"The Sartorialist"

I found this piece of treasure quite randomly.
The writer writes about real fashion on the streets.
Please read and enjoy:
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Ho Ho Ho !

I love this time of the year. The beautiful weather, the lovely parties, starting from thanksgiving, there are multiple types of parties too - the pre-thanksgiving party, the thanksgiving lunch, the end of year holiday parties, the office holiday parties, the company holiday party, the christmas party, the new years party. Mind you, each one of these occasions is distinct and special. This also marks the big change in the fashion of the season. New styles in jackets, sweaters, shawls, scarves, vests, boots, stockings and of course the holiday dresses.
This year, me being in a good mood and all, I wanted to put a small twist on my holiday post. First get my angst out, and then write about the holiday trends!
I accompanied one of my dear friends to his company's holiday annual party. I wont mention the company's name, suffice to say that they wont be yodelling any time soon.Get it. "Yodelling". Oh come on! Anyways, the party was really fun, had a vegas theme and all. And all the employees showed up in their party best. Unfortunately, most of them wore some of those clothes, which were only brought out of the closet or the cardboard box in the attic this time in the year, and stored away with the moth balls till another year later. Another year, another christmas, same dress, same holiday jacket, same make-up! Lord, please help. Please deliver us from this evil.
You can tell very easily from the styles. I dont think stores actually sell them anywhere. I actually gagged when I saw a woman in a purple skirt suit. Why? And how?
Another one is highly inappropriate dressing for a holiday party. If you are showing up for your company's annual holiday party, atleast dont show up in a sweatshirt and jeans.
I lost my appetite when I actually saw two of these slightly(ahem) big women, dressed in their Vegas best. Their Vegas Ho best actually. Really short dresses and tons of cleavage. Again, why?
I know that the economy is taking a bad turn and its now perhaps not frugal to invest in special holiday attire. And we do forgive those who sin against us. Dont we?
Instead I am going to turn a new leaf and am going to be positive and hope that the world takes a better turn.
So here goes, the few top trends for this season.
Flats, flats, flats - Ladies, great fabulous news. Flats are back! Big time back. The WSJ claims that it has something to do with the economy. Apparently women are feeling a little down and flats are more with their moods than heels. I rejoice. Not because they are particularly sexy, but because I can then party for hours together without whining every 30 min:) So go all out - the tuxedo flats, the colored glittered sequins flats, the plaid flats and my favorite, nude satin flats!
Socks - Long knee high argyle socks are in. In a big way. The idea is a little borrowed from the female tennis player/golfer look. But they make your legs look really long and have a very nice way of dressing up even the dowdiest of your office wear!
Boots and the skirt/dress - This is one of those timeless fashions. It stays together every season. For some reason, I dont really like the style. I feel if you go slightly wrong with the choice of the length of boot, style of boot, color of boot, it ends up making the calves looking big and bulky rather than slender and sexy.
Argyle sweaters for men - For the boys, I love the look with a plain shirt inside and sleeves rolled up with the argyle sweaters. I think it makes them look really sexy. Make sure that the argyle sweater is in a bright color. Stay away from dark colors like navy blue, black, maroon, red and brown. Also try and buy a pure wool sweater, that way the sweater is not bulky and makes you hide the unseemly stuff pretty easily!
Poofy Jackets sleeves for women - Ladies, more for you. The big poofy sleeved jackets are in. You can invest in a short jacket, a long jacket. Also, stick to the darker shades when doing the poofy.
SJP flowers - Thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, the big flower brooches are really popular. Pair your old jacket, dress, sweater with a bright or jewelled flower brooch and you have dressed up a dull outfit successfully!
Stockings - I have already written about fishnet stockings in my previous post. Colored American apparel stockings are in. But you have to be very very careful about your choice of stocking color. If you are even a shade off, you may end up looking like an Elf! To wear stockings, wear a short dress, or a longer sweater with stockings and boots. In your entire outfit, make sure that there is only one bright colored item though!!
Bling it up baby! - Anything thats shiny and spangled is in. Hoodies, jackets, purses, shrugs, tank tops, sweaters. Go for it. This is the only time in the year you can wear it without looking like a disco ball!
Happy Holidays Peeps!

Trends or mends?

Ok ok, I know I have lost it. I have let everything take over my vent out! But, I have a new job now, and dont travel as much and I havent been out and about too much to do any fashion policing.
So I decided to compile a list of fashion trends that I have noticed that me and every one else collectively have been puzzled by.

Here goes:

1. Sack Dresses - Sack dresses are those which are short and literally potato-sack like. They have no waist, and produce this baggy but chic silhouette. All the women I know, love 'em. They cover up the flab in all the right places and are different. My guy friends just dont get it though. They have complained and whined and compared them to maternity gowns! So ladies, I leave this call to you, impress the guys or stay with the trends??
2. Crocs - I know this one has been long coming! I wrote a post about it a while ago, but never posted it because it was wayy to obvious. But crocs everywhere, this past summer, drove me up the wall. These are colorful, ugly but supposedly super comfortable, footwear made so your feet could breathe. They come in assorted candy colors. Their stock price consistently shot up as they became more and more popular(much to my utter horror). But I think "Style before comfort" should be on everyone's mantra! You dont want to be caught dead in one of these. Trust me.
3. Candy shop?? - Ladies over 40 shopping in teenager stores! Talk about cradle robbing. I got my LASIK done recently, and the surgery went off well and all, but imagine my trepidation as I was escorted in, for the initial paperwork, by one of the counselors to her office. This attractive late 30s/early 40s lady, dressed like Hannah Montana! Knee-length shorts, a tee, a vest and a cap to boot! I was truly speechless! And responded to her in mono syllables. I was frantically trying to rationalise this scary aberration by looking around in her office to see if there were any signs that could explain this behavior!!
4. Big purses/hobos - I resisted buying one of these for a while and finally did it out of sheer curiosity. Unless you have a newborn, there isnt much to carry in your purse. Maybe a cellphone, a wallet, a compact, coffee mints and a lipstick. But it is one of those confounding trends that nobody really understands. Why is it that we need big giant handbags to carry everywhere. I have got to say though, that the bigger the bag gets, the more junk I seem to fill in it. Now I have everything from last weeks mail to a light snack in my big giant bag.
Another thing thats funny about this trend - the size of the person carrying it. I see tiny, skinny girls carry them, maybe they are trying to highlight their own physical vulnerability! Who knows?
5. Long skirts with slits - Slits in the back, on the sides etc are a strict no-no. This isnt a trend started recently but I decided to rant about it here anyways. I have seen women, 35 and over wear this to work! Its unflattering and totally purposeless. If you think you are sexy by showing the back portions of your calves, its time to think again, and think hard!
6. Fishnet Stockings - Okay, this one is too close. It can vary from looking like a slut to being sexy. There is a very fine line here and you want to be ultra careful while wearing them. My only suggestion here is, ladies, if you hafta wear it, try it with monochromatic dresses.
7. Flourescent visible bra-cups - This one, I have spotted sporadically, at some parties. Here was one pretty young girl, wearing this cute deep necked black dress. Out of nowhere, I saw the tops of her bra-cups in flourescent blue peeping out. I am all for being unique and making a statement. It left me wondering about the statement she was trying to make though! Was she highlighting her assets or lack there-of?? All in all, a trend which needs to be nipped in the bud and heavily castigated me-thinks. Next thing you know, we will have to relive the conical-madonna-bra-era!

High Heel Confidential

Cant help referring you to this great find. For desi celeb Fashions, please check out:

www.highheelconfidential.com

Enjoy!

Song sung blue hue(boo hoo)

Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one

Ha! Sorry, folks for the long delay. I know I have been quite remiss in my duties to alert the world of the faux pas I have run into. I just have been a little self-absorbed.
My girl friend and I decided to break the routine a little, and decided to spend our Saturday night people watching at the nearest hotspot. Unfortunately, the latest "hotspot" was quite the misnomer, as the place was anything but. Watching a whole bunch of hoochie mamas, and their entourages for a while, we decided that enough was enough and called it a night. I however, did run into a peeve that I have been meaning to write about since a while. As I was looking around bored and a little tired, from the mindless banter, I saw this "brother" with a white tshirt with a whole bunch of bling, and a pair of blue denim baggy shorts and white white shoes.
Blue Denim Shorts are a strict no-no for men. Baggy Blue Denim shorts are even worse. The men unfortunately, end up looking more like overgrown kids than effortlessly cool and comfortable. Which, I think, is the whole purpose of wearing shorts. The "brother" at the bar, was going for the 50 cent gangsta look. Unfortunately the only crime he committed tonite was showing up in those shorts and acting super nasty. He looked more like he was waiting for the ice cream truck round the corner, than someone who was ready to wack someone off. It cheered me up considerably though. Atleast I had found material for my blog. Unfortunately for me, this wasnt the first time that I was spotting this flagrant mishap.
I have had "man-denim-short" sightings several times over, in the last few years. Surprisingly however, blue denim shorts look really good on women. All varieties of them, the hack-offs, the daisy dukes and the like. I dont know why that is. Another one of those unsolved mysteries.
So please please my guy friends, if you have any piece of blue denim apparel in your closet which doesnt extend all the way to your ankles, its time to rethink your wardobe!

jingle bells, jingle belles

Jingle belles, Jingle Belles all the way
Oh what fun it isnt to ride in a one-horse open sleigh!

I am sorry, I couldnt come up with anything better. But so goes the old christmas carol. or my modification of it. When we women get ready to go out and conquer the world, we want to look our best. And in order to prepare ourselves, we deck ourselves with every conceivable piece of armory that the world has left at our doorstep. The rings, the amulets, the bangles, the bracelets, the earrings, the necklaces, the hair clips, the hair bands and more. Each of these accessories enhances a ladies personality a little more. Adding a little more character to whatever story they are trying to tell. It gives them a certain je ne sais quoi. Making them more tasteful and sophisticated looking.
My peeve is with those ladies who get a little carried away and end up looking more like walking Christmas trees with ornaments. You cant pair giant earrings, with a jingly necklace, and another necklace just in case we missed the first one and a bracelet with charms, and a few bangles . Unless, you are of course getting ready to hawk off some of your wares at the next traffic light. Ladies, please take my advice. Accessories are fantastic. They are God's gifts to woman kind. Please do accessorize, but please do so with caution. Repeat the mantra 'subtlety is the name of the game' before you set out to make this world your smorgasboard.
Au revoir!

Annoucing the Marsupial Times

Ok. Here's where I take offence. My new bff tells me that he thinks my blog is less about fashion and more abt me wanting to diss people anonymously. I scoffed. Of course not. I care. I really care. I am a fan of the famous Keats saying. Well, not really. My point is that sometimes, when I am having less than a good day, it definitely pushes me over the edge. And if I can contribute to this world, by preventing one person from making the faux pas, I would be a better person. Phew. That sounded like a Miss America speech.

I was having lunch at a faux meat place. A place where you can get vegetarian buffalo wings, vegetarian beef and the like. All made of synthetic soy protein. As I was getting through my faux meal where my dear friend made the aforementioned(pfft!) preposterous observation, in walked my long time peeve. This middle aged Indian lady, probably in her early 40s. She walked in wearing something less than a fannie pack and more than a money belt. She was dressed like the quintessential woman of the world. Or what people thought the definition of the 'woman of the world' was, about 20 years ago. She had her hair cut like a man and was dressed like a man too. A shapeless shirt and pleated pants, a tough woman, quite obviously. And she wore, attached to her belt, her quintessential I-am-a-gadget-gal gadget, her cellphone in a leather pouch. *Groan*. I mean , lady, come on! There is such a thing called a purse. There are tons of nice ones, and no its not more important than your comfort and easy access.

Now she is not the only one. I have seen different versions of this. Especially when people are on international travel, and I have even observed this sometimes when I travelled from some GodForSaken places in the MidWest, or down South. People, forever, in the need to be more efficient, carry fanny packs. Both men and women. They carry all their 'important' documents in them. And walk around feeling protected and secure, and may I add, a little foolish. And the best part is that they are usually teamsters. I mean if you see one of these kangaroo like folks, chances are they are more of them lurking around. Sometimes, they move in couples, both husband and wife will be carrying a fanny pack at their waists. I can understand(gulp) if men have to wear them. Men dont have the convenience of carrying a purse, a man bag is too funny and a tad quirky. But ladies, you have no such need. A hand bag, albeit a big one, will do just fine. You can even carry some extra copies and some snack in there if you like.

I know that the demographic of the readers of my blog is fairly young, but I know that years will pass and soon we will be closer to the kangaroo generation, hopefully someone will remember these golden words and spread the word then.

tats - ugly or saxy?

The age old dilemma. From time immemorial, I have wondered whether tattoos are ugly or beautiful. I will admit, without trying to date myself, that growing up, I always thought that they were super cool. Of course, this was also the time when I thought that I would totally have my own motorcycle and go about town riding really fast.
Years have passed, and I have become wiser. With wisdom, came the awareness that there is nothing cool about riding a motorcycle at a 100 mph, and then having all your body parts taped together if you managed to get out alive out of an impending carnage. I would rather be protected by some air-bags. But, saying this, I dont want to jinx all my motorcycle riding pals. Cool looking tattoos go hand in hand with the rebel-with-a-cause look. Of course so do body piercings and dyed hair.
But my particular grievance is with tattoos. Tats, as they are called, are beautiful when you get them done initially. The novelty alone is quite exhilirating. They vary from being elaborate pieces of wearable art on your arms, your back, your naughty bits to simple I-just-want-to-do-it-for-the-heck-of-it ones. After going through the excruciating pain, the satisfaction is pretty short lived. Its only a matter of time , a year or two tops, before boredom sets in, and then old age and then sagging skin set in. Unless of course you are one of those tough biker dudes, whose dating joint is the local watering hole. You can totally attract the right kind of crowd then. Someone called Candy or Sugar.
Whats worse is people wearing them go from being bad-assed rebels to just plain ole tacky hags or hogs. And they are so permanent. They are there to stay. Till death do you part. Or perhaps, till complicated plastic surgery do you part.
Needless to add to that is the accidental oops moment. A tat slipping out when you are in a formal work setting. I maybe exaggerating a little, but I wouldnt trust a manager who had a scorpion tattoo on his shoulder that slipped out at a team event or an employee with a little heart on her lower back.
So, my request to y'all, especially the young ones, think long and hard before you go down this road. Unless you want to be the next Amy Winehouse or are getting ready to visit the old 'Hotel California', please dont get tattoos plastered over your body. And for some reason, if you hafta do it, please try and get a subtle one in some imperceptible place on your body, so it could become a relic soon to be forgotten.

Project Run-away

I know I rant and rave, I bitch and moan about All-things-fugly, but I cant help writing this post. I am an ardent follower of Project Runway and have followed it from the first season. I love the show, love the designers, their quirkiness, their shenanigans, and finally the creativity.
I couldnt resist writing a commentary once I saw tonite's episode. The four finalists are Chris March, Gillian, Rami and Christian. And everyone's been hailing this batch as the most talented of all the seasons. I beg to differ. All four of them are talented. Sure. If we were living 20 years ago, then they would be at the helm of some great fashion revolution. Unfortunately we are living now in 2008, and the whole 80's schtick is really getting to me.
The talented I-am-so-fierce Christian has designed one type of clothing only through the entire season. Every one of his 'fierce' designs through the season have the same nice-day-for-a-white-wedding twist. He always designs the punk rocker jacket with the shoulder pads, always the skinny pants. I mean, come on!! Am I the only one seeing this?
Rami, Rami, Rami. Please get over your grecian draping. Seriously, I dont know what Heidi Klum is applauding constantly. His clothes look dated. I wanted to scream loudly when I saw what he did to the poor 16 year old girl. Her prom dress I mean. Another asymmetric draping making the girl look like an old hag. And thing is, I seriously want to know who goes about wearing clothes like that. Enough already. ALL his clothes look like nice togas from the Roman era. The key word being ALL. And tonight's show with his three looks, I thought they looked extremely dated as well. I think fashion should be about reinvention, so use the concept in a new way. Why present the same old sh**.
Chris March. The over-the-top costume designer. I think the human hair attached to his final looks was the last straw. I dont think he gets it. As they were showing his collection to Tim Gunn, I saw some of the jackets. And I must say, that they were not just mediocre but scary as well. Something I would probably buy if I was living in some castle in Transylvania where no one from the outside world had visited in decades.

And finally Gillian. I must admit that I had serious trepidations when I saw her dress. She is seriously from Like-a-virgin-Madonna-Era. She has got this awful perm, wears ALL the 80s fashion and incessantly wears bright red lipstick, with and without gloss! But her clothes are a little better than the rest. She has some sense of style, proportion, edge and you could see her doing some wonderful things.
What scares me is this - the aforementioned designers are on the show. And I know a lot of people watch it. It scares me to think that people are going to start imitating these fashions in our everyday world. Already, I saw someone today on the streets of San Jose. I mean if it can get to suburbia, it can go anywhere!!
So, please, please people I am begging you to watch the show, and suffer from temporary aphasia, or please watch it for what it is. As entertainment, and not as a beacon to your sensibilities.

Heal the (tech) world!

"Heal the world, make it a better place for you and for me and for the entire human race" - MJ

Continuing in the grand tradition of ranting about the tech world, I have been meaning to write about this particular fauxpas for the last 7 years. Since I didn't have my venting board then, I am going to use this as my big vent out moment.

Years and years of in-breeding have led to the birth of the strong engineering gene. All my friends are engineers and all my friends friends are engineers and so on. Unfortunately, there is no way out of this vicious cycle. Inevitably we seem to feel comfortable with our own kind, and why not? We are simple, straightforward folk, where logic makes a ton of sense and all else seems less important.

Unfortunately, this was more true when I was back in graduate school. You don't have enough money to buy fancy clothing, enough food and have many comforts. We ran to all the uninteresting and interesting events as long as we could smell free pizza. Similarly, I found many of my guy friends, all collecting tons of hanes tshirts at company functions, whether it was to launch a new product or a symposium, or a career fair. Some of my nerdy friends where quite happy with the accomplishment. As my dear friend put it. He had done his years worth of shopping. A compulsive shopper like me, of course, squirmed at such statements. But I did my version of the flip when I found the ubiquitous presence of product and company tshirts at all events since I have started working. At the Christmas party, at the grocery store, at the gym, in Vegas(!) and I finally lost it, when someone wore it on a date.

My main complaint is that these tshirts are not cool, or hot, they invariably never really fit well. They never even look nice when they are worn as under shirts. The best place to where them is when you are out mowing your garden, or cleaning the house, or want to show your loyalty at a company event, or in the nights, when you are going to bed,(even then its a bit of a turn-off) and finally as a rag. Unless, companies start custom making these tshirts with more sense of style and precision, I beg of you to please heed to this blogger's words, and try and make this world a beautiful place.

Heal the world!

the tech woman and her rants

I found this while researching one of my blog entries. (believe me, I research).

http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/12/tech_tshirts_ar.html

Enjoy!

Govinda bolo hari, govinda bolo harry!

Folks, as it turns out that my writing days as a fashionista may soon be ending. I may be out of a job soon , and whatever I do next, I dont think I will be travelling enough to observe the travesties around my fashion world.
I was watching one of the earlier episodes of sex and the city today and there was an episode where Carrie dates a 20 something guy. She stays over at his place, and the next morning tries to get some coffee. As she walks through the world of urban-outfitter candles and the like, she realizes what an utter mistake she has made! The little episode however reminded me of a long forgotten woe, the tye and dye shirt. I know people across the world, are nodding their heads in unison at this one.
The tye and dye shirt is one of those multi-coloured ensembles which started out being trendy and chic in the 70s. The "organic" earth colors connected the phool-children to their Mother. And I bet the pschydelic effect that they created was quite delightful as they sucked in their penny's worth of "fresh air". Unfortunately, the govinda-bolo-harry genre is long out and now we are stuck with the remnants of this coolness.
I have nothing against the paganistic folks, mind you. I just hope that my hippie sisters and brothers will heed to this bloggers' words and stop perpetuating this 'happy' myth.
Colorful puke, we can live without!

Bewitched?

I am blogging from my hometown in India and I am away on my soulful vacation. Yet, my angst continues to haunt me and here I am again, compelled to write. AAh. Such are the woes.
On a high note, I also observed the radical change that India has gone through in the past few years. A lot of people from all over the country have moved to the bigger cities in search of newer opportunities and better jobs. And the influx of the new crowd and fresh faces has radically changed the mindset of these cities. Young people revel in their new found confidence and expression. Before I digress and begin sounding like a political blogger, I should revert back to my original demonic self.
One of the things that has'nt changed is the giant impact that our film industry seems to have on our every day life - the style, the food, the vernacular continue to be strongly influenced by bollywood, tollywood, mollywood and the like. Or has it always been the other way round. I have never really figured it out.
As I was walking in another of the metropolis's hubs for young people, I watched what I thought was a genie walking right past me. This little 5 ft nothing girl, was walking in around in 'I dream of Genie' pants and a little tshirt on top. She seemed perfectly at ease in it. So much so, that I had to recheck my surroundings and make sure that I hadnt suddenly been transported into Aladdin's Arabia. Okay, I exaggerate. But, I was appalled nevertheless. Having attitude and confidence is one thing. Looking stupid and over confident is another. My dear sister explained to me that its been one of our up and coming heroines in some recent bollywood flick. Hence the pervasion of this hideous monstrosity on the streets of Hyderabad.
Its alright to ape and imitate something that your screen idols have worn, but perhaps its a good citizen's responsibility to check themselves in the mirror before they go out into the world to shock hapless victims.

the boy man

Been long folks. I havent been travelling at all these past few weeks. A few odd trips in California dont count.
I figured I 'd dig deep through the annals of my dark mind and ferret out some fashion faux-pas that I had stored away. So here goes.
A long time ago, I was flying out early spring from the East Coast back to CA. The flight had been delayed and after a week of working hard I was eager to get back home. I was pretty oblivious to my surroundings and was wallowing in my own self-pity. The air was nippy and so everybody was dressed in semi-summery clothes with maybe a jacket and a sweater. I noticed this boy-man walking past me several times. I use the phrase boy-man loosely here..he was probably about 30 years old but looked more of a boy and less a man.
He caught my attention because he wasnt very tall(about 5ft 5 in), and he was standing next to this youngish woman who was pregnant. It was an odd match. She looked big and heavy and he looked rather tiny. Added to that was another of my pet peeves. He was wearing a formal icy blue shirt with a pair of beige cargo shorts. And the best part - he had a sweater over his shoulders with a knot in the front. A la Jack Mc farland from Will and Grace. Dont get me wrong, its not the fact that he looked gay that got me.
It reminded me of a guy I knew a loooong time ago. The second time I met him, he was dressed in a formal shirt and little short shorts(yeah, they make them for men too apparently)..and I remember teasing him endlessly about it back then. In fact I took him to a store and made him buy a tshirt then and there.
But that was a past life. These days I am a little more grumpy and dont have the energy to hoot my fashion horn.
Please people..especially men below 40..please heed to this blogger's advice and look around u before u go abt tying ur sweaters in the front and wearing super formal shirts on your cargo shorts!

Le scrunch crunch

I have been meaning to write for a while now. Just running out of breath. Been so busy. I need a vacation.
My dear anonymous friend posed an interesting question that got me thinking. As people get older and older, why do they seem to slowly wither away. Their sense of style becomes drier and more sober. Perhaps, age and experience just sober you up. Or perhaps its just the nature of life. They go through the four seasons. It certainly got me thinking.
As I was flying a few weeks ago from Kansas city, (sidenote:which has the easiest airport I have been to till date), I boarded into a relatively small airplane. It was one of those planes where there are only two seats on either side. It was pretty entertaining as well. It had two, very nice ladies as stewardesses. They were particularly funny and super friendly. Interestingly they were probably in their mid to late 50s. They hadnt lost the chutzpah to life. And it was a delight to watch them. Reminded me of the Golden Girls(yeah, I watch that show)
Although, I was completely entertained, I made a mental not to self to write abt a fashion peeve that had briefly escaped my attention. One of the golden ladies had tied her blonde hair into a high pony tail with a black velvet scrunchie. To add to that, there was the gold ear rings and bright red lipstick. Instinctively, I had the reaction one has, when you scratch a blackboard with your finger nails. I quickly forgave herthough, given her pleasant attitude and demenaour.
But please people, scrunchies have been long out! I dont even know where one can buy them these days. But if you do find them somewhere, stay away and spare the rest of the poor souls like me please!

New York, New York

Ola folks..I just returned from spending an exhilirating weekend in the fashion capital of the world - atleast my little world - New York City. Every sidewalk was a runway. People strutting their stuff on 5th avenue. A Carrie Bradshaw at every headturn. People struggling to exhibit their uniqueness in every sense. The week before I spent it in Gaithersburg, Maryland which is like any other suburb(yawn!) in the United States. The contrast between the two places was rather hard-hitting. Interestingly enough it was pretty ironic as well.

I was getting a croissant for breakfast at a little bakery around the corner when in walked the fashionista - a skinny, asian girl. pretty, in her mid-20s. Wearing cute shorts and a tshirt. Perfect for the hot-humid weather. Until I saw what she was wearing on her feet. She was wearing furry ugg-boots. In the middle of sweltering humidity and a 100 degrees, wearing ugg-boots with short shorts was not chic, it was geographically out of place. An interesting thought did cross my mind. I have been writing about how people are time displaced and seem to be in a time capsule. For the first time, I was witnessing a woman who lived in two hemispheres at once. OR maybe she thought wearing furry thick boots and shorts made her legs look skinnier.

Immediately I thought of this woman I saw in Gaithersburg, the previous week. She was a female gardener mowing the lawn and clearing out weeds. She was a latina woman in her mid-20s. She was dirty and covered in mud. But she looked like she had walked straight out of a fashion magazine. She was wearing beige pants with a dirty off-white shirt. She had rolled her sleeves to right above her elbows and was wearing a brown leather belt across her waist. Even under the dirt that she was covered in, she managed to look super stylish. As I said before it was pretty ironic. Style transcends boundaries.

I spotted this outside a salon while I was in Oregon last week! (pic taken from my phone) Brought a big smile to my face.. Enjoy!

Kramerica anyone?

I have been busy and lazy with my life. Sometimes you just drift and things just seem to be happening around you. Its like you took a remote control, hit pause and hit play again. Your life seems unchanged. Although real life around you seems to say something different. Before I digress, back to my usual venting.
I was travelling on the local train in Portland, Oregon to visit a local brewery when I came across my long forgotten woe. Portland is a beautiful city, scenic and modern and also very crowded. The train system seems to be rather excellent and is the main choice of transport for working people who worked outside the city.
As my colleagues and I settled in the comfort of our comfortable albeit unfamiliar surroundings(we love our cars), I was watching this young man who had just boarded the train. He was wearing formal work-clothes which suited him well. Sadly though, the moment he sat down, it hit me about what was wrong! The trousers were a little too short..just about half an inch or so shorter than his cuffs. And as he sat down and his pants went up, I could see glaring portions of his socks! It instantly reminded me of the character Kramer in Seinfeld. Kramer is seen in almost all episodes of Seinfeld wearing these ridiculous trousers. It adds an extra zing to his already quirky character and makes him what he is. But the rest of us are not lucky enough to make ourselves rich by wearing funny looking pants and still gather iconic status!
A dear friend of mine was recently telling me about how tricky it is to get tailor made clothes in the United States. We are surrounded by chains and chains of stores and nobody caters to a certain body style anymore. But some brands fit better than others, and perhaps its wise to take a moment and get simple things like the length of the pants straightened out, especially when they are formal work-pants. I wish them success in their quest!

Wash,rinse,repeat(the re-cycle)

Last week has been interesting. I gotta chance to go to the "City of Love" to attend a fashion show. Really loved the show and thought some of the creations were pretty interesting. Will upload pics from the show a little later. The show was put together by students of fashion. The things they had learnt in their four year program from fabric making to dress design. Haute Couture. The works.
Needless to add, the crowd lived upto the fashion show. People all ages showed up in all sorts of fashion. From accessories to shoes to clothes to hats. Each in its own telling a little about their personality and perhaps their attitude. I was in absolute heaven. It was the best couple of hours I had spent in a long while.
Retro chic was largely "in". Polka dots, greta-garbo hats, headbands, scarves, hepburn-style pants, big super-size-sunglasses, big colorful prints, dobby-pants for men and women and the like. Suddenly I was transported back into the 60s again. Talk about recycling. Admittedly though, the clothes did look uber chic.
In the midst of all this creativity though was one person that stuck out like a sore thumb. The director of the fashion school! A woman about 45-50 years of age dressed in an ill-fitted suit with shoulder pads!!!! And the clincher - bold gold jewellery! As she stood there making the opening speech, I was cringing in pain. From what I had heard she was supposedly very wealthy and you could tell she had a sense of power and command. Whatever it was it didnt show from what she was wearing. Maybe she was trying to make up for the balance in this world. Or maybe she was a little ahead of her times..If people are going back to the 60s in their sense of style, maybe she just went back to the 80s when shoulder pads and gold jewelry was in!! Whatever it was, it wasnt working!

I have a confession to make. Blogging against fashion-peeves has been therapeutic. Lately, I have noticed that I am not giving people a mental makeover as I meet them. In fact, I dont have the same anguish, I am slowly drifting into a bit of complacency as I become more forgiving of the violators.
As my dear anonymous friend commented on my last blog, I could really use a makeover myself and become a fashion cop. So I decided to wear my pink fashion police hat (an homage to 'legally blonde') and carry my shrill whistle and walk the country looking for violators. Sadly enough, it can only be wishful thinking as I still have my day job to keep! Still, I have two incidents to report as I went through the vagaries of my every day life.

I went to the optometrist the other day to finalize my contact lens prescription. This bitchy female doctor is there to welcome(how ironical) me and find out how comfortable I was with the prescription. I should have known she was bitchy right from when I saw her. The white coat threw me off briefly. As I was leaving the store, after having a violent moment with her, I noticed what she was wearing. She was wearing all black clothes(black top, black pants) and shiny red open-toed pumps. I figured the only thing she needed was a pair of horns and she would be ready for a halloween party.

Next, I was at the airport leaving Baltimore to travel to Los Angeles recently. It was a beautiful sunny day, about 75 degrees. It was going to be a long flight about 5 hours. People were in their summer best - shorts, capris and the like. As the flight continued to board though, I was looking for my shrill fashion-cop-whistle...so I could flag this couple down. The woman was about 33 and the man was around 35. They seemed very cosy, chic and ready. Ready to go skiing that is! They were both dressed from head to toe as if they were out on their yearly trip to Aspen. They would jump of the plane and ski away onto the diamond slopes. I couldnt understand what was going on. And this is spring for Pete's sake!