From Style Per Diem

The pinafore: By now it’s almost predictable with me – this is a dark navy H&M pinafore with curved exposed pockets and an exposed zipper in the back. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE pinafores/tunics like this.

The shirt: Classic white collared shirt, also H&M. It actually has breast pockets and corset seams.

I paired this with black tights and grey wool socks, the ribs peeking out just above the edge of the boots.

The boots: My irreplaceable Hush Puppies. This is their last season. *tear*

Accessories: I put on a long chain with several charms  and these awesome dragon ear-rings. They’re tiny enough not to be goofy, but goofy enough to make me happy.

I later wore this outfit with tan tights, matching tan ribbed socks and my ruffled t-straps. I unfortunately didn’t get a picture. Yes I’m still wearing socks with high heels. I still think if they’re done right, they work.

Luckily, I have a pattern for a pinafore like this and I plan on making several variations this summer.

Dress: Batwing dress from ASOS.com.
Shoes: Faux snakeskin ballet flats from Golf in Eilat
Accessories: Necklace, Seiko automatic watch and citrine-in-silver studs.

I bought the dress and shoes specifically with the purpose of having go-to elements to… go… to… when I don’t have the time to worry about what to wear. They do a good job of cleaning me up quickly. The neckpiece here gave a nice dash of colour and I like that it went with the showy elements of the dress (the buttons). The dress has a collar which I wear folded in and sometimes, I unbutton near the shoulder to make it droop.

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Dress: From Colaba Causeway for Rs 250 for my ‘Rosebud Periera, men’ collection. It has pockets
Accessories: Button belt (Rs 100) from Hill Road; Men’s classic Casio digital watch, specs (-4. Not a style statement).
Shoes: Black Mary Janes.

Without the necklace, the dress looked very schoolmarm-ish. I like the contrast between circle and square.

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Dress: Cotton World (Rs 1200), Colaba.
Blazer: Men’s Georgio Milano, black unlined linen (Rs 3740).
Shoes: Faux snakeskin ballet flats from Golf in Eilat
Accessories: Casio G-Shock.

I love Indian prints and this one reminded me of the Mughal ones my mom wore in the ’70s. The dress isn’t cut very favourably but I love how it looks with a long jacket. The necklace adds an unexpected splash of colour and shape breaking the busy-ness of the print, I think.

Top: H&M. Bought from Hill Road, Bandra for Rs 250.
Waistcoat: Zara. Bought from Colaba for Rs 250
Jeans: VB skinnies. Free.
Accessories: Beaded link neckpiece from Colaba Causeway (Rs 120); Mary Janes from Tel Aviv; Casio men’s watch from the Significant Idiot; citrine stone in silver tops.

I believe this was on the first day of the Lakme Fashion Week (Winter/Festive 10) and I was grumpy and broody. But I had to be presentable and experimented with wearing similar tones. The grey shirt, black waistcoat and black beads felt sombre and citrine was a touch of quiet neutral.

Shirt: A white blouson-type shirt with many, many details. A yolk, origami folds on the placket, soft bump on the sleeve and gathers under the yolk. It’s a gift from my sister, who is always, enviably trendy. She also gave me one in grey.

Skirt: An A-Line skirt from Good Earth, Rs 450 (I think).

Accessories: Square buckle belt, silver rings

Shoes: Trusty chappals that have lasted longer than expected.

Every time I wear something nice, a certain colleague takes pleasure in naming me. On this day, I was Virginia Woolf. I felt the need for a A-line skirt in my life and like the grometric pattern and colours of this one. Instead of the usual tank that would give it a hippe vibe, I went with a prissy blouse. This look is too fussy for comfort (for me) and I doubt I would wear it again. Also, I’ll ruin it after sewing stones into the hem

I’ve been stuck on a shift that starts 5AM every morning, and no one knows when it will end… so not to mention taking a photo of what to wear, but don’t even have time to change it out from my pjs.

So let me fill everyone up with some photos I’ve taken throughout the summer/winter/fall…and so on so on…

btw…hope everyone is doing great here!

• This is an very comfortable outfit to the beach. I have a pair of blue shorts that I bought from ‘CLUB MONACO’ 2 years ago, and surprisingly they still fit me! For the top I have a no sleeves shirt from ‘FOREVER 21′ for $8.99 and it is so soft and thin, it’s perfect for the hot hot weather.

• What I have here are the perfect casual wear to work. Inspired by some Korean TV drama I’ve been addicted to recently, most of the Korean girl dress like this, and I find the layers are very interesting and also it doesn’t look back at all. I used to think that long layer inside short layer can be a little bit odd but after trying on this look, I loved it.

I was in a really maverick mood today and wanted to dress silly.

Top: Floral Topshop spaghetti top from FS for Rs 200. I cannot tell you how much I adore old lady floral prints. You should have seen my teenage wardrobe. It was constructed out of English upholstery.

Pants: Faithful Sykes from Levis. Regular fit, nothing fancy. I can roll them up to “boyfriend jeans” or just wear them as decent pants that let me ride pillon.

Jacket: Vintage Men’s blazer from Etsy. This completes my set of blazers. Ironically, it’s cheaper to buy a blazer in The Abroad, with shipping, than to buy a decent one in India.

Shoes: Black Mary Janes from Tel Aviv 2008.

Accessories: A rose pink/fawn silk scarf from Causeway for Rs 75. My hair cannot be held down by bobby pins anymore, so I have to find new ways of helping it grow out. A brass dog pin for whimsy. Instead of a belt, I used the adjustable belt of a bag, interlocking the brass clasps. Because I could.

Square G-Shock watch, green stone earrings and insouciance.

Top: My new basic white tee with looser sleeves and a waistband. For 150 bucks from Causeway. I wasn’t sure how this silhouette would look on me and now I regret not buying every available colour. Woe!

Waistcoat: Burnt sequin spangled Zara waistcoat for Rs 200 from Causeway. I went back the next day to buy some for the SaM shop, and poof! they were all gone.

Pants: Another pair of funny pants. I bought these in summer and they have been a dream come true (if you dream of pants) — linen, pockets, elastic waistband, loose, allowing freedom of movement. They are like culottes but with a lower crotch. Cost: Rs 350. They even work in the monsoons as they stop above the ankle and dry fast.

Shoes: Red jelly flats from Bata, two years ago. Rs 200.

Accessories: Bowler. Yes, I love hats. I do, on some days, even brave ridicule on account of them. I do not wear them indoors, though. The bowler was missing from my collection.

Apart from the hat, men’s Casio watch and possibly some dangling earrings. Who can remember when you have such a fabulous hat?

Kurta: Men’s kurta from OMO. Rs 345
Churidaar: Nice Looks. Rs 350
Accessories: The woodcut pendant again, silver bangles and tiered silver filigree balls earring.
Shoes: Jello flats for the rains

Another result of not being able to resist the colour. I wanted to wear something easy and flowing, but not dull.

Tee: Rs 550, from Zara
Pants: Anokhi rider pants for Rs 990. I love Anokhi’s prints and was really surprised that their pants are good too. They are made of thick cotton with lycra and fit like tights, but will outlast that trend.
Shoes: Rain boots from the A Broad.

Jacket: Finding this jacket on FS was one of the things that pushed me to start SaM and it was also one of the first things to be featured there.

Accessories: The woodcut pendant which I wear almost every day. The red pops up against my mostly neutral wardrobe. A Seiko watch and two bobby pins to tide over ugly growing-out phase of my pixie cut.

I am not very happy with how this jacket looks. Maybe I should retire it for a while.

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Lunch with parents

Pants: Safari shorts from Baga in Goa. Think I bought these on my honeymoon for Rs 150. What I do remember is that the store next to where I bought these served fresh doughnuts.

Blazer: You remember my dad’s blazer? Bought for BD 10 in 1979.

Shoes: Hand-woven kolhapuri huaraches. These are my wardrobe essentials. People never notice them but I always feel a bit more smug when I wear them. Plus, I can feel the ground through the thin sole.

Accessories: My father’s sling bag, the woodcut pendant, Casio men’s watch and silver hoops.

I wore this to lunch with my parents to celebrate my father’s birthday and our new car. While my paunch shows no signs of abating, I have pretty fantastic calves to divert attention with. And since I am married, my parents can frown, but not lecture. Watching them try to keep a tirade in is just a happy side-effect.

This is how T-shirts should fit.

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New things on Nauroze

My husband’s mother is Parsi and I’ll celebrate any festival that requires new clothes. This is a classed-up version of the first outfit.

Pants: The Anokhi rider pants in beige. I wear a lot of pants since my day involves riding pillion with photographer, getting into trains, jumping over dividers, etc. When I find a pair that allows movement, I snap up two — one in each colour.

Jacket: A beautiful men’s three-button blazer in linen for Rs 3,450. Women’s jackets rarely encase my trunk or cover its length so I shop for in the Men’s section. I wanted a linen one I could wear to work in the day, but couldn’t justify the price until I reminded myself that it was in my husband’s (hard-to-get) size, so technically, I was paying only Rs 1,725. I’m still waiting for the money.

Accessories: Silver hoops, Casio Men’s watch, this very journo/literature student satchel for Rs 4,500.

Shoes: Mary Janes from Tel Aviv. I think about NIS 200

I just realised that the combined cost of this outfit is more than what I spent on my wedding dress. I’m moving towards collecting classic pieces to wear with my SaM maal, and like to know that each element of this outfit will last a while with care. Is this what they call investment pieces?
Also, has my style got a little androgynous after that haircut? I thought so too.

From Style Per Diem

The skirt: Previously posted, much adored grey, kind of tweedish, panelled pencil skirt with rouching on the hips.

The Top: Lovely sheer top with lace panelling on the yoke, flutter sleeves and pin tucks – H&M.

The Jacket: My favourite spring/fall crop jacket – its a little faux leather, double breasted biker jacket with a slight puff on the sleeves and a tight fit on the waist, fully lined in soft satin. I absolutely LOVED pairing this jacket with the super feminine outfit underneath.

Shoes: These awesome ruffled t-straps.

Accessories: I put on these stockings for MORE fun, and since my hair was still long I slicked it back with a black hair band and wore some small dangly sparkly ear-rings.

I don’t know WHERE I thought I was going. I was going in to edit news. Yes its for TV, but its not like I get to be on it!

I must have just felt like playing dress up!