Wedding Style : Part 2 - Haldi / Mehendi

The date is set, the invites are out, all is merry in your world. The countdown has begun for your best friend’s wedding and while she’s basking in the glow of her engagement, you’ve been frantically googling ‘what to wear to my bestie’s haldi & mehendi”! Out of so many pre-wedding functions, Haldi & Mehendi happen to top the charts in terms of popularity. It's a roller coaster ride of fun-filled moments for both, the bride and her and friends, where a lot of merry-making takes places.

In the frantic motion, I've got for you a stunning outfit that you can choose to dress in for your friend's Haldi and/or Mehendi functions. I picked this extremely gorgeous Chikankari jacket in a sunshine yellow colour with slim pants and a short layered kurta from STRAWBERRY FASHION STUDIO. 

Designer Aditi Jaggi Rastogi knows how to bring the best twist in the most traditional silhouettes, and this beautiful outfit is a sheer example of perfection! The intricate chikankari work speaks of the cultural understanding, and the style speaks of modern mixed with traditional. 

I chose to accessorise this piece heavily with a bold statement necklace, studded with polki kundan from BK SARAF JEWELLERS (Mahanagar, Lucknow). They have a wide collection of pre-wedding & wedding jewellery, and if you're looking at some stunning sets, BK SARAF (Mahanagar) is the place you need to head right away this season!

Keeping it dramatic, makeup artist SIDDHI CHAUBEY gave me a bold pink & yellow look, to add to the glam function. She left my hair loose with waves and added a little golden rose pin to it. For my feet I chose to add nude heels to keep it color coordinated and not go bold all over!

I hope you liked this Haldi / Mehendi look, and if you did, do share it across with your friends. Tip : Ditch the heavy weaves and layered lehengas for something light, easy-wear yet perfectly statement-making this wedding season - just like this beautiful piece I'm wearing!

Photographed by : Zeeshan Khan

~xoxo~

Country Girl in Yellow Summer Dress

As the weather changes, we enjoy showing more skin and wearing vibrant lipsticks that bring out our skin tone. Dresses that feature flowers and floral patterns are often our spring and summer staples. I often opt for a flattering A-line dress, a skin-tight bandage dress, or slip into a sexy bodycon piece. I like pulling off sophisticated flare and pick floral patterns to bring out my confident femininity. In today's blog, I'm sharing with you one of the most beautiful floral print dress, that I paired with my choice of country style accessories to alleviate the gloom of winter and fall!

The hot month of June calls for a cute A-line dress in yellow that I picked from Shein.in. It's a 100% rayon fabric and feels amazing on the skin. The fit and flare is what attracted me to this gorgeous piece. The spaghetti straps makes it easier to don in the summer months with a low back cut out and a knot in the front makes it appear fancier.

I styled it with some raw accessories - a fabricated choker, sleek gold cuffs in the wrist, brown suede heels, leopard print sunnies and a hat. Completed my look by adding a multicolored sequin bag, giving strong summer feels. More looking like the country girl, eh? Oh, and always remember if you don't want to flaunt the deep neck, go for a tube top inside - like I did (with a black one).

Dressing for summer and picking the right floral outfit can be a task, but if you know your body structure, Shein.in has the best summer dress collection for you! Do check it out and let me know if it helped. Until next time, love & luck.

dress, sunnies, choker : Shein.in | heels : Steve Madden | hat : Forever21 | cuffs : Daniel Wellington

Photographed by : Shiv Ahuja

~xoxo~

4 Ways to Style 1 Flared Pants ft. Shein

Hello everybody, how's it going?

It feels amazing to be back at writing blogs, but more than that sharing my thoughts with you! It's an everyday story now that all of you come to see what I'm doing on my social media pages, but what's rare is that y'all coming back here on my website and checking out my blogs. Thankyou for being my regular readers!

Coming to what's happening in my life; well, A LOT! It has turned upside down since the time I've come back to Lucknow. It feels great to be back home and doing what I love - work, party, eat, repeat! These 4 moods of mine are so in routine that I chose to share them with you all through this post. 

With all the rush, I hardly get time to dress for every occasion distinctively; and honestly, I don't have all the time in the world to select different pair of bottoms every day. But what's comforting is to be able to style just one set pants with different tops, shirts, tees & shrugs. I recently bought a pair of black flared pants - much in trend, and styled them differently and received tons of compliments. Check out my 4 looks below..

BOSS LADY

I am not a believer that you must dress to conform in an office space. I am a believer that you should dress in a relatively modest, office-appropriate manner. But within those guidelines, you do you! My style theme is : "To be classy without being OTT." I believe less is more. And again, moderation is key. For this particular look I opted for a white, cotton half sleeved shirt with cold shoulder cuts to pair with my black flared pants. Buttoned the shirt till the collar and tucked the length inside the pants. Secured the waist with a chic belt to add perfection!

As for accessories, trust me, they can make or break an outfit. They tend to be a focal point, so make it a good one. I chose to add a collar pin, classy dangles in my ear and a few black, white & gold bracelets in my wrist. It was a touch task deciding which black heels to add, but these pointed ones look dope! Sunglasses of course add royalty to the entire look, and a high quality handbag completes it. PS : I often carry a laptop with me, and keep changing my laptop sleeves - this pink one with the "cute but psycho" quote is my current favorite! Lastly, for my makeup, it's always red on my lips, and curls on my head!

shirt : StalkBuyLove | pants, bag, sunglasses : Shein | Heels : Talon D'or | earrings, bracelets : MEB |  laptop sleeve : UpTown18

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PARTY PRINCESS

With most of you already seeing my current stories, you know where I'm partying and how much I'm enjoying! I try and keep you updated my regular party OOTNs but this look is so special that I never posted about it, as yet. I feel it's super classy to club a rust color top with a black pair of pants and layer it with an oversized shrug in peach. I had randomly picked the top from F21 in Lucknow last year and it came out to be a size smaller. I didn't want to return the piece since it was the last one in stock so I chose to always layer it until I could get back in shape, and see it worked! I cringed a broad brown belt over the shrug on my waist to give it a definition and it turned out to be so elegant!

I completed my look with some black, gold and silver bracelets and hand cuffs on my wrist, a broad gold ornamental chain in my neck that added splendidness, and peach colored heels that matched with the shrug. I love how graceful everything turned out. Finished off my face with smokey eyes and a glam touch with red on lips and curls on head!

top : Forever 21 | shrug : StalkBuyLove | pants, rings : Shein | heels : Inc.5 | belt : Local Market | necklace : Kazo | bracelets : MEB

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CASUAL QUEEN

Once in an article, that featured me, they titled me as "the girl next door". Well, they simply described my style as trendy and casual that can easily be an inspiration to many girls who want to dress easy and yet look up to the minute. Well, they weren't wrong! I mostly dress in comfortable clothing rather than high end fashion. For the times when I've to run errands and still look my best, I choose to throw in a pair of black pants and top it with a casual, white, cotton t-shirt : best for summer months. For this particular look, I jazzed up a bit by layering a denim jacket and my black pointed-toe heels.

For accessories, I stacked a few navy blue & silver bracelets in my wrists and small white dice studs in my ears. It's basically a day look and I tend to carry it all night long as well so no neck pieces! For my makeup, it's a subtle face with red on lips and curls on my head. Modish & sassy, ain't it? 

t-shirt, jacket : Forever21 | pants : Shein | heels : Talon D'or | bracelets : Local Market

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RETRO BEE

I got inspired by Spring for this look. The colour of this bell sleeved top is so springy and summery! It's a synthetic fabric crop top and suited best with my black, high-waisted, flared pants. The bell sleeves of the top are so vougish and I love how the red floral pattern on pink base takes all the attention, back & again! I added my black, stiletto booties in my feet and a pink sling bag to keep it matching with the outfit. A pink pair of big sized sunnies was such a last minute addition but so on point. Simple bracelets added the magic, and you have to now agree that red on my lips and curls on my head look the best!

top : Sarojini | pants : Shein | booties : Forever21 | bag : Max Fashion | sunglasses : Miniso | bracelets : Local Market

I hope you all liked this post. If Yes, do let me know in the comments below. Your appreciation is my motivation! Lots more coming your way soon. Until next, love to all!

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Photographed by : Ravish Siddiqui  |  Makeup by : Siddhi  |  Location Courtesy : The Flying Saucer Cafe Lucknow

~xoxo~

Rainbow Attraction ft. Shein

Hi guys, how's it going? Been long I've updated you about what's happening around. A lot of you noticed that I've been MIA throughout the last year and I've received so many questions regarding that! True, not even 2 posts per month sometimes. 

Well, as some of you know, and to those who still don't, that I moved to New Delhi in June 2018 and had been trying to explore a fairly new world altogether! I've never really stayed away from my family before, but for the past 8 months, it's been hell crazy. I've learned to live all by myself, work my ass out under bosses, pay my own bills, solve electricity and water problems, cook my own food and drove on roads at 2 AM that I've never travelled before! A lot of lessons have come my way where I've met with accidents, dealt with them (mostly with no help, and sometimes with the help of friends who've now become family). I've built new relationships, survived heartbreaks, and kept some tucked in while I culturally transform myself! Honestly, I've evolved as a person, and have also managed to keep in action as much as I could. 2018 has been a slow year for Picker at Pace but I think this was essential. I really needed a break from constant writing and wanted to classify my priorities! 

PS : I've moved back to Lucknow now. Well, I hope y'all have the answer to your questions, and you don't hate me anymore for not keeping you looped in! 

Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR guys. It's 2019 (almost 2 months done to it already) but nevertheless I'd want to restart this blog with some super posts. Sharing below with you guys my fascination for rainbows and how I ended up buying the most colorful top in my wardrobe, also the one many of you have your eyes upon! Scroll down to read it all.. 

A lot of you have been enquiring about my obsession with rainbows. You literally saw a LIVE haul session on my instagram that consisted of more than 20 things with the rainbow print. Honestly, the 7 odd colours have been the reason for my evolvement. They bring so much positivity in me, and keep me motivated. Though rainbows not only depict bliss always, it's a mix of grey feelings as well, when I'm not so motivated and shed bucket full of tears because I'm not coping with what's coming my way. However, what the rainbows have taught me is to not give up trying, and that whatever the moments are - happy or gloomy, they shall pass!

I'm attracted to rainbows, so much so that I wear them and walk out of my house only to keep the feeling intact. I found this rainbow top on SHEIN.in and I added it to my cart without even checking the price! The design looked decent, and the off shoulder style made it appear pretty as well. I chose to club it with a pair of yellow shorts from Shein.in itself. The shorts had cute knots on the sides and were of just perfect length! A cool combo for summer outings and even for winters can be paired with boots and the overall outfit can be layered with a jacket. I mean if you're a shorts lover, you'd not want to ditch this look. It's so vibrant and attractive! To add, did you notice the charming rainbow pendant? It compliments the outfit and also the other accessories - gold bracelets and the monochrome earrings match perfectly! 

Also, these ankle boots are one of my favorites. These are an old pick from H&M and I'm so fond of them that I don't think I'll want to get rid of them for a long time now. These go so well with anything and everything, especially cute outfits and formals. Must have these kind in your collection!

You can buy the entire outfit from SHEIN.IN, and of course can thank me later! Do drop in your feedback on this post if you liked reading it. Coming your way more this month, stay tuned! Until then, lots of love to each one of you.

Photographed by : Shiv Ahuja

~xoxo~

OnlyXGarfield

Remember the grumpy orange cat telling us that 'Good Morning is a contradiction in terms?' Oh yes, the epitome of laziness, obsessive eating, coffee, and disdain of Mondays and diets, GARFIELD is back after spawning several animated games, TV shows and movies to make its mark in the fashion world. One of the leading fashion brands, ONLY has recently launched its designer collection featuring one of the world's favorite animated character who not only tickled our ribs while we read his comic strips, but also made us fall in love with cats and kittens in so many years!

shirt : ONLY | shorts : Forever21 | shoes : StreetStyleStore | bag : StalkBuyLove

hair clip : Faballey | bracelets : Myntra

ONLY is one of my on-the-go clothing pick brands and I love to pull off their pieces because they're so voguish and comfy. The latest collection in the stores mark the crazy antics of Garfield in so many different styles that got me super excited and I chose to pick the striped longline shirt in powder blue color and cotton fabric, to carry in trend! I teamed it up with a pair of denims shorts and white ankle boots and accessorized minimally with bracelets and a bright orange feather clip to keep in sink to the color of the character print. A bag was just an optional addition and you can ditch it if you're only lazing around in the lounge this summer!

Having said that, is there anything more satisfying than bossing an outfit your mates can only dream of pulling off? Obviously not! But, because almost everyone already towing the long line was failing hard, it made me think for a while if this shirt is what I'm gonna try my hands on for atleast once and I love how effortlessly chic it appeared! Wearing your clothes oversized, longline-loving, proportion-playing, silhouette-shifting pieces offer a way and its only you who can to cut through and make your style known. So girls, barge into the ONLY stores today or find the shirt online on KOOVS, go for it and let me know how else did you pair up this Garfield piece (or more from the collection). I'll be waiting for your tags on instagram!

Photographed by : Zeeshan Khan

~xoxo~

Laces, Knots, Fringes & Straws

Hey dearies, hope everything's happening great! So, I've been in a constant touch with my fellow city bloggers and saw them updating a lot many bohemian inspired looks recently. Whereas, I myself had been thinking of sharing a look on the similar lines since a very long time but I feel I'm more of a free-spirited country girl and like to keep things opulent and sophisticated!

Hence, today I've partnered with a multiple fashion brands (find details below) to put across an eccentric look that includes four of my favorite trends that are booming this season - lace, knots, fringes and straws.

The country-boho as we could name it, history suggests that the urbanity of the look comes from the french period, where girls dressed as art and walked across roads flaunting loose fabrics and lots of colors! Apparently, its true because you would rarely see an Indian girl running around places with fringes and straw hats on head and so we could say its a borrowed craze from the west. Having said that, I am a firm believer of exotic alternatives in fashion and feel that every person carries an individual and unique style which represents a counterculture. 

Scroll down below to check out all the pictures from my kind of boho look and read what makes it a head turner!

dress : Forever21 | hat : Accessorize | bag : Old Buy | footwear : StreetStyleStore

twisty bracelet : Aminabad (Lucknow) | bracelet set : Auhna Creations | earrings : Aarna Designs | rings : H&M

Recently, in of the episodes on the Ellen DeGenerous show, the famous Bollywood actress and former Miss World - Priyanka Chopra carried a beautiful white lace dress from Zimmerman and became the talk of the town for the same! I was astound to find a very similar looking dress at the Forever21 store in Delhi and picked it without giving it a second thought. It was a clinched piece from the waist and an A-Line in the fall with a short length, just perfect for my height. I knew I was going to do something impromptu with it and that's what exactly happened when one morning I got up only to find myself pulling out my new pair of roman gladiators with brown laces from StreetStyleStore that are super comfy to walk in & look hot AF to match with the dress!

I quickly called up my team and told them we're shooting for a country side look in 2 hours and my accessories would be bluntly colored in red, orange, green, blue or just any random color one could think of, so we need a location that looks culturally aesthetic. As you could see in the pictures already, we finally stumbled upon a lake view with a broken bridge and some flowery scenes nearby!

To add, the multi-colored, knotted pom-pom earrings have been making its mark in the fashion market since quite some time, so I got myself some mirrored ones from Aarna Designs & paired it with a multi-colored twisty bracelet on one wrist and another stack of beaded ones on the other wrist complimenting the white dress, and of course we even wanted absolute finesse in the style so I carried a black-brown fringe bag to add vivacity along with my oxidised finger rings from H&M. I opted to finish off the look with a straw hat inspired by the actual country girl mode that I'd been discovering in western movies past so many years. Also, kudos to my MUA who gave me the best face of all time, a fresh & glamorous look with bold eyes, sensitive contouring and deep pink lips, and left my hair open to let me set to pose!

PS : If you were looking for a similar style, or were sceptical about trying out an unconventional look, I hope this post lead you somewhere. Do share it with your friends and help me spread some panache! Until next time, lots of love to you all.

Photographed by : Creativity Studio  |  Makeup by : Divya Vishnani

~xoxo~

Walkin' English in SBL Co-Ords

A girl should be two things : classy and fabulous! - Coco Chanel

Hey girlies, hope everyone's good and taking the world on roll? :p 

Okay, so I've never done this before, but starting a blog with a quote never appeared so apt than this! You must have heard this quotation by CC very often and must be really bored, but as they say, fashion is an instant language that needs to be repeated time and again, so here I am talking about a style that I've been crushing on for long!

Coordinates (co-ords set) are a must have this season. It comes in lots of styles, varying from crop tops and pencil skirts to tops and pants, twinning in one color! It stylishly separates the upper and bottom of your body giving you a chance to master an alternative to your favorite dresses and jumpsuits! Today, I've paired up a set of lace co-ords, that includes a full sleeved crop top and a sleek pencil skirt. The coral orange color attracted me instantly and I loved this outfit so much so, that I bought it the first day it was up on the STALKBUYLOVE website (irresistible it was)! 

Scroll down to read all the details about why it took me no time to create this look..

co-ords : StalkBuyLove | heels : Talons D'or | hat : Forever21 | wallet : Lavie | rings : Zotiqq

As I mentioned above, my love for co-ords is infinite. If you remember, I posted one of the kinds, also from StalkBuyLove.com, last year on this blog (check out here) of a floral skirt and a cut sleeve jacket set. I received a lot of compliments over it and that inspired me to post about this one for you again! This lace co-ords set almost seems a one piece dress because I didn't leave any gaps on my waist, but pulled the skirt high and layered the full sleeved crop-top over it covering up my belly! It appears more like a body con now and I love the fitting because it gives a complete structure to my over all body displaying a lady-like curvy shape!

More dressy as the outfit looks, I added a black floppy hat to it, as inspired from a British look. I am a fan of hats because it changes the entire appearance instantly. This one is from Forever21 and I love how it accentuates my slightly curly mane making it appear sexy! Keeping the accessories minimal, I just stacked up a few rings in my fingers that complimented the summery orange color and carried a faux leather wallet in triple color Aztec embossing, from Lavie. You can wear this outfit at impromptu dinner parties or even in the day for lunch dates. Its undoubtedly a perfect summer must-try-on-the-go-attire! To complete my look, I chose to add a pair of solid black pointed heels to give the entire ensemble a classy and fabulous feel! ;)

PS : I would just take a moment to talk about my heels this time, since its custom designed by me via this super amazing brand called TALONS D'OR. This website allows you to design any kind of heels you want with each of its details from scratch. From the heel shape to its height and color, to the shape of the front of your shoe, to the color of the sole and strap, and the entire freaking footwear! Isn't that just so cool? You must check it out right away, because you surely wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to own a pair of self-designed footwear!

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I hope you liked this post, do tell me in the comments below. Also, FOLLOW ME on instagram and facebook more some regular OOTD dose and don't forget to subscribe and share this blog because spreading a word about cool things doesn't harm anybody! Eh? :D

Photographed by : Mrinal Khatnani  |  Shot at : The Cherry Tree Bakery

~xoxo~