Saturday 14 July 2012

Finding beauty in chaos


On sunday I visited Charminar, the icon of Hyderabad city. It is a place that, despite living in this city for many years, I still avoid going - just cos it's too crowded and chaotic.

But this time I decided to go, not as an annoyed local, but as an art loving curious tourist - and amazed I was.

The Sunday bazaar was in full swing. The shops were at their brightest best, street vendors selling bangles, shoes, clothes, accessories, second hand books, antiques, iron vessels, vintage glasses, bicycle parts, you name it they had it. Fashion designers are well known to source their design materials like laces, buttons, brocades, zari borders etc from here. Can’t wait to design a dress myself using materials found here!

Here's a modest attempt to capture the beauty this place is, starting with the legend itself:







Laces and borders: 



















Shoes anyone?




Beads and stones and antique coins:








Vintage Car:





Another one: 




For those of you who want to know what it really looks like, I sourced this page from the web:

@



Beautiful, isn't it?


If you happen to visit Hyderabad, I'd love to take you to this place.

xoxo,
M

Saturday 7 July 2012

Skirts for Tomboys















Specs: SN Market Delhi (Rs 100)
Denim Jacket: Lee (price unknown, bought very long ago) 
Black ruffled vest: Random store in Goa (Rs 250)
Red Polka dots skirt: Self-stiched under Mom's expertise -My first DIY! (cloth Rs 178/-, stitching Free !!)
Yellow belt: Thrifted (Around Rs 50 I guess)
Watch: Reebok (Gift from bro)
Tribal bracelet: Stolen from sis ;-) 
Red Ankle-high canvas shoes: Bata (Rs 128 on online sale!!)


Remember I told you how I'm a born tomboy trying to get in touch with my feminine side? Well, nothing expresses femininity more than free legs, I mean legs not imprisoned by the tight stiffy sweaty boundaries a trouser/jeans imposes. Did I tell you how much I value that - the free legs?

The last time I wore a skirt was when I was 13. As I ventured further into the teenage years, I gave on all things skirts, frocks and dresses and lapped up all things

After yeeears of slavery of just jeans pants, I first got the taste of this freedom when I decided to buy a mini-skirt for my last birthday. Oh, I cannot tell you how joyous the feeling was. My legs felt so free, so open, SO airy ... you know what I mean?

So I am trying to incorporate more of skirts and dresses in my wardrobe now. I bought a couple of dresses from Delhi last month (which I am yet to wear here). Mini skirts are out of question in my city, so I leave it to wear'em only on my Goa trips. What I could do was start wearing skirts, and what better way to start than making one for myself! 

You see, I have been undergoing a DIY craze currently. So I went and bought this cute red polka dot dress material, dusted off my mom's ancient sewing machine and with her help stitched this skirt. I would have loved it to be much shorter (you know the cute lil polka skirt types) but 1) no arguing mom and 2) mom's always right; this skirt length is wearable in my city and I'd rather stitch a dress I can wear than a dress that I've to wait months to visit a Mumbai or Goa to wear.

Anyway, so the skirt was made and though I look plump in it (not the skirt's fault I know), I thought of ways I could pair it up with. You know, I'm still kinda new girly-girl on the block, so wearing just a top and skirt is something that would take a lot of   some time to get used to. So I decided to wear it in such a way that I get to wear a skirt, with a touch of my own boy-ish personality keeping me in the comfort zone.

So I paired it up with a Denim Jacket all rolled up !! :-D and untied red ankle-high canvas shoes (which btw I had got online on Bata sale for just Rs 128 !!). 

Add to it a chunky men's watch and a tribal print bracelet to give it an edgy look.

Finishing it up with fake reading glasses and a philosophical book (for the closet nerd in me!).

M I trying to be too many things at a time? 

Going by the number of facebook likes on this look, I guess people loved it! So did I :-D