Colour guide of matching trendy shoes with the outfit

Remember to match your shoe colours with your clothing colours. That’s important!  

Here are a few tips on which shoe colours go best with certain clothing colours.

• Black shoes: they match with nearly any outfit except solid pastels and some earth tones -- but even then, if black is repeated somewhere in the outfit, black shoes can be a dynamic choice. Always have comfortable black shoes in your wardrobe with can be used on formal as well as casual occasion. I have a pair of black court shoes which I wear to office as well as parties. (pic attached). You can shop this pair on Flipkart - Brand ''Claude Lorrain''. 
• Brown shoes: They match with shades of tan, brown, beige, orange, greens, and darker earth tones.
• Tan/Light Brown shoes: Match it with lighter earth tones, blue, beige, lighter tan or white.
• Cream/Taupe shoes: Match them with whites, light neutrals, and pastels.
• White shoes: light neutrals, bright's, and pastels. White shoes goes well with multi coloured or printed outfits too, giving the look a subtle effect.
• Silver shoes: Matches with pastels, as well as with white, black, blues and purples.
• Gray shoes: Matches with blacks, blues, greys, reds, as well as some yellows.
• Gold shoes: goes with greens, reds, browns, and they usually look good with black and white as well. They are a popular choice to wear for weddings and pre functions, so a comfortable heel is a good choice for long hours of standing and dancing. 

Even less common shoe colours are simple to match to your clothing.

• If a colour is present in your outfit, you can repeat it in your shoes. 
• If the shoe colour isn't in your outfit, you can rely on matching "values" (deep with deep, light with light, etc.)
• You can make an outfit work by using analogous colour schemes. This means using colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel. They usually match well and create serene and comfortable designs. Eg - Green and Blue. Orange and lime yellow. Reds and Peach Pinks. Choose one colour to dominate, a second to support.

 

Monsoon Do's and Dont's/ Tips

Yeah, i know everyone is Mumbai is grinning about the lack of rain. So am I. However its best to utilise this time to do the last minute shopping and gearing up for the rains. Bonus is of course the sweet ''End of sale season''

1) Carry an extra plastic bag in your purse or office bag. It will be handy to carry the drenched umbrella.
2) Raincoats don't really help and are too time consuming to put on when there is sudden burst of rain. So make sure you have a good sturdy umbrella to accompany you.
3) Dark coloured pants/tops are the best to wear this season. They wont make you transparent while exposed to water and will prevent the stains from showing.
4) Keep an extra pair of clothing and neat shoes in your office. Its best if you can use two pairs of shoes, one for travelling and the other one for office.
5) Open wet hair look good only in movies. So make sure to neatly pin up or tie your hair during the monsoon. Rain really gets your hair to become frizzy so leaving them open will make you appear messy and mixed-up. Keep it neat and simple.
6) Make sure you wash your hair alternate days during monsoon. The rain water can make your scalp itchy, resulting in dandruff issues.
7) Carry a clean napkin in your bag to quickly wipe yourself dry after a drizzle.
8) With respect to clothes - don't wear over flowy dress or top, wind in particular isn't friendly with flowy clothes. Wear cotton trousers as they are easy to dry overnight. If you bottoms are longer then your height then make sure to trim the hem or you will end up with all the filth in your pants.
9) I personally feel that plastic footwear is for barbies. So would recommend using normal ballerina or small height wedges to walk safe in the rain. Only wear non-slip sole footwear to avoid a fall.

So this should get you all geared up for rain. On days off, let your hair down and get soiled in the rain. Cheers!!

Footwear Do's and Dont's for Monsoon

Mentioned below are a few tips that will help you in buying the right footwear for monsoon and keeping your feet happy and infection free this season.

Flip-flops made of rubber or materials from PVC are ideal for the rains, because they are washable, dry easily and easy-to-maintain footwear. They are available in a range of designs and colours and are suitable for both girls and guys.

Full Plastic Footwear is low-cost options for rainy season and are widely used in heavy rains. Nowadays they are available in varied styles generally looking like stylish leather shoes.

With a formal outfit, you can wear sandals with straps as they would be firm on your feet. Go for slip-resistant sandals and check that your wet feet don’t slip even inside the footwear.

Wear a sandal which has a back strap, this will avoid the dirty water to splash on your back while walking.

Open toes or closed shoes: Open toes or peep toes are available in waterproof material from PVC. They come in colors like red, pink, blue, silver and gold. Flat Ballerinas or closed shoes made from Lycra look great and survive monsoon.

Gum Boots: There is nothing better than rain boots and Gum Boots to protect your feet in heavy rains. This waterproof footwear is usually knee-high, water-proof and are mostly made from rubber or PVC. These boots protect the feet from mud, dirt and water during monsoon.

Avoid

• Avoid wearing heels in rainy season. But, if you just cannot resist wearing heels then go for slip-resistant sandals of heels not over 2 inches.

• Avoid wearing leather footwear as much as possible. Too much exposure to water will you’re your leather footwear.

Here are some tips while purchasing your footwear for monsoon:

• While purchasing plastic footwear, make sure that the pair doesn’t have any sharp edges as those could give you shoe bites.

• For this season, particularly, whether you are buying flat sandals or heels, look for footwear with good grip that hold feet in place and do not slip when the feet and shoes are wet.
• Don't throw away old, spare shoes that are still wearable. Get them treated before the rains begin as they will get you through these few months.

Don’t

• During monsoon do not wear sports or canvas shoes as they may attract the growth of bacteria.

• Don’t keep your shoes and sandals under the bed or inside the shoe rack when it is wet. This gives birth to bacteria’s. Let them dry in a cool place to keep away the bacteria’s from breeding in your shoes.

How to look chic in sporty shoes

So fashion is taking a turn once again, emphasising on having a more sporty look. When we talk about a sporty look in footwear it mostly means a hybrid of a men's shoe which is processed with chic materials to give out a ''boy meets a girl'' kind of shoe. A typical example would be a sports shoe, however if you are ready to walk an extra mile to give your fashion sense a treat then go in for a Brogue.

What is a Brogue?
 The Brogue is a style of low-heeled shoe characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or broguing) and serration along the pieces visible edges. 
In laymen's term it is a shoe with punch detailing on the upper, usually is closed and with a lace. 

What to wear with a Brogue?
Fitted pants or jeans with a casual tee makes the most ideal combination. 
A skirt or shorts with a top and a jacket will balance out the sporty side by adding a dash of chic to it.
Solid coloured chic dress will also go very well with Brogues. 

What colour Brogue to buy?
Being a women you will be spoilt for choice. Brogue's are available in various combinations. To name a few - 
Black (with or without the burnish effect)
Brown (with or without the burnish effect)
Alternate patches of Black and White
Gold 
Silver
Shimmer 
Beige
Pink & Red
Yellow / Mustard
Shades of Blue 
Animal Prints 
So the question is which one should you pick? 
If your jeans/pants and other well tapered bottoms are predominantly in shades of Blue then I strongly recommend going for a Black or Brown. 
However if you have more of the blacks for your bottoms (jeans/pants/skirts) then go for a silver or gold. 
If you are going for a solid coloured dress then go for the dual toned black and white or the animal printed ones. 

I hope to see a lot more Brogues in the city. So spoil yourself silly and get broguing. 

P.S. This style is very popular for celeb travelling. 

Tips On What To Wear With Your New Red Shoes

Tips On What To Wear With Your New Red Shoes

Fairy tales often use shoes as a symbol representing an escape from a boring routine life, and we couldn’t agree more. Most of us have a shoe collection that goes way beyond what we need. But unfortunately we all end up with pairs that never get worn simply because we don’t know what to wear with them. Bright and offbeat colors like Red, Orange, Green, Purple play the culprit here.

An impulsive buy at your favourite shoe store, and you land up with Red heels. Come home and you realize that you’re not sure what outfit you can wear that will make those hot little numbers stand out without looking flashy. No worries, i will give you some quick tips on how to sport your pretty red heels without looking like red riding hood.

Some pointers to follow with red heels:

·         Go for grey or black when they're going to the office with you. Yes, it's possible to wear red shoes to the office and look more like a professional than a tart. Although red will go with some colors, you'll want to stay subdued here by making the shoes the only really colorful part of your outfit. Pair a black jacket and black skirt/trouser with a subdued black or white top and the red shoes will stand out without drawing unwelcome attention. Add red lipstick and a red handbag to head to happy hour drinks after work. (Note that grey works as well as black does with red shoes.)

·         Get flirty and fun with a pink/white number. If you're going for a more fun, romantic kind of look then you'll want to stick with the pink/white category of clothes. A frilly white top with a pink and white skirt or a dress dominantly in white with hints of pink, will look cute but those red shoes will give it that sense of sexy that you're trying to hint at.

·         Everyone has an LBD (Little Black Dress) which perfectly complements red heels. You can add a red belt to your dress and be ready to gloom. LBD’s can come in various styles like halter neck, boat nech, three fourth sleeve, flary, fitted etc. Pick the one which is made for your body type.

·         Red is the color of wedding for most people in India. You can team your red heels with gold and black Indian wear. It is not necessary to have glittering heels with your Indian attire unless the style police in your community finds you sloppy on account of a non flashy shoe.  If the outfit already has too much work, go for a more subtle heel (read without diamonds).

·         Dark jeans. If you're going to wear jeans or a jean skirt with red shoes then you want to make sure that they're of the dark blue variety. Most women just don't look right trying to pull off light colored denim with red shoes. As long as you've got dark jeans, almost any top should work with the shoes. If you want to draw attention primarily to the shoes, though, stick with a simple top. A white T-shirt, dark jeans and red high heels tells the world that you're a versatile gal with a sexy streak inside.

Lastly, have fun with what's in your closet and don't be afraid to be bold!

The DIY guide for making your own shaded heels

• Own an old pair of plain black heels? If yes, its make over time. Bring them out and clean them thoroughly with a soft brush or damp cloth, depending on the material of your shoe.                    
• If no, go out and buy a pair. Best part is you need not spend a bomb on this; so pick up that pair you saw at a road side stall, just make sure it fits well and doesn’t look weird on wearing. (It doesn’t take time for the round toe shape to turn into a square one and then an unidentified shape). If you are not strict on budget then I would suggest to get better quality of heels.
• Insert tissues or old newspaper in them. Make sure you fill in a way to avoid large gaps on the edges. Cover the heels with masking tape. 
• You will need to buy 2 bottles of spray paints. Select a shade (i.e. Lime in this picture) and get a light and a dark shade of it. Suitable color would be blue, nude, green and lavender. 
• Spray the lighter shade first. Let it dry out for few hours. Kobe Spray Paint is easily available online. You can even check out other brands for Spray Paints at your nearest Stationary Stores. 
• Spray the other darker shade and let it dry out for another few hours. 
•  Clean the sole & remove the tape from heels. Your Shaded Heels are ready to wear. Voila! Here is your very own creation!!

                                                            

     

                                       

10 Gift ideas for shoe lovers

1)      Gift certificate from one of his/her favourite shoe store. Alternatively to add excitement you may do so from a new store which will add lot of curiosity and fun

2)      Microwavable booties – yes they are very much available in USA, UK etc. You can order them from amazon or ask someone coming from abroad to bring you a pair. It works out to $ 10 - $ 15. They are distressing just like soaking your feet in hot water. http://www.amazon.com/Anti-Stress-Microwaveable-Comfort-Booties-Pink/dp/B001GKVYE4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

3)      Subscription for a year to any of the popular shoe magazines.

4)      Shoe themed accessories like pendants, earrings, charms, key chains, mobile holders, bottle openers, shoe books, shoe shaped cake, cup cakes, beer mugs, chair or a shoe organiser. You can make some of the accessories in silver/gold if you choose to give an expensive gift.

5)      Shoe shaped wine bottle holder

6)      A shoe painting or a more fun caricature of the receiver with a shoe

7)      DIY Idea – pick up an old shoe of your friend or buy a simple one from any store and jazz it up with glitter, diamonds, readymade bows and various accessories that you will find in the market

8)      Buy a shoe shaper (commonly known as shoe tree). They are used to keep the shape of your shoe intact when you aren’t using them. You may also get your friends name engraved on it.

9)      A shoe themed wallpaper to do a quick makeover of the room. Putting up wallpaper is easy and no fuss, this would work as a wonderful surprise.

10)   You can print a calendar or a diary with a new shoe every month with a popular shoe quote. 

Trends and Colors to follow in 2014

A big hello to all of you!!
Without wasting a paragraph on the blah blah stuff, lets get down to the meaningful part.

Trends to look out for in 2014

1) Clothes 

Jumpsuit - I am going to be surprised if you don't own one already. Jumpsuits are perfect in the way 

• They make you look slimmer (no button on the belly for muffin top to appear)                               
• You can team them up with charming belts that you probably bought long ago and haven't had a chance to wear                                                                                                                                
• You can carry a jumpsuit with sleeves or without them for the days that getting waxed is in your upcoming agenda                                                                                                                          
• For the ones who are really fussy about the fabric, good news is that jumpsuits come in lycra, cotton, crepe, silk and many more fabrics                                                                                           
• You cant ignore the fact of how cute you look wearing a jumpsuit.. So in case you do not have one pls pls go and buy it asap. (if you need places to shop, contact me)                                         
• Colours - Black, Navy Blue and a pastel like Hush Pink or Soft Purple.  

Flowy dress - Yes you heard me right                                                                                              

• Buy a dress which has a tighter top (till your bust line) and a flowy bottom. You will be able to carry this dress with grace only if you have a normal bust line and it is a big advantage for girls with a heavier stomach and bottom. A maxi length in this would do wonders.                                                 
• A hemline which is uneven will also look very attractive                                                                
• Prints look very engaging on a flowy dress. And guess what prints are the next big thing in 2014     
• Sheer flowy dress with a see through hem is so angelic
• A long flowy dress with a side slit is the perfect peek-a-boo                                                         
• Colours - Sea Green, Pretty Flowers, Sky Blue, Red and Orange  

Pallazo Pants - Oh so comfortable  

• Get them in solid colours or in prints. They look beautiful and are comfortable  
• Team them with a tee or a loose top to fit your mood                                                                     
• Give your jeans a break. You will look stylish and not stupid to sport a pallazo pant        
• If you have heavy thighs then pallazo pants is made just for you and the good news is that they are so much in fashion.                                                                                                                              
• Black&White print, Multi print,  Brown, Mustard and Grey 

2) Shoes 

• A very important aspect of right dressing is to wear right shoes. Must haves are Women Brogues, a pair of pretty looking flats, a pair of comfortable heels, pointed toe heels and a party picker.  
• Women Brogue look lovely in metallic Gold or Silver colour. The manly design with a girly colour is just so perfect. 
• Flats can be in a shade of brown or even in multi 
• Nothing better then a Black or Navy for the comfort heels
• Pointed toe closed shoe in a Beige and Black is an ever green option
• Go crazy on your party picker - Black, Blue, Pink, Red, Silver, Gold - pick what ever you like.