Of Ruffles and Tutu's

Today is my dearest mom's birthday, she's my best friend and also the most inspiring woman I  know...

Happy Birthday ma!

Birthday's (no matter who's it is) means dressing up for me :)

This is what i planned on wearing for lunch with family, but had to change at the last minute because it was a tad too dressy for the restaurant we were going to :(

I'm head over heels in love with this ruffled Club Monaco Lily scarf, the fabric is chiffon and the layered ruffles give it amazing feel and texture. I'm determined to wear it with multiple outfits this season.

Wearing:

Black V-neck t-shirt: thrift, off-white tutu and studded belt: Hong-Kong,

black tights: GK-I M bock market

Lily scarf courtesy Theme, heels: Bangkok, bracelet: Vintage

I felt like going all-out girl-y while keeping a slight edge to my look, hence the dollops of black!

Pretty tutu's and ruffled scarfs and heels make me happy :)

Shoes!

Below is a nice article I came across in today's HT City (page 9), so thought I'd share it with you guys. It talks about how some Hollywood movies and some stars (or should I say icons) changed the way we dress. Weather its Audrey Hepburn's LBD in Breakfast at Tiffany' s or Tom Cruise sporting the Ray Ban aviators in Top Gun...there will always be those people don't follow trends, but set them.

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

xxx

Boy-ish

Today, I was in the mood for something casual and different; turned out to be a boy-ish look with my maroon All-stars and boyfriend jeans (which are BTW my mom's! How cool is my mom?)...I quite liked it!

I have a crazy submissions week coming up after which its exam time!..I'm starting to freak out a little!  Aaahhhh!!

Wearing:

Boyfriends jeans: Tommy Hilfiger, white hooded t-shirt, striped scarf and blue jacket: thrift, All-star sneakers: Converse, gold buckle suede belt: Mussourie, socks: Nike, Clutch wallet: Debs

A big shout out to mu friends Suhani for being my photographer for today :)

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

xxx

Warm & Cuddly

This grey over-sized woolen pullover has been 'borrowed' from my dearest brother :)

It's the really comfy and warm and I could live in all day! It just goes to show that something comfortable need not look drab and boring, it can look fun and fabulous to!

Wearing:

Over-sized pullover: Brother's, black dress (worn under it): Benetton, Electric blue tights: Hong-Kong, studded elastic belt: Hong-Kong, Suede ankle boots: Charlotte Russe, Gold bracelet: Theme

Especially in winters when we tend to wear multiple layers and baggy clothes, BELTS are the perfect accessory to balance an outfit; they can be used to emphasize the waist and break down a bulky sweater/dress.

I have some belt trivia for you guys...

Did you know? that, before the 1920s, belts served mostly a decorative purpose, and were associated with the military, it was common for officers to wear extremely tight, wide belts around the waist, on the outside of the uniform. These tightly cinched belts served to draw in the waist and give the wearer a trim physique.

Isn't that cool!

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

xxx

Mixing Prints

I love the idea of mixing prints; checks and animal, polka dots and stripes or abstract and floral!

Though I feel its not always easy to mix right, so, I started small and simple, sticking to a basic colour palette and similar colour tones with my animal print scarf and check jeggings.

 Wearing:

black top and bangles: thrift, check jeggings: Bangkok, grey cardigan: Promod, brown studded belt: lifestyle (gift from friends :)), animal print scarf: vintage (mom's), suede nude heels: Charles and Keith

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

xxx

Houdstooth Haven

Winter Inspiration

This winter I've been loving the Hounds-tooth check on...everything! But, the Alexander Mcqueen Hounds-tooth tote in the above collage is just extra gorgeous!

A quick bit of info: Hounds-tooth checks originated in woven wool cloth of the Scottish lowlands in black and white, but is now often done in other colours as well.

I'll hopefully buy some nice pieces in it this season :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Love

Rukman

xxx

Let the Boots Begin

These are some random facts about shoes that i came across and thought I'd share them with you guys:

•  Did you know that as a class, shoemaker's have historically been regarded as having an innate philosophical bent. They have been writers, mayors, popes, and leaders of major social upheaval! 
• Since medieval times, October 25th has been celebrated as St. Crispin's Day (St. Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers) and the Shoemaker's Holiday. In the past, boot and shoemakers traditionally closed their shops on this day, in celebration and commemoration.

Got ready on a nippy November morning for school and this is what i wore:

Blue top: thrift, Brown sleeveless hoodie: Benetton, frayed denim skirt: Levis (DIY), Houndstooth scarf: thrift, black tights: Hong Kong, black suede ankle boots: Charlotte Russe.

Slip on boots like these are really comfortable and convenient for winters, I have 2 in the same style but different colors!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

xxx

Dress It up, Dress It Down

Most looks can be taken from day to night in a jiffy, by playing with a few accessories or adding/subtracting a few pieces of clothing. It's a really useful thing to know how to do, especially if you're meeting friends right after work/school and don't have time to go home and change!

If you have been reading my blog, you would have seen this outfit. I wanted to do the 'dressing the same outfit up and down' thing. The look on the left is perfect for Sunday lunch or even a night out, and the one on the right is super appropriate for a fun day at school!

Which one do you like better???

Across Three States...

So, on Id-Ul-Zuha my awesome classmates and I decided to go to Noida, and yes I travelled across three states to get there (literally), we saw some really interesting retail store formats (part of college course work, so we can call it semi-official work, lol)

My lovely friend Suhani decided to be the enthusiastic photographer, Thank You :)

Wearing:

White tank top and black legging pants: Forever 21, Grey Blazer: Hong Kong thrift, Red patent leather peep toes: Carlton London, Sling satchel: Salvatore Ferragamo (mom's), Red beaded necklace: thrift

Back in Black and Nude

Below are the photos of my previous post's outfit but modified to wear to school. It simply goes to show how the same outfit can be dressed up or down to suit the occasion and location :)

A BIG Thank You to my photographer friend and classmate Rana Garima for clicking me :)

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

xxx

Black and Nude

I really dressed down for class yesterday so I was really pumped up to wear something nice today. I've wanted to wear these gorgeous nude suede peep-toe booties since I bought them over a month ago, but had not gotten the chance so, I couldn't resist wearing them with this outfit today morning, even if it was just for the photos (It just went so well!). I just felt like dressing up this morning!

For college, I nixed the heels and added black tights and ballet flats to the outfit instead (more photos of that later, my friend in college clicked some pictures of me:)).

Wearing:

Nude Dress: thrift, Black high waisted skirt (worn under dress): Forever 21, black pullover: mom's, brown and black belts: Bangkok, Suede Booties: Charlotte Russe, Hairband: Accessorize

I <3 the ruffles at the ankles of these booties!

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

DIY Eyes

This post is on special request. I'm gonna try and put down a step by step guide on how to put smudge proof and leak proof kajal/eyeliner. Since this is my first real DIY post, I'm not sure how good it'll be, let's just hope it helps :)

YOU WILL NEED

Liquid eyeliner: Any brand or brush type will do, i use Lakme High Definition eyeliner with the felt tip brush (awesome!) or Chanel Liquid eye-liner with the bristle brush.

The Lakme regular bristle brush eyeliner in the glass bottle is also good, You'll just have to get used to handling the brush a little.

Kajal stick: again, any brand will do, it should be dark and of good quality. Hashmi kajal, Mabelline, Revlon, Mac and Chanel all have good Kohl/Kajal pencils, pick one depending on your budget.

Mascara: Optional

Remember, Your product doesn't have to cost a bomb to be good, brands like Lakme, Mabelline, Revlon etc all make really good products with pocket friendly prices.

PUTTING IT ON

STEP 1: start with a clean eye, moisturise the eyelid a little with lotion if needed. 

STEP 2: start by lining the upper eye-lid of your eye with the liquid eye-liner as close to where your eyelashes start, leaving no skin gaps in between. Wait till it dries (most eyeliners you get in the market today dry by the time you finish applying, so there is hardly any waiting).

Now, learning to use the brush perfectly will take some practice, whether you use a felt tip brush (looks like a sketch-pen nib) or a bristle brush (looks like a thin paint brush) you can achieve the same look. It's all about getting used to handling it. Don't get impatient or disheartened if your eyeliner isn't perfect and even the first time!

STEP 3: line the eye just below your lower eye-lash as close to the eye as possible drawing as thin a line as you can. This may be a little harder than lining the upper lid so be prepared.

STEP 4: fill in your eye using a kajal pencil (how you usually put kajal), if you can, fill in the inner side of the lower and upper lid to give a deeper look.

STEP 5: Put mascara on you upper and lower eye-lashes to add even more depth and drama to your eyes.

For any correction: keep handy cotton swabs and Vaseline/lotion, just dip the cotton swap in it and gently rub off the unwanted liner.

There you have it, perfect Kohl-lined eyes, the liquid liner acts like a barrier that prevents the kajal from smudging ALL DAY!

To remove: Use cotton wool with baby oil/Vaseline/lotion and gently rub off the liner, wipe off with damp cotton wool and then wash of with water.

Photo credits for the last photograph: Angel Bedi

Thanks for stopping by

Love

Rukman

xxx