Orange Accents

I have been in a lazy blogger mode for quite sometime now. But hey, this cold-n-windy winter season is to be blamed, ok? It takes a whole lot of motivation to get a task done these days. And if I have to step out of the house for that, then forget about it. I am sure, I am in a state of hibernation right now. 

Anyhoo, enough of weather talk and moving on to the outfit post. Owing to my sluggish state-of-mind, I am going to be in a throwback/flashback mode for a couple of posts there...well, excuse me for that, will you?

These outfit pics were taken in Diwali-Halloween period last year when fall was in full bloom (which is quite evident from the pictures). The orange-and-black combo suited well to the Halloween celebrations and the ethnic vest made sure that it was suited for desi occasion as well. 

I wore this outfit to a pumpkin-carving party (what fun that was..simply amazing!) and then for a annual Diwali dinner at one of the best places in Washington, DC. I was looking forward to styling the mojaris from a long time now. I got them from a shop in old town Udaipur a couple of years back. They are not one of the the most comfortable shoes I own, but they are surely one of the cutest and talk about colors..simply brilliant, aren't they?

So tell me, do you repeat an outfit between different occasions, if you loved it wearing once? 

Express denims | LOFT black tee | Vest from Crawford Market (as seen here) | Aldo bag |

Inpink pendant necklace | Ring from Langford Market |

Homemade red-velvet cupcakes for the pumpkin-carving party

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Denim on Denim

A denim-on-denim is a classic look and one that's easy one to throw on too. Just keep the denim hues slightly apart - like pairing a darker hue on the bottoms with a chambray shirt. With this look, you just need one striking accessory to break the monotony. I have done one in the past, with bright pink accents which really gave a dramatic contrast against the rugged denim.

So well, that was the theme for the day but I thought of taking up the accent part up a notch in the ethnic department. I got a vibrant orange vest with a delicate paisley design during my 'mandatory' shopping trip to Colaba Causeway (also it came in a cute bandhani cotton bag. For those who do not know, Colaba Causeway is the Holy Grail of street shopping in Bombay). I am quite attracted to such quirky pieces especially since moving to the States. I think they just show off an interesting part of your personality. Added plus for me, in my effort to build a balanced wardrobe, I get to add a orange/ tangerine colored item to my closet (and also that, I am a huge fan of dressing up in vests). So there you go, just one accent and that's it; you ready to head out.

Bee-tee-w, did you see that Fall is here! The pretty-colored leaves, the chill in the air, pumpkin spice latte..all that and more is here! And for me it is the time to get back dressing up in good ol' denims :)

Old Navy Chambray shirt (buy here) | Express denims (similar) | Tory Burch Aviators (similar)
| Vest from Colaba Causeway, Mumbai | Target Shoes | Ring Gift from a friend |

one big YAY for Fall

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Wine Tasting

Last Sunday we were out wine-tasting with a couple of friends. Northern Virginia has some award-winning wineries and we had been looking forward to visit them out for quite some time now. We visited the Casanel Vineyards based on the yelp reviews of course (I trust them wholly people!).

There was not a formal wine tour or anything, it was a cute little place though with a open patio, tables and chairs, people drinking wines chit-chatting on that beautiful fall afternoon. For the wine-tasting we tried seven different wines ranging from the spritzy-flavored Pinot Grigio to a strong and robust Cabernet Sauvignon. The reds were quite bitter and strong to my taste, well I am more of a white wine person. After the wine-tasting, we headed out to the patio with a glass, some crackers and yummy champagne cheese (that thing was super delicious!) for a great afternoon by the wineries.

Yes, I was wearing the white denims again! They are clean, crisp and with their oh-so-chic fresh look I think they are a closet must-have. I paired my white denims with a colorful top for pop..well, like they say people, opposites attract :)

Target white denims (as seen here) | J.crew hot-pink top | Levis vest (as seen here) |

Payless tan-colored pumps | Forever 21 India neon earrings |

Ok, I get it..drinking and laughing at the same time is not pretty :P

How I Styled - Denim Vest

In the past one year I have sported the denim vest three times on the blog and numerous times off the blog. I bought it on our quick shopping escapade to the last mall in the US before you hit the Mexico border. It was almost another country on the other side of the shopping outlet..one-of-its-kind shopping experience indeed! Well, it sounds like an impulse buy, but I tell you, it is one piece in my closet that can transform a plain-jane look into something remarkable. 

Take this, the pink denims and floral top combo is so ordinary - nothing exciting about it. Add a denim vest and it transforms the look; the vest gives an edge to the outfit plus breaks the monotonous girly hue. Denim-on-denim trend has been around since last year and a denim vest is perfect to try this trend out-of-the-ordinary way. 

StyleTip: The denim vest is a rugged piece of clothing and so works very well with the loose, flowing tops. The vest minimizes the baggy effect while giving a structure to the outfit. 

So, my friends, case in point is that you have to try this amazing clothing piece! Hope I have convinced you enough, and if not, be inspired from the pics below on how I styled it!

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Sharing this post on The Pleated Poppy What I Wore Wednesday link up 

This is my last post before I hop on the plane to meet my family and friends in Mumbai, India. I am going to slow down my blogging speed so you might experience a down-time on the blog. I am planning to schedule posts so don't forget to check back and sorry if I am not able to catch up with you all and visit your blogs. I promise I will make up when I am back to the US :)

All you bloggers in Mumbai (or bloggers visiting Mumbai), would love to meet-up with y'all. Drop me a note at zingofmylife@gmail.com and let's get the conversation going!

TV shopping

Another challenge/Remix from IN-FB and exciting as ever…Black and White! There are infinite possibilities with this combo ..black pants, white pants, dresses, scarves, bags..OMG the list goes on and on! It was pure madness when I sat down to think about a look for this challenge. Well, but I had sorta decided the guidelines for this challenge for myself - pair items that were never worn before or even items that were never paired before. So there it was now, much simpler and focused.

With the criteria narrowed down, I decided to go with my new purchase black tiered chiffon skirt that I shopped on TV. Yes you got it right, shopped on TV!! Well ok, I bought it online but I was TV shopping for sure on a network called ‘HSN’. I discovered HSN I think sometime last year while flipping through channels, and since then I have been switching to HSN on and off. But since the down time (got off the work grind) I could watch some of their interesting shows and this is where I spotted this skirt. I was looking for one and decided to take the plunge – looked it up online and ordered it to be shipped to our new apartment in Virginia (well I was in between shifting to our new place, but I was not going to let go of such a good deal:)) I was happy with the skirt when it arrived, it fit me great, and I can already see it worn 100 different ways. It is definitely - a wardrobe essential! It was not trans-p so no needs-of-the-skirts-slips ;)

I went with the skirt and my fav polka dot blouse n black vest. Polka dot blouse/top is another wardrobe essential – who doesn’t love polka dots, man!! I threw in some accents with a cute red wristlet and red pumps. For jewelry, I went neutral with silver n white. 

The black skirt was a catch, and it’s a boon on those days of summer – when you are too lazy (or busy) to shave/wax but hell, you don’t want to miss out the fun of wearing skirts!! ;)

Well peoples, what do you think of this look? Do share your tips for dressing up a black skirt.

Tiered Black skirt - Antthony Design Originals via HSN

Polka dot blouse - H&M

black vest - NY and Company

Red wristlet - Shoppers stop

Jewelry - local boutique

Watch - Casio (Husband's)

Ring - Inorbit, India

Red pumps - Kelly & Katie, DSW

Glasses - Burberry