The 3-way denim

White denims are a prerequisite in every woman’s closet and you simply can't do without them. Especially during the hotter months, the ubiquitous white denims are a blessing in disguise.

See how we wear our white denim three different ways:

Suit Up:

• The simplest trick in the book and the most effective one, throw on a blazer with your favourite over-sized tee and comfortable heels. 
• To further man up, add comfortable brogues with a big dial watch.
• This is a good look for a casual Friday at work. Feel free to wear a solid-coloured tank instead of the big tee to work.
• See more here and here

  Denim on denim:

• Bring back the 90s trend with your white-washed denim shirt and your white denims.
• Add a neon pop with an envelope clutch or go the neutral way with a brown sling.
• Espadrilles, kolhapuris and blingy sandals are good footwear options.
• See our video with the 3-way white pants here.

Go casual:

• This look is just perfect for a casual night with or shopping with your girlies.
• Keep it minimalistic and comfortable for a long day of shopping and trying different looks.
• Carry a tote that fits in all your new buys (save plastic!) and wear easy slip-on shoes.
• Roll up the sleeves and add your cuffs and chunky rings to add an ethnic vibe to your look.
• See a similar look here.
  

Find these looks @ Calvin Klein Jeans.

Share Your Feet

What started as a fun experiment to invite our readers to our social media channels soon became one of the most exciting and responsive activities of Fashion Bombay. Our Share Your Feet campaign was more of a story telling campaign, we saw it all: wedding feet, nervous feet, freedom feet, even pet feet with nailpaint! This post is dedicated to all of you and who took the time to send us pictures and participated in our  campaign. Feel free to browse through all the pictures here.

There are a couple of wardrobe must-haves in clothes, jewellery, bags and shoes. Today, we will discuss the shoes bit. Based on our persona likes and experience, we find ourselves reaching out for five kinds of shoes all the time. Here's the list.

Wedges: Both of us at Fashion Bombay find it next to impossible to walk in pencil heels or high heels so we stick to chunky heels, block heels and platforms. But out of all those aforementioned styles we must admit that the quintessential wedges are what we are so partial to. These not only look great with ankle pants, short dresses, shorts and maxi skirts but you can walk in them for the longest time with killing your feet.

Style Check: We prefer wooden wedges to cork and jute wedges - the former looks a tad cheap while the latter just gets dirty too easily.

Emergency flats: Love how we feel in heels but like the name suggests you sometimes just don't know where you'll end up in the day. You might be gone for a relaxed house party and then the next thing you know is that you end up drinking and bar hopping with friends. We therefore recommend keeping emergency flats with you whenever you go out. We like a nice gold of nude pastel shade for the purpose because you can wear it with anything.

Style Check: You've seen the elastic flats that simply fold into your fist, that's the ones we like because their the easiest to carry. You can wear them like regular ballerinas too.

Flat buckle sandals: Love the gladiator styles, thong flats and animal prints on these footwear. Pick this style in a bright shade to add a pop of colour to any outfit and be stylish. Definitely a great style for Spring and Summer, it's convenient for humid cities in the country.

Style Check: We personally love slightly dressier styles if you must own just a couple. Colour block, neons and tribal prints are perfect for the season.

Pumps: Try the platform ones in the style but a black or nude is a must in your wardrobe. Wear it literally with anything because remember it will look good. Pumps can do no wrong.

Style Check: We like round or square closed toes as oppposed to pinty ones, simply because we think its more wearable in the country and with the kinds of clothes we wear. You can even wear them with your Indian clothes.

Man shoes: Add a little bit of man in your outfit for those cool days when you experiment with androgyny. Choose from boots (not for humid countries), loafers and brogues. Chic for travel and when worn with a blazer and also looks great with denim shorts, shirts and blouses.

Style Check: We like to have these in leather or suede for maximum effect. For summer we are loving these glitter ones. For a classic appeal, pick tans, burgundies, greys and mustards look really nice in the style.

For those of you wondering, you can find all these must-have shoes in all Steve Madden outlets.

The science of colour

We at Fashion Bombay love to mix colours and people often tell us how certain things don't 'match' in our outfit. Today, we want to share a little secret about matching with our readers. There are two ways of mixing colours in a trendy fashion.
But before we begin, it is important that see the colour wheel, the kind we used in school to know primary colours, contrast colours etc.

1. The Contrast:
Use the colour wheel like a normal wall clock and then see the colours opposite each other like say a 12 and 6 on the clock and see the colours there. Now these are contrast colours. Popular contrast colours would be red and green, orange and blue, purple and yellow etc. Now these colours you can use together beautifully without worrying about whether they'll match or not. The trick is to look on the exact opposite side of the colour wheel like 3 and 6, 8 and 2 etc.

This is exactly what Jasleen is wearing by mixing red and bright green together

Blouse, Vero Moda| pants, Marks & Spencer|shoes, Bandra| bag, gifted DKNY| glares, Prada| necklace, F21| watch, Aldo 

Read another post on how to match your red pants here. 

2. The Matching: 
 Using the colour wheel like a wall clock again, find colours that are in the same family. For instance, look at your colour wheel at 5 and 6 and you will find blue-green and green paired together. Now this is a great combination, you must have seen it at weddings in peacock coloured lehengas and ombre salwar-kameez. The other colours that fall in the same family, next to each other on the colour wheel are yellow and orange, blue and violet, green and yellow etc. The trick is to the number right next to the number on the clock like 12 and 1, 7 and 8 etc.

This is exactly what Sonu is wearing by mixing pink and blue together

Blouse, Zara| pants, Colaba Causeway (last worn here)| bag, Forever New (last worn here)| heels, c/o Steve Madden| necklace, DIY| watch, La Mer| cuff, vintage from Muscat| glares, Ray Ban

Read more about colour blocking here and here.

Corporate training workshop

We were really lucky to get a chance to visit the Infosys campus in Bengaluru courtesy W for Woman. We went there to conduct an interesting fashion workshop for the lovely corporate women at Infosys.

 
The Agenda: Since Infosys just like any corporate setting has a stringent dress code policy, we had to show the women there how to fashionable within those bounds.

The workshop:
1. Versatility: Like always recycle and shop smart is our mantra and we gave out that message loud and clear.
2. Office basics: We spoke about the must-haves in every woman's wardrobe.
3. How to accessorise: The simplest of accessories make all the difference and we demonstrated how
4. New ways of wearing kurtas and basic shirts for work

Interaction:The crowd at Infosys was really supportive and we pulled out a couple of ladies to volunteer with our jewellery and the magic of accessorising that can give you an instant makeover.

The response was so warm and genuine that we were had a wonderful time there. It's clear how much we love to style real women and how much we like working toward a more fashionable India. It's a cause we believe in and hope our readers do too.

Keep reading Fashion Bombay!

Burning Bright

Many will claim that the ’90s were a decade of bad films and uninspired fashion but that is not entirely true. The ’90s did give us the mini skirt and neon, a trend that has been repeatedly doing the rounds at fashion weeks this past season in India and globally.
Indian wear and western wear have both adopted the trend beautifully. In fact from high street brands, the neon trend has spilled over to a lot of mass brands as well the street markets. Like any other trend, neons have translated into makeup in the form of bright eye shadows, neon orange and red lips.

Neon myths:
Hot pink, bright orange and dangerously bright greens have been the most popular colour choices so far. Still think the trend isn’t for you? Don’t give up yet. It’s perhaps one of the most common myths that bright colours only suit white and really pale complexions. Au contraire, the Indian skin tone with its warm brown, ruddy, peach undertones can carry off bright colours very well.

Tiny doses:
Also, it’s important that you don’t overdo neon (we often tend to ignore this rule, we love our brights). In small portions, neon becomes very wearable for anyone. Try it in small doses with colour-blocked blouses mixed with more muted solids.
Other than that, neon accessories are a great way of adopting the trend with neon wedges, bracelets, bag or even a lipstick. Forever 21, Zara and Vero Moda clothing, M.A.C, Inglot, Bourjois and Chambor have some lovely matte and semi-matte orange and pink lipsticks to choose from.

Shop the trend:

Hit the local shops in Bandra, Colaba Causeway and Fashion Street showcase the latest in neons as well. On the lust list, you must check out the neon satchel bags available online at the Cambridge Satchel Co. An expensive buy (Rs7000 to 10,000 approx.), they are truly delicious. Places like Attic and Oak Tree in Mumbai also showcase lovely bags and blazers in pop art/ neon colours if you’re looking for something more unique and one-off. For Indian wear, bright kurtis, floral prints, anarkalis and Patiala styles are all available in neon accents.

New neon:
Even with the new year’s changing fashion, neon is going to be around for a while. The Indian weather is also very suited to wearing these colours so make sure you keep your eyes open for some neon-spotting when you go out shopping next.

  As seen in our column Style Quotient in Daily News & Analysis

Back in Bangalore

During our second trip (see our first trip) to Bangalore we managed to scout around some local shops and do a few touristy shopping. Just like the buzzing and colourful streets of Bombay, we loved Commercial Street. Both of us picked up some some dress materials, mojris and silver jewellery. Those of you heading to Bangalore, don't miss out this shopping haven. After some shopping we decided to shoot in the market itself. Here's our attempt to encompass the Bengaluru vibe!

Sonu wore a light layer with skinny jeans and bright chappals

Tank, c/o W for Woman| blazer, H&M| jeans, United Colors of Benetton| chappals, Catwalk| bag, Oberoi Shopping Mall| bracelets, Aquamarine & Bandra| glares, Ray Ban

• I find it hard to let go off my layers even during the hotter months, so much so that I scout for light layers. 
• If you are like me, look for thinner fabric jackets, waistcoats, wraps and scarves to layer in the hotter months.
• Accessories are a good way to layer in summer. Throw on a bold necklace, stacked up wrists and a chunky watch with a simple tank and jeans combination. 
• Chappals are a good way to add an ethnic touch to your look. Pick bright colours like tangerine, yellow or aqua for a fun pop.

Jasleen wore minty fresh colours to beat the heat

Blouse & pants, c/o W for Woman| necklace & kolhapuris, Bandra| bag, Dharavi| glares, Prada| watch, Guess

• The summer season calls for icy and minty fresh shades like sea green and lemony yellows. Invest in at least one such shade for this season.
• A simple blouse and trouser combination is instantly revived with statement glares. I chose an over-sized one to suit my face cut. For beginners pick the classic aviator style, they suit most face shapes. 
• Add a sudden surprise of colour with your footwear. I am OD--ing on the kolhapuri style. They are comfortable and look great with Indian and western wear.

Read more about the trip in the Deccan Chronicle here.

Instagraming

We are finally on Instagram on our respective tabs and pads. Feel free to follow us @sonubohra and @jgupta for all our daily picturesque updates! Following are a few snippets from last week:

Early morning aren't our best friends!

Scored this beautiful shirt @Fashion Street!

Currently craving: @Zovi for Rs 599/- only

It's rather hard to separate Sonu from her camera :p @Yoga House. See the whole post here.

Coffee break!

Recently bought! See the post here.

Need this NOW @Pret-amoda

The big switch! 

There we go :)

Follow us on Instagram:
Jasleen: jgupta
Sonu: sonubohra

Printed mania

We did lunch at Yoga House in Bandra today and loved the laid back pace the place boasts of. Over a portion of hash brown and freshly squeezed orange juice we had a session of fun shooting.

 This is what we wore today:

 Jasleen wore her coloured pants with an asymmetrical tunic

 

 

 

Tunic, Zara| denims, Colaba Causeway| bag, Hidesign| glares, Prada| necklace, Nitya Arora| sandals, Pavers England

Sonu wore a printed tee over a maxi dress

 Dress, AJ Store| tee, Mango| bag, Zara| sandals, Catwalk| glares, Ray Ban| watch, La Mer| bracelet, H&M

  Why prints rule!
- Wearing prints is a great way of hiding flab and problem areas.
- Since both of us are top heavy, wearing prints is a great way for us to look a tad slimmer.
- We both chose very summery prints for the hot summer. While Sonu went with bright bold flowers, Jasleen chose a mint green washed out print.
- Don't be afraid to mix prints - like Sonu mixes her florals with stripes.
- If you are petite, very big prints could be overwhelming but a large and tall frame can carry them off perfectly
- This season we are seeing a lot of floral prints and pastel colours on the fashion circuit.