How We Styled It - Floral on Floral print

Thank you for the overwhelming response on this feature and it's very first edition. The best part is getting to work with some brilliantly talented bloggers, and their innovative and out-of-the-box ideas for styling. The encouraging comments from all you readers out there, fellow bloggers and stylists will absolutely egg us on to do better with each post.

Well, when Seepz and I started talking about the feature for this month, the floral print was definitely on our minds. This fresh and vibrant print speaks volumes about the weather, our state of mind and in general the cheerful ambiance around us. But just to amp up the style factor and also to rack our brains, we decided to mix prints and do a floral-on-floral edition to welcome the beautiful season of spring!

Thank you Seepz for the partnership on this month's Style edition, you have done a fab job pairing the elegant flowery prints. I love the pops of color from the bag and belt and the metallic shoes tie the complete outfit together. This chic outfit is definitely a smart and stylish way to dress up for a spring day out!

Over to you gal...

I have always been obsessed with floral prints and there is no better way to welcome Spring than breaking out the florals in your closet. So when my blogger friend Ashy came up with the idea of mixing prints for a blogger collaboration series over at her blog , I couldn't have been happier!

Floral Tunic - Kohl's, Floral Skirt - Boohoo, Ankle Strap Sandals - Steven Madden, Bag - Thrifted, 

Jewelry - Aisha

I have always shied away from wearing a full-on floral outfit which is why I thought this was the right time to break the rules. I picked up a skirt in a subtle floral print and teamed it up with a top in a busy floral print. To break the two prints, I added a belt in a solid color and finished the outfit with metallic heels and a mini bag. Neutral accessories give an effortless touch to a floral on floral look. Thank you Ashy for letting me be a part of this feature on your blog.

One of the best items in my closet is this floral print skirt that I snagged for an awesome deal at Target. Thanks to the vibrant print in an array of colors, it is super easy to style and dress up an ensemble. I have paired it with a bright hue top and of course a basic black (which brings out the beautiful colors in the skirt), but this time I was going for more of a fun and an over-the-top but chic look.

The cheerful hue of the top with subtle flower patterns on the top complement the big and bold print on the skirt. Black pumps and black purse go perfectly with the outfit, without competing with the riot of colors in the outfit. And the same is true for the metallic jewelry. With the cool crisp spring air, I decided to pull out my black tights for one last time.

Old Navy top | Target skirt | Swarovski necklace (gift) | Express black pumps | Aldo purse

So there you go, two ways to style floral-on-floral prints - pairing floral prints with the same base color (black) or mixing the prints on contrasting base colors, but keeping one of the floral prints less overpowering than the other. The basic rule is to keep the prints not competing with each other, either keep them the same size or they large and small, to avoid looking like a cherry blossom tree :)

Well, this was indeed a fun challenge, not only 'cause it was mixing prints, but also to infuse a different way of thinking while styling day to day outfits. Style challenges is what I wanted this feature to tackle on, and I think we did a pretty good job in this one. Hope we have inspired you to try the floral on floral trend this beautiful spring season!

And as always, if you would like to collab with me on this style feature, I would be delighted to get together with you. Do drop a line at: zingofmylife@gmail.com

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Birthday Edition

A dress always makes me feel lady-like and that's the kind of feeling I was going in for my birthday this year. Extra points to the weather, for allowing me to flaunt my bare legs in my absolute fave print - florals! I got this dress on sale during the holiday season last year and had decided to save it for a special occasion. With such a vibrant print, you hardly need any accessories or any other fluff to perk up the look. That's the beauty about wearing dresses, I guess!

Hubs decided to show off some color; love that coral shirt. It's so difficult to get any color (other than blue) in men's wardrobe so this shirt we got whilst shopping in Bombay is just the perfect edition for summer...ooops I mean spring time. 

Anyhoo, birthday was relaxing, husband served breakfast (poha & tea) and lunch (chilli chicken both dry and gravy versions...I am a lucky girl!) while I was busy taking calls, and responding to birthday wishes on Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram...birthdays are getting busier thanks to the social media :) My gal-pals had arranged a special surprise during our shopping spree, a day earlier. So all in all, I had a fun birthday week! 

And yes, spring is finally here! All the trees laden with gorgeous flowers, especially, the cherry blossoms in the DC area, is a sight to behold! Well, hello there Spring..where were thou?

Fossil dress | Payless pumps | Tory Burch purse | Capwell & Co. Bracelets | 

Marc Jacobs bracelet watch

MIA

I know, I know, I have been in MIA (Missing in Action) for quite sometime now...OK not sometime, but one whole month of March! There were Anniversaries, Birthdays, Celebrations, lease expiring, apartment hunting, event hosting, skiing and snow-tubing and many more things going on. Yes, all of these in all the days and weekends of March! Phew! March has to be one of the super busy months for me..I seem to not catch a break.

I am glad April is here, but it does look busier! Oh well, I decided to scram some time and sit down to write up this post..so how have you all been? Its been long we connected..hope you are having a wonderful weather and enjoying the joy that springs brings! 

Any-who, dead-busy as I was, one thing was good that, almost every other weekend I was dressing up my best, feeling gorgeous and, sometimes, I we managed to even get the outfits pictures clicked! Win-win, right?! Moving on to the outfit of the day..I got this dress for a friend's wedding  reception almost 3 years back now and never got to wear it. I ended up having to skip the reception due to a last minute business trip to Ireland. Long story short, I always craved to wear this beautiful spring/summer-print dress and never got around doing it until few weekends back. I wore it with a knit-shrug and I did swap those heels for a nice blue flats for a beautiful spring-day out! 

P.S.: Thank you all so much for your kind words and the over-whelming response to the 'How We Styled It' series. It is my first time starting a feature on the blog other than just outfit blogging. I was humbled by the shout-outs and praises showered by the blogger community...you gals are the best! I look forward to many more working with all you brilliant style bloggers out there!

Jones New York dress and knit-shrug from DressBarn | Assorted bead bracelets c/o Capwell + Co. |

DKNY Watch | Pearl necklace and earrings set gift from hubs

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Capital Fashion Blogger Meet

I met some lovely ladies and fellow fashion bloggers at CapFABB's third anniversary bash! CapFABB is a community of Fashion and Beauty bloggers based around the Washington, DC area including Virginia and Maryland.

I am so glad I attended this event. It was nicely done a a cocktail lounge - Dirty Martini - in DC, and and there was a special arm-party and jewelry counter setup by the gracious hosts Capwell + Co. Oh my! what fabulous bracelets, cuffs and bangles in striking colors, beads and metals. I hung out with a fellow Indian blogger - Saumya who writes and styles on her blog, Myriad Musings, and gorgeous DC-based bloggers Kesha and Sahra. It was so much fun to meet a like-minded bloggers and stylish ladies. There was some finger-licking good pick-me-ups and drinks flowing throughout the evening. 

Check out some fun moments and of course my Outfit of the Day - sequins top and fringe statement necklace and a pops of color from the scarlet red pumps and lip-color. I had hoped to wear a nice dress, but owing to the super-chilly weather and plus a long commute to the venue, I decided to go with something comfy and winter-appropriate. Hoping to see more of these blogger meets coming spring and summer and of course dress my best then!

Btw, special thanks to Saumya for the amazing outfit pics (we kinda did a mini outfit-shoot at the event)! 

LOFT top | Express jeans | Fringe necklace from Hill road, Bandra | Red Pumps Payless

Saumya and I

A cool arm-party thanks to Capwell+Co.

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Shawl Season

Nothing much to talk about these days, other than the cold weather and I don't want to start my 'how harsh this winter is' rant, 'cause I know by now, you and I, have been bored hearing about it! One good thing about this weather is that, I have started putting in a lot of thought in dressing-up. Basically, different ways to perk up the same old sweater, pull-over look and also staying right on track of my shopping ban and reinventing theme. There are not a lot of occasions these days to go out and seriously speaking, I am not in a mood to shop in this dreary weather. So well, saving money has been a pro of this harsh winter season (same cannot be said for the heating bills, I am sure :))

Anyhow, cold weather calls for cozy accessories. A floral shawl is a perfect accessory to the same old sweater-and-jeans look. I bought this shawl from my trip to Dalhousie last year. The shops there are stocked with luxurious pashminas in vibrant colors, right enough to ban the cold-weather blues. For all you based out of India, there are pashminas available readily in department stores these days. Throw on a supple cashmere scarf for a polished pop of color.

Well, in today's post I wanted to style the pashmina, and show different ways to wrap it. The second one - over the shoulder- has to be my fave.....what's yours?

Van Heusen sweater | Express jeans | Payless pumps | Shawl from Dalhousie, India

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Blogger Meetup

Shruti and I met up one of the weekends for a late brunch (more like late lunch but since it was a Sunday we decided to call it brunch). Shruti teams up with Richa, her sister, to write at Urban Mantra, which is one of my favorite lifestyle blogs. The sisters describe their fashion, food, travel and their experiences from two happening cities on the east coast - NYC and DC!

We share similar interests in food, travel and fashion and so majority of the time was spent filling in each other about travels to home, travels in US, Doonya fitness, Bollywood, best places to eat in DC, brands, fashion, and weather of course :) All this was in between gulping down fresh margaritas and savoring authentic Mexican food at Oyamel in Penn Quarter part of DC. If you are in DC, do take a trip to Oyamel for yummy Mexican food served tapas-style. It's part of Chef Jose Andres group of restaurants, and they are quite famous for their appetizer servings (another fave is Jaleo that we visited for J's birthday dinner).

Anyhoo, weather being so fickle and cold these days, I opted for tights, booties and a printed dress to give myself a cheery-feel! A bubble necklace and statement ring completed the look. Though most of the time I was wrapped in the black wool-coat and scarf around my neck, but that doesn't stop me from sharing my outfit of the day with you, right? :)

Target Dress | Bubble necklace from Groopdealz | Booties from TJ Maxx | Ring from Francesca's  

Shruti and I on the colorful sofa at Oyamel

Margaritas, Tacos (chicken, fish and mushroom) and Garlicky shrimp

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Snow and The City

We are having a really harsh winter this year and it's been all over the news lately. Right from people in cafe shops to grocery stores, everybody's chanting the 'How we hate the winter' song! I mean it's making headlines all over the world..almost all of the US is snowed in every weekend or the other (and I am not talking about the Calfornians here).

As a fashion blogger or let alone as a normal person, stepping outside house has become a cranky task. The cabin fever is real people! And it has hit everyone of us on the east coast. Other than binge TV-series watching on Netflix or HBO GO, and gorging on some much-needed carbs nothing keeps going on the weekends.

Well, lucky me, this weekend we met some of our friends for lunch. Much needed socializing in this snowy weather. I took inspiration from one of my fave fashionable TV-series and now a movie - Sex and The City. Carrie Bradshaw dresses up in this somber colors with a pop of scarlet red around her neck. A sweater and a scarf is pretty much the uniform now so getting more creative in it, is an added bonus for dressing up. Booties, neon-striped gloves and a puff-coat completed the look.

P.S.: Shooting in the snow was fun until I took of the puff-coat. Then it was like, let's just get it over and and get in the car :P

P.P.S.: My neon-striped gloves and techno-friendly. What it really means is that, I can access and use my iphone's touchscreen without taking them off! Whoever thought of it and made them is simply a genius!

V-Neck sweater and Puff-coat Banana Republic | Red knitted scarf LOFT | Booties TJ Maxx | 

Techno-friendly gloves TARGET

We went on a stroll by the frozen lake on our way back; scenic as it looks it was super-windy and chilly. But we had some fun pelting snows-stones on the lake and seeing them slide by!

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Mixing Metallics -- NYE Style

Lately I have been thinking of a vision for my blog. It started out as a more of personal style diary to document my experiments with daily wear fashion. How-I-wore and what-I-wore were my go-to elements in the blog post. This has immensely helped me in re-defining my style and upping the ante for my personal office and weekend style.

But now I want to consciously move on from daily personal style to more about to reinvent the wardrobe. I am going to hit the pause button for this month when it comes to shopping for clothes (let's see how that goes!) Lately I have realized I have some good tops/dresses just waiting to paired newly to make a fresh outfit/look. You can say this is a result of playing dress up one fine Sunday afternoon (I highly recommend if you want to reinvent your wardrobe). I have some clothes in mint condition with tags on. So well, that's the end of story, stop shopping and start reinventing!

And since we were talking about clothes hanging in the closet with tags on them, the bright beautiful burgundy colored sequin top was one of them, and so was the skirt. I got them during the Thanksgiving sale in 2012. The sequin top was definitely for the 2013 NYE dinner which I did not end up wearing...well, which meant it was up for 2014 NYE party. I have mixed metallic shades here - Gold and Silver - which is again a first for me. I think if done rightly, it just looks fab.

This is one of the last posts from my throwback mode. I gave a shot at styling my ever-straight hair. I used a flat iron to curl the ends so that they don't fall flat and a cute gold clip was perfect hair-accessory to keep the hair away from my hair while I was grooving to the bolly-hits.

The Limited Top and Skirt | DKNY Watch | 

| J.crew Belt (seen here) and Bracelet | Necklace Gift from Mum-Dad |

On my Face: MAC Studio Fix (reviewed here)

On my Eyes: Eyeconic Kajal, REVLON Diamond Lust eyeshadow, NARS Mascara
(all products reviewed here)

I am eager to start a segment on the blog that will help me and you to see if a top/dress/skirt/bottoms can be styled multiple ways. I am sure there can be many more ways but lets keep it to a limit of five, hopefully that's a number I can reach for every item in my closet.

Additionally, I would love to lend a helping hand to my readers. If you have any styling questions, please feel free to shoot me an email. I hope to decode them for you. You can write to me via email, Tweet me, Facebook me or leave your questions here right on the blog.

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