indian – SLAY THE STYLE

An All-White Look

Published on May 7, 2018May 7, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

“You need minimum color for maximum effect”

As it was rightly mentioned by some great fashion icon, minimum colour can create an incredible impact provided you understand how to add certain elements to the look which will help ace that thin line separating the boring single colour outfit and a striking single colour outfit.

Styling Tips:

When one is getting dressed in separates of exactly same solid colours, accessories play a major role.

For an all-white look : You can pair a white slogan tee/ plain tee with a white wide-leg trouser or a white short or a white skirt or a white pant suit
In case of an all-white look, add a pop of colour with one accessory if you want to give a casual vibe (say, a yellow clutch or green heels etc)- Remember that it should be only one accessory in focus and not all of them
If you want to go for an elegant / official look, stick to nudes for your footwear and makeup ; add some dainty jewellery
For beach all-white outfits, add some colorful tassel jewellery and tie-up footwear to create that bohemian vibe

This look that I have created is based on my recent favourite trend of pant suits. An all-white pant suit has been on fashion runways and also in many of the major fashion icons’ wardrobes. I am revealing one such look in this post while the rest of the possible looks will be going up on my Instagram next week. So, keep following me on Instagram to stay updated 😀

I have paired a white solid tee with white wide leg trousers and a white blazer. I chose to keep it less loud in terms of the colours of the accessories. So, picked nude heels and delicate jewellery to complete the look. If you opt for plunging necklines, layering of neckpieces would help to accentuate the look.

Here goes the look-book 😀

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If you do try any of my styling tips, do send in your pictures through email or Instagram!! I would love to see them 🙂

Blazer : Forever21| Top, Wide Leg Trouser, Heels : Zara| Jewellery : Thrift Market |Wrist Watch : DKNY

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Photos by Arun Premkumar

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5 Ways To Ace A Simple Saree

Published on January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala6 Comments

Those who are more inclined towards a simple saree and who find it difficult to make a statement with such sarees, these tips are going to be your savior so that the next time you wear one, you can be sure that you are going to ace it 🙂

1. Statement Jewelry

Find one piece of jewelry, could be a stunning pair of earrings or a perfect neck-piece or may be even an embellished clutch. Make the statement using just one type of accessory but not all statement pieces ( You don’t want people to be confused on which accessory to focus- keep it clear- one statement accessory 😀 )

2. Heavy Blouse

If it is a simple plain saree, you can make it work wonders if you could find a heavy blouse to go with it.

And yeah, if you choose a heavy blouse, never choose a heavy neck-piece as it just spoils the beauty

You can probably go with statement earrings/ maang-tikka instead of a heavy neck-piece.

3. Bold Makeup

This just works miraculously to brighten up that otherwise boring saree. Pick those bold reds or the badass deep wine lip shades – I promise it is going to be kickass.

While you are trying these bold lip shades / eye-shadows, you can actually concentrate less on other accessories.

Wearing a deep wine lipshade

4. Saree Shape-Wear

If you are not a pro in draping a saree, then this should be something you should really invest in. Get a good shape-wear for a saree since that helps you define the draping and also makes it easy for you to get that perfect draping style.

A nicely draped saree could be a highlighter all by itself, more than any other accessory.

5. Apt Hair Style

This is quite important and it is going to give a finishing touch to your masterpiece. This needs to vary according to your face shape, accessories and blouse.

If it is a high neck blouse or if you are wearing a heavy neck-piece, you might want to go for a hair bun/ up-do so that the focus is on blouse/ jewelry.

If you have a round/ square face structure, go for loose hair or any hair style that slightly covers the sides of your face to give that structured jaw look.

Tried messy hair look here so that my no-accessories look doesn’t look boring 🙂 A normal up-do

Hope these tips help you in making that boring saree look jaw-dropping 🙂

Also, If you are someone who wants to try those expensive designer labels but doesn’t want to spend so much on just one outfit, then DateTheRamp has the solution. It is an online rental platform for authentic designer apparel and accessories. It hosts a huge range of collection from apparel designers like JJ Valaya, Shantanu & Nikhil, AnjuModi, Ritu Kumar, Satya Paul and also a number of accessory designers like Outhouse, Valliyan and several others.

This website not only helps you indulge in those designer label outfits but also allows you to do so at a very low rental cost with great service. I personally had a really good experience with them where I rented two of these Satya Paul sarees at a very reasonable price.

Yeah, if you have to attend your best friend wedding or a party and don’t want to spend insane amount on designer lehengas or sarees, you need to try renting an outfit from DateTheRamp .

Sarees : Satya Paul ( Rented from DateTheRamp ) | Neck-piece & Ring : Jaipur Store | Mustard Mules : Koovs | Black Mules : Ajio

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Photos by Rahul Kongala

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Previous post : A Letter To The Society

A Letter To The Society

Published on January 6, 2018January 6, 2018 by Lavanya Pulijala6 Comments

This is going to be a post which is very personal to me and which is described entirely based on my own perspective. Hope you like it 🙂

Dear Society,

Who decides your rules?

Who does your moral policing?

Is it those who support modernization or is it the bunch of people who are still stuck in the zone where they are not able to accept any change?

Is it those who consider wearing a crop-top a sin while wearing a saree is decent even though the extent of exposure is same!!!?

Is it those who rip us naked with their looks in case they found us wearing something below the knees?

(Omg!! You need to take care of your clothes such that those people don’t comment about you!!

Oh yeah!! Why not wear a Burkha that covers you all-over? Oh no!! If you have a bigger bust, then even that would not help !! Chuck-it, you just need to ignore or probably get used to those creepy looks!! )

Coming back to those people who design the moral policing for our beloved society,

Is it those who look down on an unmarried 30-yr old happy independent woman?

Is it those who start pestering parents to get a ladka for their beti as soon as she graduates?

Is it those who judge a woman’s character by the length of her dress?

Is it those who are completely fine with a guy wearing a boxer and walking on the street but who are, at the same time, not fine with a girl doing that?

Is it those who try to curb the enthusisasm of an ambitious woman?

Is it those who try to silence the voice of any outspoken woman who is trying to fight for her rights?

Is it those who judge a woman’s character if she smokes or drinks?

Is it those who make it difficult for anyone to take up any offbeat profession?

(You know, there are too many people offering you free advices!! They find interest in what you are up to than thinking about how to improve themselves!! )

Is it those who blindly assume that a girl has to compromise with her interests when she is getting married?

Is it those who feel that the guy is doing a favour to the girl while marrying by accepting huge amount of dowry?

I don’t understand the extent to which these people dictate society moral policing. Even though, there are a really brilliant set of people trying to change the perspective of this society, it is only these ill-minded people who have a larger voice in declaring what is morally right and what is absolutely wrong.

Can we change this for good?

Yours Lovingly,

A Woman who strives to stand out in the mad crowd!!

These might seem like an everyday thing and many of you might be ignoring it. But, for me, as a person who found passion in fashion blogging (an interest which is significantly different from what people do in the society my parents live in), it is really getting frustrating to think about my moves just because my parents think that my so-called well wishers open my blog / FB / Instagram and start cribbing behind my back about my clothes rather than directly questioning me.

So, to all such people who pretend to be my well-wishers rather than being one in reality, if you are reading this post, an advice may be – I guess you have a better life to deal with!! Invest time wisely, more for yourselves and probably less for others 🙂

And to all other lovely people, a sincere thanks for believing in my work. I promise to deliver much more inspiring content in fashion, travel and life 🙂

The support you guys keep showing me, could be in terms of the messages you send or the comments or likes, that’s what keep my passion and me going. Even though, I couldn’t thank you personally, I genuinely feel so grateful for your love.

If you are someone who support my thoughts or fashion or travel, do show your love by following me on Instagram if you are Instagram-friendly like me 😀 or on Facebook or may be on blog via email 🙂

Previous Post : 10 Tips To Pack Outfits For A Beach Vacation

Pamper the Colors

Published on October 14, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

It’s time to pamper those lovely Indian traditional colors 🙂

However, should it always be the heavy lehengas , gowns or sarees to look festive?? Absolutely not!! For all those who prefer comfort over the struggle to handle sarees or lehengas, I plan to show how you can be comfortable and festive at the same time 😀

Since many of you asked me about styling festive outfits on Instagram, here are few of my general styling tips for festive outfits :

Have one piece of your outfit (say, Dupatta or Blouse or Skirt) which grabs the attention – colorful fabric / overall embroidery / bright addons like tassels/pompoms. In this case, the rest of the outfit should be kept simple.This is something which I tried in this blog post
Use statement jewelry ( adds life to any outfit)
Own a pair of silver and colorful kolhapuris/ juttis ( Ethnic footwear saviors- These two would be enough for almost every kind of ethnic outfit)

I styled my ethnic wear using a normal crop top and dhoti pant. I picked a embroidered dupatta to add color to the outfit. Statement earrings and colorful juttis are a perfect match.

I have styled the dupatta in three different ways to give different looks, here you go 🙂

Look 1 ( Similar to front pallu)

Look 2 ( Dupatta styled like a shrug)

Look 3 ( the casual one side dupatta style)

Crop top : Splash| Dhoti Pant : West side | Juttis , Jewelry and Shades: Street Buy

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Photos by Sampath Kumar

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Previous post : Saree With A Twist

Saree With A Twist

Published on October 7, 2017October 7, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala3 Comments

With festive season around the corner, there have been quite a few requests on my Instagram about some ideas on festive outfits. Well, I have two main versions of festive looks in my mind currently. One, which involves bold experimentation of the blend of fashion and tradition and the other being, the usual effortless ethnic styles which everyone could happily carry 🙂

Let me go with the first i.e experimenting with fashion in this blog post and the second one would be lined up for the next week. Stay Tuned 😀

Six yards of Indian saree allows one to create insane variety of looks, due to the flexibility and the length of the fabric. One of my previous posts showed how to style a saree with denim and this one would be another turn-around. This saree is older than me 😛 , probably 26 years, I obviously picked it from my mom’s wardrobe.

I remember I saw my granny wearing saree in a dhoti style (with the usual pallu style).I still find people in some of the remote villages wearing it in that manner. My granny is definitely a trend setter 🙂 Taking cue from her style, I styled this saree as a dhoti with a front pallu and accessorized with a wide belt to give a different look to the saree. You could also use corset belts instead of the normal ones, I didn’t have one so I wore the normal one.

As you know, silver jewellery is my best companion to slay any look- so, I used my weapon here. I used a crop top as blouse for this look 🙂

I wanted to give a crude look to my hair, so left it untouched in my usual messy and wavy texture.

If you love experimenting in a subtle way but not the bold way, here are some styling tips for the festive season 🙂

Use an off-shoulder top / crop-top as a blouse
Change your hairstyle- may be, go for a half bun
Include statement sleeves in your usual blouse patterns
Wear a long ethnic overcoat on your saree, may be something like this

Stay connected through Instagram to find out more such tips 🙂

Here goes the look 🙂

Hope you enjoyed it 🙂 Do leave your comments on this post

Saree : Mom’s saree | Jewelry : Street buy | Belt : Chemistry | Top : Tailormade | Heels : Ajio

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Photos : Spoorthy Sai

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Previous post : Deciphering Fall Trends

Modern Indian Woman- #Look103

Published on May 20, 2017July 21, 2017 by Lavanya Pulijala1 Comment

Hey folks, I am back with another new post as a part of the Modern Indian Woman series.I can say that this look is more skewed towards ethnicity rather than Indo-western fusion.

#Look103

To everyone who wants to start trying Indian ethnic wear, I strongly recommend owning certain wardrobe staples- a plain black kurti and a plain white kurti , solid black and solid white colored leggings, and a beautiful dupatta. With these staples, you can easily flaunt two gorgeous ethnic looks.

For this post, I choose a black kurti along with black leggings and added a pop of color with a beautiful handmade dupatta. If you have been following my blog, then you must have noticed this dupatta in my Kolkata shopping experience post.Beautifully crafted by local tribals, this dupatta depicts kantha work on a thappa (combination of different pieces of clothes).I accentuated the look with afghani earrings, a hand-bag prepared by Rann of Kutch artisans and kolhapuris.

Here goes the look 🙂

Details:

Kurti : Myntra|Leggings : Lyra | Kolhapuris : Street buy | Bag : Krafted with Happiness | Dupatta : Biswa Bangla

Photos by Sampath Kumar

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Modern Indian Woman- #Look 102

Published on May 13, 2017May 13, 2017 by Lavanya PulijalaLeave a comment

In continuation to my Modern Indian Woman series for this month, it’s time to talk about the second look. This look is going to be about how you could use your modern tops or crop-tops over ethnic bottoms to give an Indo-western/fusion look.

#Look102

This look helps in bringing out the boldness of a Indian Woman along with the creative aspect. Maroon shade of the crochet top, being one of the main Indian ethnic colors accentuated the look.The tassel earrings and thread jewellery are this season must-haves and I could completely count on these to complete the look with a bohemian vibe.I have used one of the coral chains which I purchased in Andaman as a bracelet.

Without further delay, let me just show you the final look 🙂

Details:

Crochet top and harem pant : West side | Silver Jewellery and Earrings : Colaba Causeway | Juttis : Bandra | Red coral chain : Andaman street shopping

Photos by Rahul Kongala

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Modern Indian Woman- #Look101

Published on April 27, 2017June 4, 2017 by Lavanya PulijalaLeave a comment

If you are one of those who follows me on Instagram, then you might have already had an idea about this post.If you are not sure what I am talking about, then it’s all about this month blog posts.Inline with my earlier blog post of Indo-western look , I am going to blog about my current modern-ethnic favorites which reflect the essence of a ” Modern Indian Woman”

There are going to be three such look-books which will be up on my blog during the course of this month, each focusing on bringing out a particular aspect of Indian woman nature in the outfit.I am trying to put forth looks keeping in mind the current trends and retaining the Indian flavor in the outfits.

#LOOK101

This look is trying to bring out the simplicity aspect of Indian Women.The outfit is colorful supporting our Indian ethnic theme and it was styled in a simple manner with minimum accessories, indicating simplicity.

Here goes the look-Hope you like it 🙂

Dress – Lil Flea Festival 2017-Vastra by Milonee | Kolhapuris – Bandra | Wallet – Global Desi | Earrings – Westside | Ring – All India Exhibition,Hyderabad

Stay tuned to my blog if you are interested in kicking up that Indo-western fashion appetite of yours or follow me here for more styling updates 🙂 🙂

Photos by Rahul Kongala

Winter Wardrobe=Summer Closet

Published on April 22, 2017May 31, 2017 by Lavanya PulijalaLeave a comment

Are you thinking of abandoning those winter clothes and restocking your wardrobe with a new set of summer clothes???

Just hold on, you don’t have to do that.All those winter outfits could be put to good use even during summer without looking awkward.You can use those leather jackets just to tie around your waist or make it stand on one of your shoulders to make your jeans-tshirt combo look different and interesting.How can you use your winter boots?!! Well, use those boots when you wear those pretty denim shorts and a cool graphic tee.

I have tried to create one such winter-summer look for this post.This lookbook is going to show you how you can use those winter boots, leather jacket, and dress to suit the current season.I will definitely post more looks on this front on my Instagram in the coming days ( You can follow me on Instagram here ).

Here you go!! Hope you like the lookbook 🙂

Outfit Details:

Dress : Dorothy Perkins| Boots : Zara | Leather Jacket : Black Rivet | Choker : Colaba Causeway

Photos by Suresh Nerella

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Splash those Colors

Published on March 18, 2017May 31, 2017 by Lavanya PulijalaLeave a comment

It’s time to kick those bulky winter outfits out of the wardrobe and fill it with some colorful spring/summer collection.Breezy and floral outfits have already bombarded my wardrobe now.

This look book is about my first look of this season featuring a bohemian vibe through a breezy off shoulder A-line dress and few colorful handmade Indian accessories. In line with my signature trend of using accessories to define any look, this look is no different. A beautiful handwoven clutch, handcrafted mirror earrings, a bunch of funky bracelets and colorful thread work juttis complete my look.

Let me skip that usual styling jargon for this post as this is a look book and I leave it to you to interpret it.Here goes the look.