorising better to feel better. Trust me, it was tough, but when I look back now, I feel I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think I rocked the bald look and how!

image1 (2)

October, 2016. This was after my third dose of chemo. It was Durga Puja, and how could I not be in my festive best and how could I not go and visit Ma Durga? So on Dashami, the last day of Durga Puja, I was in my favourite Sambalpuri Tussar Saree, bidding adieu to Ma Durga. All the while praying that I get to meet her next year, again.

image2

July, 2017. Nine doses of chemo and a huge surgery later, I was in New Orleans, celebrating my 42nd birthday. I had lost all my inhibitions by now and was happy in all kinds of outfits that I didn’t think I would get into ever again, post teenage!

image3

February, 2018. My Cancer had returned, but the other thing I never stopped doing was socialising and going out. Seen here in my favourite indigo angrakha kurta and my favourite silver earrings at Sugar Land,  Texas.

image4

Fast forward to January, 2019. I continue to life to the fullest and push the envelope in my life – fashion-wise and otherwise! There is just one life to live, and so much to see and do, so why not just go do it?

(Reader by day, writer by night. Blogs, stories and translations are what her world is all about. Otherwise addicted to wandering, colours, spaces, places, faces, everyday art. )

Janaki Nagaraj speaks about the comfort in shifting to trousers

everyday style, fashion
For the most part of my adulthood I wore churidar/salwar kameez. I grew up in a modest middle class South Indian family where affordability and comfort decided our fashion.
But now I am most comfortable in denims or trousers on most of the days. I am not a “brand” person. It’s the confidence with which you carry off an outfit that really makes you look good.
And being a fitness enthusiast, gym wear is what you find the most in my wardrobe. I am yet not comfortable in working out with just a pair of tights and a sports bra, but I do hope to one day. It is super liberating.
(Janaki Nagaraj is a homemaker with two grown up kids, 3 cats and a husband. She has been a blogger, writes poetry and short stories. She is also a marathon runner and a powerlifter having recently won the silver medal in Maharashtra State powerlifting competition for the M1 (master’s 1) category.)

Josephine Goveas and her saree swag

everyday style, fashion

Janice Goveas, Josephine’s daughter writes about her mom’s style:

“My mum attracts some lovely sarees. And she has a penchant for matching it up with some perfect blouses. This is mum in coffee shop in South Mumbai looking very elegant in her Kolkata cotton silk saree. Again note the no makeup look and hair tied in a bun and only her interesting saree blouse as accessory.

As a teacher her cotton sarees were her hallmark and all her students identify with the impeccable way she drapes her saree. This is my mum in her Kolkata cotton saree which has thread ‘butis’. One thing to note is my mum will never wear make up but ties her salt and pepper bun in her signature style to look understated by yet oh so chic. “