Friday, September 24, 2010

Probably the only type of accessory i will never have the guts to try is a belly piercing stud or a nose ring!(nose ring,because it would NEVER suit me)

This was the only thing left to accessorize!

Many people might not accessorize themselves well but their phones will be well accessorized.

What started off as someone probably being bored and random-has now turned into a full fledged market.With umpteen demand and sufficient supply to back it.

Phones being accessorized has become a done thing.Be it phone charms-phone covers or phone art.

Phone charms are little strings which have a charm attacked to the end of the string.It could be an animal,a letter,a baby stuffed toy.ANYTHING.
Phone Charms

Phone art is also a huge thing now.
People actually stick ugly looking blingy diamante studs on their phones.

The market is flooded with packets of these studs in every colour-one more gaudy than the other.

There are certain places that customize your phone art.

Now that the Blackberry's and I-Phones are taking over the marker-phone covers have also become a commonly used accessory.
Every single color is available,some plain and some with designs.
The phone covers vary in the material they are made of as well.
Phone Cases

Some are soft while the others could damage your phone if it hits against it :p

Well accessorized phones have become a done thing with almost all people.

Rajasthani at heart~

My family is from Rajasthan.
Which means many many trips in a year to Jaipur.(We are from there)
Well,I love the place (except in the summer)
Its open and beautiful. I love how- Indian,if you might say,or traditional everything is.
The walls,architecture,food etc. etc.

Its a sickness I have-I have to shop wherever I go.
It could be buying just a little souvenir,but I have to get something back from the place.

Being the accessory lover that I am-Jaipur is heaven-in a totally different and unique style from the kind of things you get all over the world.

The accessories are less fashion related and more traditional. (which,if you ask me-if put sensibly with an outfit could be shockingly fashionable)

The oxidized earrings or 'jhumkas' are a must have for traditional wear.(They have it in every size,so your ears are saved from dying an untimely death with the excess weight of the earring)

The 'payals' and 'lakh' earrings at 'Badi Chaupad' are simply gorgeous!And very very affordable.

'lakh' earrings

The Cottons store there too,unlike Mumbai or any of its other outlets has very Jaipuri designs.
They have thick bangles made of 'ghungrus' (typical of Rajasthan) and chunky neck pieces with stones or caricatures of elephants and camels.

Toe rings, called 'bichhiyas' over there are widely available at 'Badi Chaupad'

'Saraogi Mansion' has the hugest collection of bangles.
Ranging from plain 'kadas' to blingy bangles to bridal bangles-you name it and they have it.

This in a way explains why the sales staff in the sop look at you like you have a mental disorder when you ask for a particular colour of bangles.
They have a 100 different shades in every colour.
They mix and match,according to your garment(if any,in particular) or your taste-and make the prettiest set of bangles.

VIOLA-Fashion is in Fashion.

Okay so its not very often that we invest in real gold jewelry (at our age)
But,when we do,like true women-we look around(a LOT) & make sure we have the best buy!

For all those who want to invest in some really good,high fashion real gold jewelry-VIOLA is your place!

Its made of 18k gold and is studded with diamonds & semi-precious stones.
The major plus point of this jewelry brand is that it doesn't go overboard with its price.

Their target audience is reflected in their designs-which are bold,fashionable and young.
& this has nothing to do with age,actually-its more about the confidence you carry yourself with.

After all--You are only as old as you feel : )

Violas designs are like none others in the market.
Personally,I feel the real gold jewelry market is odd-either they have designs that need to be seen with a telescope or they have the marriage material designs.

Viola is path breaking with their unique designs and impeccable international finish.

VIOLA is available at-
Mumbai: Shoppers Stop: In orbit Mall - Vashi , In orbit Mall - Malad. Lifestyle: High Street Phoenix - Lower Parel , In orbit Mall - Malad. Westside: In orbit Mall – Vashi. Central: Oberoi Mall – Goregaon , Raguleela Mall - Vashi. A.K Motiwala :Turner Rd Bandra

Bangalore: Shoppers Stop: Bannergatta Road , Garuda Mall – Magrath Road. Lifestyle: Oasis Center - Kormangala. Westside : Swagath Garuda Mall - Jayanagar. Central: Bangalore Central – Residency Road

Delhi: Arcelia (by Shoppers Stop) : Select City Walk Mall - Saket. Shoppers Stop: Rajouri Gardens

Hyderabad:Shoppers Stop: Jaya Towers - Bengumpet

Assam:Shoppers Stop: Shoppers Point - Guwahati

Not a hair out of place!

The one thing all of us women are obsessed with is our hair!
Is it in place?Looking too oily?
So much so that many times our mood depends on how our hair is looking-bad hair day--stay far FAR away!
We cringe even if one strand is cut out of place.
Expensive shampoos,conditioners,leave on conditioners-the works.Just so the hair looks good.

So why don't we ever accessorize this over obsessed part of us!?

Hairbands and Headbands(the cloth ones) look good on ANY hair type.Short or long, frizzy or silky, thick or thin-it WILL suit you!

So go out there and get some. It works wonders when you want to keep your hair out of your face.
-Thin hairbands with a flower or bow on one side look really cute.

Polka dotted hairbands are a success when teamed with plain colours.

Whats new?
-Thin hairbands which do not have loose ends.They have an elastic right around them.The design is on the top and the elastic (that is joint) runs behind the ears.

An accessory most of us pay attention to is-earrings.

While the tiny dainty ones are comfortable and look pretty-chunky earrings have a huge demand.

They make a style statement of their own.

What most of us do is-we tend to dress chunky from head to toe.Which is WRONG!Its criminal to look like a Christmas tree!

If one accessory is loud and statement making-for example,your earrings--then do not throw on jewelry all over the rest of your body just for the sake of it.
You would rather be subtle than in-your-face.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

You might hear older women complaining about their daughters or daughter-in-laws not wearing anything in their neck.
Many think it to be a pain,to have something clutching onto their neck constantly while many couldn't care less to be well accessorized.(*sigh*-pity)

I love necklaces.In all colours,shapes & sizes.

My all time favorite is the classic pearl.A string of pearls could bring ANY dull outfit to life.
String of pearls-A Classic.

Long,dangle necklaces are in this season. Chunky hearts are commonly used on these type of necklaces.
Long necklaces are also made with beads-black, in particular is a safe bet.

The simple-round the neck necklace has much more variations and designs than ever before.

Accessorize has really cute ones - a little envelope as the pendant and 'i love you' inscribed on one side of the envelope. or-the Eiffel Tower with a little blue bow. -or a cycle as a pendant. and many more.

They also have some thicker and more beaded necklaces which are worth dying for!

Another good brand for accessories is-Ginger.

The hand deserves to be pretty!

A part of the body every woman accessorises the most are her hands!
Be it the traditional Indian woman who wears bangles or a watch on a working woman's wrist-the hand must be pretty!

Hand accessories are my personal favorite,too.

Bangles are no longer considered traditional.A major part of the female youth wears bangles with Western clothes.
Silver,Copper,Gold and Oxidized bangles look great with t-shirts and jeans or Kurtis and jeans.

Bangles in all shapes and sizes and colours are widely available at Colaba Causeway.
If its your lucky day-Colaba Causeway could make you love the place! Prices are very reasonable,the shopkeepers aren't.So you have to tug along your bargaining skills and get your best buy.(They always come down at least 50% on the price)

My most favorite accessory store is-Accessorize!
They have the prettiest accessories-be it rings,bangles,earings,hairbands,necklaces etc.
Its the only place Iv seen with such a wide range of designs to offer.
From pearls-to beads-to stone studded jewelry-to pretty carved jewelry--they have the best!

Accessorize!!

The only problem being the price! Acesssorize is,sometimes stupidly over priced!But when the eye catches something beautiful,the brain ceases to overpower the decision of buying it :p

Watches are a very smart and trendy accessorie.
Watches with a big dial are statement making.

Guess has a wide range of chunky watches!

Trinkets and bracelets look nice when they have charms on them.They look cute with everything-dresses,jeans,skirts...

Another big time fad which has slowly faded out here,is the-Evil eye bracelets.
Traditionally worn by the Greek to keep envious eyes from affecting them,the evil eye bracelets (in particular) and necklaces had become a rage.

Rings look best on long fingers.
I dont have long fingers,yet that doesnt stop me from wearing rings!:p

Chunky rings-oxidized or with coloured stones are in vogue.

Big or small-we still love it ;)

Size doesn't matter!
-This statement stands true when it comes to BAGS!

Your bag should ideally match your shoes.But when it cant be done,don't go out of the way-you will end up looking foolish.

Bags,like i said earlier, vary in their sizes--which in a way is the whole character of the bag.

The bigger sized bags go well with casuals and jeans and Kurtis.(Amazingly useful while travelling)

Clutches (depending on the type) if its blingy and Indian-it fits beautifully with an Indian attire,saris etc.
If the clutch is more western it looks good with dresses and jeans with tank tops.
Shaped Clutches stand out.

Swarovski Clutches compliment Indian wear well.

Big clutches are a very statement making accessory!

The square-ish shaped bags that have a small strap are meant to be worn on the hand and not around the shoulder.They look steal-worthy in reds and pinks.Beige is a safe bet as well.Goes with everything.


Then you have the hippies taking over again with 'jholaas'. They are sling bags made of cloth.Some of them are extremely pretty,with the intricate designs.
They go well with harem pants,jeans  and long skirts.
Desi 'jholas'

There are also the big plastic looking bags that are transparent. They look great in fluorescent yellows
An ideal beach bag!

Also,more recently there have been cloth hand bags doing the rounds in town.
They have designs or text on them.
A popular text is 'I am not a plastic bag.'
"I AM NOT A PLASTIC BAG"

These cloth bags look cool with a casual attire.
Their only drawback is they get dirty real fast and need to be put far far away in the monsoons.

Belt it up.

Belts were considered a mans accessory earlier.
Now,women have more of a variety in belts than men do.(whoever said men thought-variety is the spice of life!?)

There are the formal black and brown belts that go well with office trousers and shirts.

There are the skinny belts (breathe ladies,it doesn't mean your waist has to be skinny). The belts are really thin and go superbly with jeans or if worn higher on the waist with a shirt.these belts go well with tunics as well.They also suit high waist skirts perfectly.
There is a belt for every occassion.

The thicker belts suit dresses.Its meant to be worn high on the waist and adds character as well as enhances your curves.
Red belt with a little black dress is a sure shot hit!

There are also the hippie like belts which are made of cloth and are mostly in bright colours like yellows and reds.These are meant to be tied around the waist.They always compliment a long skirt or harem pants.

Put your best FOOT forward.

Ask a girl what her fetish is and one definite answer is-Shoes.

They say- when you look at a persons shoes you can tell what the person is like.
Well,I agree with that.

The kind a shoes a woman wears can say a lot about her.
Or about how she feels.
They are subtle indicators of our mood.
The one good (great,actually) thing about shoes is-you can be tall or short,fat or thin,white or black or brown-shoes will NEVER ditch you like traitor clothes do,sometimes!

There are a wide range of options when it comes to shoes.

There are-:

Stilettos-The perfect shoes to feel sexy.
                Stilettos enhance your legs (of course, its an added bonus if you have long legs)
                This shoe type is a sure shot way to look dainty and feminine. Even with a pair of old blue jeans
                and a plain,simple white t-shirt, a classic pair of black stilettos would look smashing.
                              Stilettos also look stunning with short skirts and little dresses.-Its a perfect wear for the 'I want him to be drooling all over his shirt when he sees me' mind!
A major major criteria with stilettos are-the comfort.

No one wants to be falling on their face in the middle of an elegant walk AND a crowd of people(a little bit of experience there :p)
Hence,its always wise to buy stilettos from a good brand, where you're sure they are going to last.

Someone I know had a terrible experience with stilettos from Tresmode.
The perfect nightmare-the heel snapped.
Blame it on the sale or just on plain bad luck!

A place where I find the stilettos extremely uncomfortable is-Nine West.

Aldo is pretty good. Their designs are awesome most of the time.

ZARA is fabulous,too.The single problem there being-be ready to see a 100  other people in town wearing the SAME shoes. (Every 1 out of 10 people in Phoenix has a ZARA shopping bag):p

Stilettos are something you should be ready to pay a little extra for(like a little investment),because remember-You get what you pay for.


Ballerinas: A classic. Ballet flats ensure great comfort and zero foot pain after long hours of usage. They are dressy enough to be worn out formally,too.Double bonus!!

Ballerina Flats
Though,it isn't advisable to wear ballerinas with dresses (formally) if you are not tall.

Great buys-ZARA,Tresmode,Inc.5-even the little shops in Bandra-W,in the K.F.C lane have some really cheap,durable and good looking ballerinas.

Pumps: Personal favorite-they look fabulous in red,purple and pink.
Black is always a classic,of course.

-On similar lines are Peep toes.They look good in beige and white.(glossy is better than Matt)

Wedge heels are also very very comfortable.Good to wear with jeans,summery dresses and skirts.

Gladiators are well,ancient and awesome!
Ever since they have been launched or you might say re-launched if we are considering the Greeks and Romans here-They have been a complete rage.
These type of shoes are made for men and women.
Heeled Gladiators!

Gladiators are available in flats and heels.

When you wear gladiators make sure-
1)its not a formal occasion.
2)you have a good pedicure in place.

Gladiator flats with stones and beads on the straps look very eye catching.

'Gossip' in Palladium has a nice range of Gladiators.

Flip Flops-who doesn't love these?
They are comfortable and no-hassle.
Flip flops in bright colours like yellow,green,blue,purple etc. go really well with casual day wear.
Flip Flops are perfect for a sunny day!

They are perfect for college,casual outings and the beach!

Everyone enjoys eyecandy.

Who doesn't appreciate a well dressed person!?

Everyone enjoys a little bit of eye candy!!

We all notice a persons clothes,the colour,the fit,makeup etc.
BUT- what many people don't notice or seem completely oblivious of, are a persons accessories!
This is why I've chosen to write my blog on "accessories", because I think its the most important aspect of ones look.

Your accessories,be it the shoes, bag, belt, or jewelry-- make your look complete.
I think, in a way it kind of reflects your personality.
What you wear is who you are.