The Bohemian Indian

There is something amazing about behaving like a tourist in your own city. Kolkata is where I grew up and lived my whole life. Yet, there are times when it seems like you have seen everything and done everything that there is to do. And then Kolkata surprises you by taking you to a place like this.

For this outfit post, I wanted to take some pictures somewhere lush and green. The regulars of Victoria and Lake passed my mind, but they were too far and too huge for the little amount of time we had. My cousin suggested Nature Study Park right in the heart of Park Street Area and that is where we headed.

The park was an oasis of peace in the city. I must have crossed the area a million times and yet never thought to go inside. Lush trees, clear waters and ducks swimming right in the middle of the big corporate buildings. It was not very large or grand. I would not even recommend it to tourists. Just a tiny bit of happiness in a big city. 

Have you re-explored your city recently? How was your experience?

Maxi Dress: Mineral.  Buy Similar by Global Desi at Amazon.

Chappals: Vanilla Moon, DLF Mall Delhi. Buy Similar here.

Jhola- Suvasa, Jaipur.Buy Similar Here.

Bangles: Assorted. Also worn here. Buy Similar Here.

An Indian Independence Day!

Every Independence Day,I try to take in the opportunity and incorporate the tricolour somewhere in my outfit.This year too I had my orange and green maxi all planned in my head but when I actually took it out to wear,I realised at I had forgotten the slip that went with it in the store!

I had to meet my friends for lunch and I still really wanted to showcase my Indianness somehow in my outfit so I decided to switch to this fabulous cotton anarkali!

The whole outfit co-incidentally is all handloom and handicraft curated from different parts of India.Whenever I visit a new place,I make sure to visit the local shops there,Malls are the same in every city but it is in these small shops that you find the real gems.They are things that are unique to that region and as soon as you see it,it takes you back to the fond memories of the trip.

Flowy cotton Anarkalis are perfect for the humid monsoon season.They don't stick to your skin and are super comfortable and easy to wear.You can easily dress them uo with makeup and accessories to go from a casual to a dressy look.I've seen most people wearing pallazos with straight long kurtas but I love pairing them with Anarkalis.It changes the look of the whole outfit to instant chique and it looks like you've spent some time in styling your outfit even though it's so easy to wear.

I hope you had a great time this Independence Day! What did you do that day?

Dress and Bag: Suvasa,Jaipur

Chappals: Johari Bazaar,Jaipur

Necklace: Bhaktpur,Nepal(Also available in North Eastern hill stations in India)

Bangles,Assorted: Delhi and Nainital

Special Thanks To My BFF Sripriya Khaitan for the clicking the awesome pictures!

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You Know You're a Baniya When...

Being a Baniya comes part and parcel with being a Marwari.Now,Baniya is a complex word which can be interpreted in many ways.Traditionally,it was used to describe the trader class but nowadays,it is commonly misinterpreted as being kanjoos (miserly).The real meaning for me is however getting your money's worth.In other words,when life gives you lemons,squeeze the life out of it. :D

Here is how I know that I get my #Paisawasool. And I am not embarrassed.

1.You buy nothing all year because you say you have enough clothes but when it's SALE season all hell breaks loose.

2.It's OK if you run out of soap in the shower because there's a stash of hotel toiletries somewhere close-by.

3.You have a pantry stocked up with free tea and coffee sachets.

4.You haggle with the Parkingwaala. Every.Single.Time.

5.You sit through the whole movie even if it's really,really bad.You ain't going nowhere until you are done with that popcorn and coke.

6.You can eat a full days meal when there's a buffet.And,that's when you're not really hungry.

7.We ALWAYS request for the front row seats during flights. #LufthansaPremiumEconomy

Check out Lufthansa's newly launched Premium Economy seats for great value at a great price!

Indian Kitsch with Manish Arora

I am sure y'all must have noted the sudden influx of a lot of Indian Wear on my blog.One of the perks of being married means you have double the occasions to dress up in all your beautiful ethnic clothes that you would have never had the chance to wear otherwise.

I wore this outfit to an engagement party in the morning.The vibrant colors and beautiful embroidery portrays what my style quintessentially is.And,even though it looks heavy,it is super-light to wear which is always a plus in the Indian weather.If you ever do get the chance,definitely pop into Indian by Manish Arora for some for stunning,colorful and quite affordable Indian Wear.

Salwar Suit: Indian By Manish Arora

Chappals: Some Exhibition

Wallet: Michael Kors at Val'd'Europe

Necklace: Grand Bazaar,Istanbul

Earrings and Bangles: Gifted

The Bridal Files: Youngsters

I would like to excuse myself by saying that my recent nuptials were the reason that I have been AWOL...But really I was mostly being lazy and procrastinating.But I'm back now! And better late than never right?

I now have a truckload of pictures to share thanks to my wedding.Nothing like a wedding to make you a complete narcissist.I do not however have too many pictures of my outfit for the youngsters party.Mostly because we spent half the time getting couple shots clicked and the other half well,I can't really publish.It was a cocktail party after all.

   

I bought my dress from my trip to Europe last summer.I had figured I could easily find a romantic,long dress in Paris,Right? Wrong! Everything I found in Paris was either too expensive and if it fit my budget then too simple.I wanted a dress that would be comfortable enough to dance in but still look dressy and classy.I finally found this dress at a store in Zurich called Modissa.If you are ever in this town,you MUST visit this shop.It is four floors of design goodness! The top floor was dedicated to cocktail dresses and that was where I found this beauty.Infact,I liked so many of their clothes that I felt like I was in Candyland.The rest of the floors had their inhouse label and some well-known international designers as well.They even had a bridal section which was by appointment.They also did my alteration in 2 days which more than what I could have asked for!

I had a Hawaiian Luau themed cocktail party for all of my friends and cousins.It was a pleasantly chilly Kolkata winter evening at the rooftop of a city bar.We handed out these floral leis and Hawaiian slippers (For tired high heeled feet:Thank you Pinterest!) as favours and had tons of fun posing at the photo booth.Fruity cocktails and finger food set the perfect mood for an amazing evening!

Dress,Clutch and Shoes: Modissa,Bahnoffstrasse,Zurich

Bracelet: Bangkok Night Market

Earrings: Gifted

Stories of Anarkalis

It's been a crazy hectic past few weeks with relatives down from all over the country,endless weddings and a busy office.Both me and the store have been doing quite well indeed but we are extremely tired and in need of a weekend off!
Coming to the outfit,We bought this stunning embroidered stole from Kashmir last year and I knew I just had to do something amazing with it.So since this year seems to be a year of weddings,I decided to use it as a yoke for this beautiful anarkali maxi (Anarkali is the Indian version of an empire waist dress).The colour and threadwork is beautiful and I had my cousin's engagement on Sunday so it was the perfect occasion to wear it as soon it will be too hot for silk.Since,It came out quite well,I decided to hop on to the terrace and click some pictures.And what better than a self-made outfit for my first outfit post!

Anarkali Maxi-Self Designed-Rs.12000 approx by India Kitsch

Bangles-Full Fataaka-Rs.1150 pair(Mumbai)

Earrings- Grand Bazaar in Istanbul-Rs.1000 approx

Ring-Kolkata Exhibition-Rs.500 approx

Shoes-Adaa (Mumbai)-Rs.2150

Clutch- Kali (Kolkata)-Rs 1650