Delhi Shopping : Sarojini Nagar

Delhi Shopping : Sarojini Nagar

A little while back I had to make a quick day trip to Delhi, for important work that had been pending for long. The trip was planned in such a manner that there was no scope for absolutely any detours, namely shopping and eating Delhi style.

You can imagine my frustration, visiting Delhi and not indulging in some aloo tikki, dahi bhalla and Sarojini nagar, ufff, it required weeks of self therapy to get myself to accept that I was going on a mission and there was no room for anything else.

So I land in Delhi get into the car and within a few minutes a big board and a bigger arrow pointing towards Sarojini Nagar, "why dont you just kill me God" is what I was thinking.

But you know what? have you ever heard of "good things happen to good people" or "if you want it bad enough, all the universe conspires to help you acheive it"

I must have done some good deeds sometime, because on my way to the airport I received an sms about my flight being delayed. I dont think any sms has excited me so much let along an sms about a flight delay.

I quickly took a U turn for Sarojini Nagar, some awesome bargain buys, aloo tikki and dahi bhalla later I think my Delhi trip could be stamped extremely successful.

This blue dress, is my favourite bargain find from Delhi and Sarojini shopping trip, just Rs 250.

Hey, if you are from Delhi, do share your favourite shopping and eating spots, so next time I can try and do more :)

Delhi Shopping : Sarojini Nagar

Fashion Week Street Style 2014

There are 4 basic seasons we learn about in school, namely, Summer, Spring, Monsoon and Winter season. And then there is a 5th season that we learn about from experience and from the media.
This new season is usually characterized with sightings of the most gigantic heels, sounds of camera clicks, blinding flashes, a frenzy of activity, a riot of colours. It is the time of the year when fashionistas descent upon Earth, revealing painfully built abs in the trendy crop top, the 'It' accessory of the season either rented from luxury renting services or acquired through a bank loan, EMI's of which will be paid long after the trend dies its sudden death.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about the phenomenon called the "Fashion Week Season"
It has existed for as long as women and their love affair with beautiful clothes has, but its changed, in shape and form..it has grown gigantic and has transformed into a force to be reckoned with.
Fashion shows used to at one point be exclusive personal showings for elite customers and fashion lovers. Kristie Clements, ex editor of Vogue Australia says "we watched the show, as opposed to trying to be the show." True isn't it?
Today, when I get an invite to a fashion week, the first thing that I think of is "what will I wear?" does it matter? I don't really know..but it does matter to me..its my chance to stand out and shine..amongst thousands of others who come there to stand out and shine..
But fashion weeks and bloggers seem to love each other intensely and I am not complaining..it has made fashion more accessible to all of us, suddenly I feel like I can want a Sabyasachi and own it as much as Aishwarya Rai..
She gets a new one every few hours and I might have to save for 2 years to get one, but thats not the point...we are all aware now..we are all empowered now..we know what we want..and we can get it..bank loan or not..
I also absolutely adore, the 'street style' phenomena, the fashion that happens during fashion weeks but off the runway..remember, we all want to stand out..we all want to be remembered..
This does lead to such fabulous fashion, there is so much personality and creativity all around and it reflects so beautifully through individual styles and outfits..
Each street style picture captures a personality and a story....I love trying to decode these stories and read between the layers of clothes and creativity...
See for yourself..

source : ellecanada.com

source : ellecanada.com

source : ellecanada.com

source : ellecanada.com

source : ellecanada.com

source : ellecanada.com

source: popxo.com

source: popxo.com

More Fashion Week Posts on Lookinggoodfeelingfab.com
Inside Lakme Fashion Week
What I wore to Lakme Fashion Week 
More Fashion Week And Me
Fashion Week Madness

Experiments With Meditation & A Westside Kurta

There are some things that we know are inherently good for us, like exercise, reading, meditation and so on. We are aware of the benefits that a consistent practice of any of these things can bring into our lives, their enriching effects have been spoken about for centuries - and yet we never get down to doing them.
Sometimes its laziness, sometimes lack of time, at times its the easier thing to do and yet there are times when our life is just not ready for the new introduction.
Take meditation for example, I have known about it for as long as I can remember, my Grandfather practiced it everyday, without fail, till the day he passed away. Often he would try and initiate me into the practice, I just could not get it and would look for the nearest escape route.
When I grew up, I often heard about meditation and its benefits from some very notable people who had achieved a lot in life. I still could not understand it, how sitting in a room eyes closed, could bring such profound changes in a person and his life.
Moreover I could not keep my eyes shut for even a minute.

Recently again, everything I read and every thing I researched, led me to meditation, every time. I thought I must try it this time - no excuses, no running away. Surprisingly, I understood it this time around, I understood how this seemingly simple ritual (but really very complex ritual) could help the brain do amazing things. I understood it, yes, but putting it into practice proved to be a whole different challenge.

I first time, I sat in an erect position, closed my eyes and tried to calm my mind, within a few minutes I was lying down and 5 minutes later I was fast asleep. Yes I fell asleep, me and my meditation experiments became the butt of ridicule and the favourite family joke.

But the second time was better, I did not fall off to sleep and I felt elevated at the end of it. Its been getting better and better ever since. I do have a long long way to go, there are so many different kinds of meditations, I am a little lost about where to start. I am on a quest now, I have a little taste of meditation ecstasy and I am thirsty for more.

If you meditate and have experimented with the various forms of meditation as a part of your spiritual journey, I would love to know more, maybe you could share your experience with me and help me accelerate towards my goals.
Please Note : The site might be down for a couple of days over the weekend (some changes in the pipeline :)

Kurta : Westside (details here)

Gold Heels : Guess

Belt : Roadside

Ear Rings : Blur Accessories

Ring  : Sisters

Appeasing The Rain Gods : Grey Kurta Dress

The only thing I like about the monsoons is the first shower, which is fantastic and beautiful. From the second shower on I am pretty much waiting for the whole thing to end. But this time of the year, the transition from summer to monsoons is just stunning, my heart sings, my hips sway, the skies are grey, the branches sway, the wind gets cooler, fragrant and sweet, there is newness and anticipation in everything...there is a miracle in every corner..a gift for the senses where ever you go.
I wish it could stay this way, but I know the rains need to come soon else we will all be in trouble..
So this is my way of appeasing the rain Gods, I am wearing colours of the monsoons, grey, white and just a hint of colour.
I dont know if you have noticed but this summer I have enjoyed wearing a lot of Westside kurtas as dresses.
There was this kurta and turban, then this bright quirky one and now this grey one specially for the rain Gods :)

Kurta : Westside

Watch : Bebe

Heels : Zara (Details here)

Vintage Pink Day Dress

They say your dreams say a lot about you..I wonder what mine say about me. Coz mine are usually made up of pretty dresses and gorgeous shoes..hehe
So when I saw this dress on shopnineteen, I jumped off my chair, my dream came true right before my eyes. This dress in shades of pink and a flattering form was just so perfect that I could not believe it, to add it has a hint of vintage which is something I love.
So I obviously got it, it arrived quickly and when it did I could not wait to try it on and show you guys..
The pictures are not perfect but believe me the dress is :)

What are your dreams made of??

Dress : shopnineteen.com (Rs 999)

Heels : Platform, Bandra Mumbai (Details here)

Clutch : Accessorize

Wearing Peplum And Doing What You Suck At Most!

Its amazing what the mind can do and I am just starting to understand the immense potential hidden deep inside each one of us. For all my life, I told myself ' I don't need friends, I am so bad at this networking and friendship thing, such a waste of time.' And my mind and the universe followed my instructions, I had no real friends and my life lacked and secretly craved stimulating social interactions.
Its only recently that I decided to change that, it led to a few interactions which surprisingly, I immensely enjoyed. The more I told myself, "I love this, I am good at this, I want to do more of this" the better my interactions got.
The last one month has been all about new friendships, satisfying interactions and a lot of learning from each interaction.
So here is some homework for us....think about the one thing that you keep telling yourself you suck at. Now start telling yourself just the opposite and make a conscious effort to believe that and break out of your comfort zone...watch magic happen..you will surprise yourself.
"I am just so bad at........" to
"I am great at...I love doing....its so much fun..."  + take action that feels difficult to do
MAGIC...growth...

Back to the fun fashion stuff..I challenged myself to combine my eternal love for the pencil silhouette, with something I am not that comfortable with - stripes and peplum.
I think this is the very first time I am wearing anything peplum and I think I am liking the look of this, what do you think?
Its a very polished classic look and a little glam too, makes me wonder where I would wear it - you tell me, help me..
Would this do better for a day event or a night event? Would it be wayyyy tooo formal for day?
Tell me tell me..
Yay!! to more peplums and finally figuring out how to wear a peplum.

Pencil Skirt : Mango

Peplum Top : Gift USA

Heels : Catwalk

When Under Stress, Just Put On A Dress

A new academic year is about to begin and I have been running helter skelter ticking off my to do and errands list. Two months have come to an end, and it seems to have gone by in a jiffy, there was so much I wanted to accomplish in these seemingly long two months and now I find myself cramming it all in the last two days. Yes, I do have a major procrastination problem.
In the midst of such chaos, dressing up is the last thing on my mind and jeans and slacks were invented for such mindless days in my life. But I think this blog has changed me in more ways than I thought possible because I decided to put in a dress for a whirlwind day of picking up uniforms, school supplies and paying bills.
And wooohaaa!! the unthinkable happened.. just putting on that dress and ditching those jeans made everything look and feel pretty, those tasks were no longer daunting they were actually fun and I even managed to take some pictures in between all the chaos. Can a dress really do all that - hell yes - just try it.
Lesson learnt : When in stress, just put on a dress..

A dress is so versatile and can be so much fun to play with..dont believe me..look here
Formal Maxi Dress
Fierce Warrior in a Dress
Day To Night Dress

Dress : shopnineteen.com

Bag : Zara

Chappals : Mahabaleshwar

Watch : Diesel

Bangles : Here and There

Indulgent Summer : Anarkali Kurta And Orange Bar

Anarkali Kurta and ice creams..
I have had a very indulgent summer, no really I have, and my all time favourite indulgence has been ice cream. I have had them in all shape, sizes colours and flavours but my favourite has always always been the orange bar.
It brings back memories of summer holidays spent in Delhi with all my cousins. We would constantly be on a treasure hunt, looking for spare change and shiny coins in every nook and cranny of my grandparents ancestral home. The moment we had Rs 2 (yup, thats how much they were for then) off we would run to buy an orange bar and feast on it.
This was a summer holiday ritual all through school days, we grew up, but never grew over this holiday tradition and obsession.
Now, as my kids get their share of summer indulgences I cant help but join then and relive some memories of my own while creating some new ones with them.
The summer holidays are almost over and the occasional showers indicate that summer is giving way to monsoon, very reluctantly but giving way none the less.

This post features, my anarkali kurta, worn as an anarkali dress here with my scarf (see here) used as a turban and featuring the star of the post my orange bar (but of course).
Summers always see me longing for comfy cool cottons and this anarkali kurta has been a faithful and fashionable companion this summer.

Anarkali Kurta : Westside

Kolhapuri Chappals : Mumbai (See Here)

Gold Belt : Westside

Scarf Used As Turban : Mumbai (See Here)

Ring : Blur Accessories

Bamgles: Here And There

Summer Skirts And Other Obsessions

This summer I have acquired a new obsession - skirts. I think I am reliving my childhood days of summer holidays, ahhh!! don't you all miss those days? I have been wearing skirts a lot, all summer long and pairing them with different things, and this skirt has been my favourite.
I have worn it for brunch, shopping and just hanging out at home with a book, staring through the window at the summer showers on a cloudy day. While on the topic of books, the one I am currently reading has got me hooked, it has blown me away and I have learnt so much from it. Dying to tell you all about it in a post soon - but I just dont know where to start and where to end.