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!!

Tips to keep your feet infection free during monsoons.

Mentioned below are a few tips that will help you keep your foot infection free in Monsoon.

• Camphor powder is an effective antiseptic. Mix it with talcum powder and apply before wearing shoes and after opening them.

• Rubbing onion juice between infected toes helps to cure infection faster.

• If you develop itching due to muddy water, wash feet in a mild solution of lime juice and vinegar to reduce the itch.

• If your wet feet have a tendency to cause odour, mix 5 ml of peppermint oil in a tub of lukewarm water with a handful of neem leaves and soak your feet for 10 minutes. Dry and spray talcum powder on it. This will help in reducing the perspiration plus relieve you from odour-causing bacteria.

• Sometimes during this season our nails become soft, brittle and start to clip. You can prevent this by adding a few drops of olive oil and lemon juice to a tablespoon of honey and apply this mixture to the nails before sleeping to treat brittle nails.

• At the end of a humid, rainy day, soak your feet in cold water and salt solution. Scrub, clean and wipe dry.

• Diabetics should take special care of their feet during monsoon as they are more prone to infections due to water retention. To avoid this, always have separate pairs of shoes for office and travelling; upon reaching the office wash your feet and dry them, if possible, sprinkle powder between the toes and slip into your dry pair of shoes.

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 use Sheer to look sexy

Sheer is a very fine fabric, usually see through and light in weight.

We all own several clothes and accessories in sheer but sometimes fail to style it right. 

So today I am going to talk about various ways to wear your sheer's without being shoddy. 

Formal Look 

• A crisp black or white shirt is perfect for a formal look. If your work permits you can wear a solid colour with little bit of contrast on the collar or the pocket area. 
• Don't forget to have a comfortable well fitted inner to go with your shirt. Often an ill fitted inner would roll up exposing the stomach and back at your work meetings making it rather awkward for you to cover up. 
• Most sheer fabrics give a foul smell when there is sweating. Wearing the shirt for more then 8-10 hours at a stretch for work will give out an foul smell. Make sure to use a 24 hour deodorant protection for your underarms. 
• Remember an impressive appearance is half battle won.

Living it up

• A sheer dress is most commonly available right from a fashion street to a high street mall. This will be the easiest thing for you to buy on your next shopping trip and remember you need not burn a hole in your pocket for the sheer dress. 
• If you are buying something that you can sport on a beach then go for bright colours and lots of prints. Do not splurge on this dress because the only other place you will be able to wear it is an Hawaiian themed party. Go for a long dress like a maxi. They are comfortable on the beach and don't fly easily when windy. 
• For a party - A dress with the shoulder in sheer looks very elegant. Again be careful to wear the right type of inner wear with this. Go for a strapless inner wear in order to avoid a fashion faux. Another option is to wear a dress with a sheered uneven hemline. You can wear this with a belt if your dress is in a solid colour
• Sheer and Glitter go very well. So if you are up to look like a shiny diva pick up a sheer with glitter
• A peek-a-boo of sheer near the waistline if you have one which you can flaunt, will definitely make heads turn

For not so thin

• Don't worry if you have a heavier upper body, sheer will works for you too. Go for prints on your sheer top this will divide the attention of the onlooker and the flab will go unnoticed. 
• If you are wearing a solid sheer top go for a dark shade like black, dark blue, maroon, bottle green etc. Team it with a neon or bright coloured bottom like mustard, sky blue, mint green etc. 

Traditional Indian Wear and The New Indian Wear (Gowns)

• If you are a modern age bride and want a fusion to spill over your garments then a sheer blouse with Indian embroidery is for you. A sheer back looks absolutely sexy and will play a cute camouflage with your skin. 
• Gown which has made a quick entry into Indian weddings can be made with a lot of sheer. A flowy dress for a cocktail or a gown for a reception can use sheer beautifully. 

For your toes

• The same principles that apply to your clothes hold true for your shoes. 
• A sheer with glitter heel is so desirable. This can be your accessory with an LBD. It will instantly lift up your fashion quotient. 
• A peek a boo of sheer and other materials in a single colour look very fashionable. 

So I say cheer with your sheer's. 

Recycle / Up cycle shoe box - DIY

Do something for the environment       

You may use a shoe box for various purposes, please find them listed below 

1.  For storage purpose - 

Pen/pencil/crayon box, magazine rack, office supplies storage, tool box, CD storage, photo album or lose photos

2.   For gifting purpose - A gift box or present box

Paste a gift wrapper around the shoe box and turn the box into a wonderful gift box for your loved ones. 

3. Toy box

Puppet theatre box, make a robot out of the box, doll-house, preschool art and crafts, school science projects, Guitar, piggy-bank 

4.  Love pets - Make a pet house 

Put a thin layer of cushioning inside and make it bedding if your pet is tiny in size. You may use the box to transport the pet too

5. Aid in transportation

Tiffin box transport, water bottle transport

6. Wall shelves

Paint the box and turn them into beautiful wall shelves, you may also use it as a drawer separator

7. Tissue box

Carefully cut the plastic on the top of the box and make it into a tissue holder.

8.  Flower pot holder

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!