3 LOOKS TO STYLE THIS FALL

Autumn weather is perfect around here if its not raining, which is almost never. Yesterday was one such perfect day. We played tennis, rode Tee's mountain bike(bicycle), to my surprise, its not difficult to ride a guy's bike for a petite self like me, walked around our community park, we had full on outdoorsy fun. And this perfect weather made me think about some fall styles to sport on such days for various events. Combining that with my never ending wish-list, we have 3 different looks. 

Pastels in fall for brunch or shopping

MANGO short sleeve top / Vero Moda skinny jeans / Chinese Laundry peep toe flat / 3 1 Phillip Lim Blush Bag Mini / Sole Society bracelet / St. John stud earrings / Pearl ring / Arrow necklace / Infinity scarve / Sole Society panama hat / J.Crew sunglasses

Blush bag, never seen one which i didn't like. And this Phillip Lim Pashli Mini is my favorite, if only it was affordable(hashtag someday). My take on wearing pastels for fall is with just few accessories like this bag and scarf. Pearls and tan go so well with this blush tone, and the rest of the outfit is super casual with simple tee and jeans.

CHAMBRAY DRESS

For today's post i have partnered with the folks at eShakti.com, an online fashion apparel shopping website which caters to women of all sizes(0-36W). They are based out in India(with design teams in NYC & California as well), and currently ship only to USA & Canada. The best thing about eShakti is, all the items in their website can be customized to your fit. You also have the option of changing certain styles like altering the sleeve length, changing the neckline, pockets or no pockets, length of the dress, etc. No more size or fit issues. Choose the dress, select the size or enter your custom measurements, alter the design options, and you are done. My order got delivered in a week 's time and i had chosen custom measurements. Dress looked exactly as it appeared on the website. As for the fit, the dress was a little roomy than i expected, and the neckline was little low as well.

DIWALI OUTFIT: MIX & MATCH

This diwali, i didn't do any shopping, at all! Although i wanted a special outfit as badly as ever, i just couldn't bring myself to spend money on a traditional wear that would simply end up in the corner of my closet for the next year or so. But not shopping for new stuff didn't stop me from dressing up colorfully. I decided to mix and match what i have in my closet. So a colorful top, a maxi skirt, and a draped dupatta, my outfit was ready. I love the neon pink, the color combinations, the embroidery in this dupatta, its one of my favorites. To make the dupatta stand out, i went for solid colors with self-pattern in the top and skirt. Accessorizing with some bangles, and drop earrings, i was ready to get festive. It was raining non-stop the whole day, so we did the outdoor shots in under 2 minutes. Glad the pictures are not so bad.

DIWALI SPECIAL: RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS

My hearty Diwali(festival of lights) wishes to everyone who is celebrating! Sweets, dashing new clothes, joy, and most importantly being with family, may you all have all this in abundance this Diwali! 

To me, Diwali is being with family, wearing new clothes-"Diwali dress", gobbling those gulab jamuns(yummy Indian dessert), checking out which new movie is getting released, meeting all the cousins, comforting Juno, our German Shepherd, he must be running frantic right now (sad face), lighting some sparklers at the end of the day. I miss wishing(more like shouting) happy diwali to all the friends at college/work before leaving to hometown, miss being at home, miss watching Diwali special programs on TV, miss looking at the joy and festive mood in everyone, miss sharing Diwali sweets(desserts) & snacks with the neighbors, miss being pampered by my grandma and aunts, miss being surrounded by people i love, and who love me.

TOMATO CURRY FROM NIGELLA'S KITCHEN

I recently took a cookbook from the library, you know to replicate those fancy dishes(I kid!). Its Nigella Lawson's "Nigella Kitchen". You can buy the book here. Readers in India can get it here. I first got to know about Nigella in Masterchef Australia few years ago, when she was the guest judge in one episode (I am a great fan of the show, Gary is my fav judge!). I wanted to try some of her dishes in this book. I wanted to start with something familiar, so i chose this tomato curry, an Indian recipe, no better place to start right. This recipe is very simple, so simple you guys. I did make a few changes with the kind of ingredients and the order of adding those. Lets get into it.

RULE OF THUMB: FLORAL SKIRT & FLOWY TOP

This studded shirt is a gift from Tee(one of his first gifts to me), its a little too big for me (yes, i have forgiven him), and ever since i got this shirt, its been a challenge for me to pair this for an outfit. Its unusually long(petite girl here!), flowy & structure less, sheer, and studded. This is the only studded item in my closet right now. But when i came across this pretty little floral skirt when we were in Las Vegas, i knew i was ready to face the challenge, finally! Its a fashion rule of thumb to pair loose fitted or oversized tops with structured bottoms, and thats basically what i have done here. This pencil floral skirt is so soft, i could live in them. Throw in the heels, and neon purse, i am all set to rock the partay!

GONE GIRL, THE BEST OF ME & MORE

When it comes to reading, i like reading novels now and then, i love reading blogs(duh!), love staring at those glossy pages in magazines(you don't? Gasp! I thought we were friends?), and i find myself interested in reading local newspapers like metroplus in The Hindu when i was in India (and that reminds me i should pick that up again) and our community newspaper now.

MIXING STYLES: OMBRE & PRINT

Hope everyone had a fun first october weekend, and a not so bad monday. We spent this weekend hanging out with friends, finding new places to eat (we are going vegetarian for a month, its almost over, just two more weeks to go), its quite surprising to see how many good vegetarian places are out there which we didn't bother to notice before. We had an awesome dinner at an asian restaurant, everything we ordered was so delicious, i see future dinners there pretty soon! For locals, its the teapot vegetarian house. Speaking of restaurants, have you read my review of Araya's Place (vegan thai restaurant) yet? Okay, enough chit chat, lets start dissecting(this word is totally not influenced by a thriller movie i watched this weekend) today's outfit.

CHICK PEA OR GARBANZO BEANS SAUTÉ-SALAD

Its festival season in India, and you would have to be in India to know how this festivity truly feels, each state celebrates this differently(beauty of India), and the whole country is filled with the festive mood. All the readers who are celebrating Pooja / Dassera / Navratri today, my hearty wishes guys, and you probably made this recipe a million(i like to exaggerate a little) times already, so feel free to take quick nap! Others, lets get into it, today i am sharing one of the easiest yet healthy snack my mom makes every year(every single year) on this auspicious day. So this year when i was making this by myself, with so many wonderful memories of family and fun times, listening to "jodi" movie songs (its our mom-daughter favorite), i almost felt like i was back at my parents' place. Festivals always make me miss family, i guess its the same with everyone. Oh, i am nothing if not the queen of digression, let me stop here and focus on the yummy recipe.