fortyplus

Yellow, yellow….

fashion

icunrblog

I normally shy away from bright colours. Left to my own devices and without the mater yelling about me channeling Morticia Addams and looking like something the cat dragged in, I’d happily dress in head to toe black every single day. It is only when the spouse accompanies me on shopping trips that I pick up colour under duress, and that too, the kind that could inflict retinal damage on the unwary eye. This was one of those picks.

I wore this back in March on a very special day. It was March 8th, International Women’s Day in Delhi. The Indian Council of UN Relations (ICUNR) supported by the Ministry for Women and Child Development, Government of India, was awarding me the International Women’s Day Award 2018 for excellence in the field of writing. For a change, I decided to go Indo-ethnic, and picked this colour blocked fluorescent yellow long fusion outfit, wearing it over golden tights, which weren’t seen given the length of the tunic, and purple satin and Swarovski cluster embellished ankle strapped stilettoes, which also weren’t visible much. A pink and white Murcia clutch echoed the embellishments on the cuffs of the sleeves, and the royal pink of the bottom patch of the tunic. And yes, I paired this with my all time favourite neckpiece that I seem to be wearing every single time I want to look absolutely kick ass — a stone embedded golden collar picked from a Lokhandwala rasta stall. I realise in retrospect I mashed up two trends at the same time here, flourescent and colour blocking.

I love this photograph because it is fuzzy and unclear enough to hide my wrinkles, and also because my hair seems to be behaving in this one. I take no credit for that, it is all the complete lack of humidity in Delhi that is a lifesaver for my frizzy hair.

How Purba Ray stays chic in winter

everyday style, fashion
When you live in Delhi, you spend most of the year for winter to arrive. When it finally does, you realise how tricky it is to keep warm without looking like a chowkidar on night duty.
These Ankle cut off pair of pants from Uniqlo is my favourite for its unique color. I have paired it with a short navy blue blazer from Mango and a black fitted top. Since boots are a big no with a length like this, I’m wearing Loafers.
Look 1
purbalook1
God made winters so that women could wear boots. Mid length boots look better if you have thin legs like me. Mine look like spindles when I try wearing tights with short length boots. The hoodie from Zara has cuffs and the hood in silk and a nice contrast print and looks like something that you may not have flicked from your daughter’s wardrobe.
Look 2

purbalook2purbazara

(About Purba: When Purba is not trawling the Internet for that perfect outfit, she writes for Arre and The Quint. Intensely vague, seriously funny, her humour is as bitter as the karelas she avoids. )
Thanks Purba, for being my very first guest blogger on FortyPlusFashion.

Posing for the paparazzi

Uncategorized

saranshlaunch

I don’t do it well, and I have the very rare outings where I need to, but this was one of them. At the launch of Saransh Goila’s wonderful book India On My Platter a couple of years ago, this was me trying to figure out where I needed to stand and how I needed to angle myself three fourth as the kind photographers shouted out helpful instructions. Not a very good pic but the only one I have of only myself of that evening, heaven knows where the pics the paps clicked are.

What I wore : fitted tan trousers, a biscuit coloured satin shirt and golden Catwalk wedges with a bronze envelope clutch. What I love most about this shirt is that it is fitted and it has these generous bishop sleeves. And yes, wedges, as I’ve said before, I’ve quite given up tottering around on stilettos and half cricking my ankle every single time. I find staying in the same colour family is a safe bet most times when you’re confused about what to wear, and a touch of shine in the accessories adds all the glamour you need.

Edited to add: Here, found a couple of the pics the photographers took. Due credit to Hamara Photos.com and SantaBanta.com.

hpse_normal__2579932183_at the launch of saransh goila_s book india on my platter in china house, grand hyatt on 1st july 2015 (114)_55952be89892b

I think royal blue is my colour….

Uncategorized

DSC_8166

Here’s what I wore to Gul Panag and Shruti Seth’s fabulous drinks and dinner evening to celebrate Festivelle some weeks ago.

The dress is a simple shift dress from AND by Anita Dongre, shifts are safe choices on them damned “I feel fat” days and when you know your waist is no longer the version that supports a fitted dress.

The bag is an old Guess I’d forgotten about and was languishing in the upper reaches of the wardrobe. In retrospect, a clutch would have been nicer, but I always have so much I need to carry in the bag, wallet, phone, charger, a lipper and a compact, and yes, my spectacles because I’m blind as a bat and don’t trust myself without my spectacles when night falls. I paired this with a rasta shopping find neckpiece from Lokhandwala market and blingiest pair of golden slides. Comfort uber alles, what say ladies? I find I’ve lost my patience to mince my way through the world wearing really high stilettoes. And I’ve finally made my peace with the fact that I’m going to be one of the tiniest people around if I don’t wear high heels. Perhaps this comes only with age and acceptance? What do you think?

The Journey Begins

Uncategorized

This blog begins a journey for me, where one ended recently. I began my blogging journey back in 2004, with a parenting blog, Karmickids and a personal blog, Thirtysixandcounting. I stopped both a few years ago. The offspring had grown up. And I’d begun writing books and lucky for me, they got published. I now have nine books out and a couple I’m writing and count my blessings everyday for this journey that blogging set me off on.

This is a different journey. This is a journey in a knee jerk response to becoming invisible once one hits forty as a woman. I refuse to become invisible. I am a real, tangible, breathing, dreaming, wonderful woman and I will through this blog, fiercely champion and advocate forty plus fashion and beauty.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Photo credit: Pooja Dhingra