Monthly Vows

You know whats awesome? A little bit of sparkle during the day to make you happy. Because shiny sparkly things make me happy and shouldn't be limited to night outs. So I vow to wear at least one shiny sparkly thing, be it clothing, accessory, anything, everyday for one month.

My other vow? Given the amount of food I eat, and that its usually not healthy AND that my new year resolutions have fizzled out, I also vow to work out at least five days a weak, come illness or projects, for at least one hour.

Lets rock it.
Oh and speaking of sparkle. I Want:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IrQVwHJoL.jpg

Dress-Obsess

Its spring! And its hot. Which means I want to wear dresses all the time. Which for some reason in college isn't always acceptable- too strappy, too dressy, etc. So here goes my attempt at dressin' 'em down a little.

 Add shiny or chunky bracelets and its spring-friendly! How do you dress for spring?

Have you met Surbhi?

She was always interested in art as a little girl and then fell in love with the glossy pages of Vogue which became her second world. But that didn’t make career choosing any easier. Although she got through the top two design schools for two years in a row, she  wasn't sure if that was what she wanted to do.

Instead, she opted for an economics course and had a hate relationship with the graphs and calculations. But she doesn’t regret it- it reinforced what she really wanted to do. After doing a foundation year at LCF she settled on the marketing side of fashion and made it through the extremely selective process for the Fashion management course.

And she LOVES it. Its work hard and party hard and also getting prepared for the real world. There’s a lot of studying and independent research required though. When she’s not doing studying or partying, she’s at exhibitions and movies.

Her favorite fashion movie?  The amazing dresses of Gone with the Wind, of course.    If not fashion, she would set up a restaurant. (this lady really is my soul-mate!)

She loves roadside cafes, vintage stores and has a major weakness for dresses and cool looking pendants (her latest is a nautical compass!)

She adores her LBD and claims her flatmates are sick of seeing her in it.

The lady prefers dogs and still loves the Heidi show. She cant step out without a lot of things, but the basics are her blackberry, lip color, keys, fixing powder, and oyster card. You will always find nutella in her fridge!

She’s fascinated by the mystical things in life and wants to go Florence for the  stone paved roads, small huts and peacefulness.

She’s fun, vibrant and full of life and really is my soul sister. If you’re interested in fashion management, she’s brilliant to talk to.

She's currently in London and I cant wait for her to get here!

casual dinner

Casual dinner out?
Wear a cute tank, skirt and belt and dress it down with pretty flats and a cross body clutch. Voila! 

Photo Frenzy

New camera= Photo Clicking obsession

Pull it up!

Im in love with these pants. They're feather-weight, comfy and flattering!

and I love the mid waist fashion, thats back in style after decades. Are you into high waist pants? 

Dressing down

Its summer! Dress time. 

Except, its sometimes hard to keep dresses casual. I'm going to focus on how to dress down pretty dresses for everyday wear for this week.

Today was one little black dress, an old acid-washed cotton shirt, a thick black belt, flats and a casual bag. Ta-Da! 

Gaga. GAH!

photo credit: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/143046/20110509/lady-gaga-born-this-way-promote-mexico-city-judas-photos.htm

YES. She wore THAT. Usually, I love eccentric, even at Gaga level- her egg and hair-bow, her shiny and/or fluorescent contraceptions are usually not bad. eccentric, but in a spunky way. 

BUT THIS. What is it? 

It looks like condom latex and its torturing her boobs. And yet, I can get over that. I can ignore the square patches on her nipples, the overwhelming latex and the strange latex pantyhose thing. So much LATEX. 

The Shoes. How on earth is she walking? How freaking high are they anyway? DUDE. If she had maybe only worn one of the items she is currently wearing (obviously with other clothing, which needs to be reiterated for her), I could have understood it. But I cant. 

So I'm going to stare and try get rid of condom-related Gaga images out of my head and admire her body and ability to walk in those contraptions. Which now look like mutilated horse hooves. SIGH. 

What about you? Are you sold on this latest Gaga Outfit? 

Fitting IN

A lot of the labels these days just DONT carry larger sizes. And when I say larger, I mean if you have a semblance of a butt, you might now fit in. This realization set in funnily enough at a branded jeans store, that I am not going to name, where the skinny sales girl told me they didn't stock low waist jeans higher than waist size 26, so my 28 a that point was not going to fit in. Excuse ME?

Its funny how so many of the celebrities have shed weight to fit in- Bey-once, Rhianna, Lagerfeld, and even Oprah lost weight to be featured on a certain magazine cover.

So what the scene? If I want to wear those pretty designer clothes I must shed it all and subsist possibly on the much made of "cheese-cube diet" popularized by The Devil Wears Prada? 

Photo credit: http://xa1.xanga.com/37515b1a03c31264409290/z190051331.jpg


I think she looks amazing before and after. But then what fuels the desire to lose weight? Is it the media and the pressure to adhere to the trendy size? Or is it just for the sake of fashion? What do you think?

MUG CAKE!

Up late at night with a sweet craving?
Or just feeling munchy and lazy?

TADAA!
Chocolate mug cake.

Take a coffee mug. Crack and egg pour in and whisk.
Add 4 tablespoons of sugar and continue to whisk.
Add a few drops of milk and a tablespoon of butter. Keep up the whisking.
Add 2 tablespoons of cornflour (YES! GLUTEN-FREE!)
Beat it in.
Now 4 tablespoons of cocoa and beat it in.
Taste. Add sugar and beat in as desired.

Microwave for 1 minute and 30 secs. let it cool for 30 secs (dont open the door, it'll fall).
Eat with a spoon. I made mine with a friend and it didnt last long enough to take pictures.

Oh and. if you happen to be on a diet, the sugar can be replaced by sugar free and the butter with refined oil
YUM.
You can thank me after. :)  

Lagerfeld Lovin'

The (now) Skinny Man in a tux and a neat white ponytail.
Karl Lagerfeld.

With no connections in the fashion world, he worked his way up to his current status- starting by competing in a drafting competition, in the days when hand sketching was vital for designers- and all he wanted to do was design skimpy little black dresses that would cause waves of shock.

Since I'm currently not getting work done and obsessing about him, here you go:

Because really, Diet Coke wasn't addictive anyway?
Mais oui, the man has to go ahead and make them look FAB.
Collectibles anyone?
Photo Credit: The Telegraph.

He also revolutionized the little black dress. Check it out here:  http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/show.aspx/full-length-photos/id,8415/Page,2#/imageno/37

And of course, dramatic silhouettes. http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/show.aspx/full-length-photos/id,8864#/imageno/5

With controversies regarding his use of fur, ultra-skinny models and three (yes, THREE) Hummers, the man will no doubt continue to be in the news. Whats the Yummy side? A chocolate room of course. http://www.odditycentral.com/news/karl-lagerfeld-designs-chocolate-hotel-room.html

Stackable

Your books need a little lovin' too. This awesome shelf has four parts. You can stack on top or attach (individually) to the wall.
Saves space and looks pretty. Perfect for hostel! 

Turquoise and Toxic Things

Turquoise Love.

A little turquoise can really brighten up an outfit. And its so pretty.

The other day, I was talking about social detox. A part of this is what could be called "weeding out". Like weeds, there are usually a few people in your life that don't make you feel so good. Like you just swallowed a plastic bag.
There are relationships that can drain you and people who can get you low.

Whats the point of continuing?

Hurtful gossip doesn't end in high school and possibly not even college. You cant stop it, but you can try to be immune to it and not hang around those who indulge in it.

So go ahead. Weed out these toxic things. They drain you like parasites in the intestines and are about as healthy for you. You cant eradicate them from the world but you sure can flush them out of your system.

Detox and indulge in a little pop of color and fresh juice or green tea. Meditate and laugh at what cheesed you off. Cherish the friends who like the turquoise brighten you up. Hang on there. The world is what you make of it. :)

Iced Tea

The weather here has been crazily hot and I've been guzzling down diet sodas. Sick. I feel sick.
When will I learn that aerated drinks do terrible damage to the body?

Its time for iced tea. Easy home-made iced tea.
Brew some tea. You can use whatever flavor and tea leaves or tea bags. (I'm using Earl Grey Green tea with lemon flavor). Just make it twice or thrice as strong as usual. Let it steep in a container. Overnight is best but a few hours suffice.

Mix with cold water to the level of concentration you desire and add sweetener. YUM.
I feel better already. :) 

Outfits

Social Detox and Dressing Up

Detox.
Cleansing.
Usually this refers to the diets that achieve a supposedly cleaner system and the much desired weight loss. And while yes that would work, temporarily at least, I'm not referring to that form of detox. I want to talk about something I'd like to call SOCIAL detox.
This stems from being dragged down by people's opinions, good or bad. Sometimes, its a good idea to shut it out, and be yourself. Imagine a society where you weren't labelled and didn't feel the need to be labelled, to fit in or to please anyone but yourself. Since such a place doesn't exist for the most of us, taking a little time off from what everyone thinks, can be astonishingly refreshing. You can do things that you didn't think you would or do just those things that are expected. Go ahead and put in the effort of either shutting out people temporarily and liberating yourself.
Now, look at your closet and dress up!
It gets better with practice when your outfits aren't dictated by the fashion moguls, when the only taste that matters is yours. Whats in fashion and what matches is a personal opinion. This is not something swanky degrees and titles can change or should be able to change. Wear your nightclothes to a ball and your dressy gown to the beach if you desire. Clothes are just that. Clothes. They're there for you to experiment, wear and HAVE FUN with.
Let loose. :)