Richa Kanwar – Page 6 – A Fashion and Lifestyle blog

Indo Western Fusion

February 24, 2017 2 Comments

Hello and Namaste 🙂

Someone once told me that Indian women look more striking and elegant in Indian wear like sarees, suits and lehengas than in western wear. I didn’t agree much at the time but now I would and the reason would be that we are most comfortable and confident in our ethnicity and culture. Since confidence is the key to look beautiful, I would say we Indian women do look the best in the Indian wear, at least I feel this way. The beauty and glow comes from within when we are dressed in ethnic attire.

I recently visited my family in New Jersey to celebrate my niece’s 2nd bday and the theme was Indian Ethnic, hence this post. I wanted to show additional outfit options when you don’t have many Indian outfits and can do fusion of Ethnic Indian & western. My style has derived from Punjab. So I would mix and match some of the outfits that are common in Punjab.

Outfit 1 –

I am most excited about this one because I designed and stitched it myself. I spent a month in India (Punjab) last summer where I learnt how to sew and while learning, I made a few outfits myself from the scratch.

I found a light blue/turquoise fabric in floral print in the local market. We decided to make a flared skirt out of it and we call it “Lehenga” in India. I paired it with cut out shoulder crop top in hot pink made from silk fabric. Of course, you would want to dominate the Indian ethnic side and for that, wear all your jewelry and bangles to make it perfect and glittery.

Here are some of the looks:-

Outfit 2 –

An Indian girl should at least have a white and a black skirt (lehengas) in her wardrobe. I bought a black raw silk skirt recently from India and it is so versatile that you can wear a heavy embroidery blouse or a plain crop top to dress it up or down depending on the occasion. I paired it with a halter neck crop top from forever 21 and wore some silver antique jewelry with it to keep it simple.

Outfit pictures –

If you would like to know how I choose my fabrics or designs, I can do a separate post about it. Please let me know :))

Richa

Travel

Ice Castles – Lincoln, NH

February 20, 2017 No Comments

Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care
what they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on.
The cold never bothered me anyway

Yes, this is the song that truly explains my experience at Ice Castles, NH. Magical, enchanting and straight out of fairy tales is what Ice castles are.

I stumbled upon pictures of Ice Castles when I was searching for easy winter activities to do. Since I do not know Ice Skating or Skiing, Ice Castles made to my bucket list. This would technically be my 2nd winter in Boston, but this year I have had more time to enjoy it rather than curse it :P. The more I researched, the more magical and enchanting it looked in the pictures but I was amazed to see much more beauty in person.

Since I found out about it pretty late, most days tickets were sold out. We finally were able to get tickets for Sunday, 12th Feb and we booked it about a week ago. We hadn’t seen the storm coming on Sunday and the most difficult part was to get there in the snow storm. It was about 2.5 hour drive from Boston and it took us way more than that. As soon as we reached, we spent most beautiful 30 mins of the day inside the Castles. They played music from the movie “Frozen” and it was magical.

As the name suggests, the castles are made of Ice. There were slides, tunnels and the throne – all made of Ice. Here are the few pictures –

And yes, I took full advantage of making my own fairy tale and I wore a gown to the place, took some pictures.

P.S. You must wear snow boots and dress up in winter coats/jackets. I was wearing leg warmers inside and wore snow boots which are hiding in the pictures. I removed my coat for just 15-20 seconds to take these pictures and I was freezing.

I would definitely recommend making a visit there if you’re in East coast, Ice Castles have many locations. Do check out their website.

All opinions are my own 🙂

Richa

Fashion

Spring/Summer Color Trends 2017

February 16, 2017 No Comments

Hello 🙂

I just wanted to share something different this time, and with new York Fashion week (Women’s) wrapping up today, I thought I would show the way and see what colors would be trending this Spring/Summer 2017.

I have recently started referring to the “Pantone Fashion color report” for the color trends. We all will be seeing all the spring/summer styles in the market with these colors in 2017. The colors truly express the nature, some are so vibrant and lively, and some of them are earthly tones and soothing to your eyes. To me, these colors totally express the water, earth, fire and air – the four elements of the world. I have already seen “Primrose Yellow”, “Pale Dogwood” and “Island Paradise” in the Market a lot and I do own some of the pieces in these shades. I am sure all of us have found at least one favorite color in the palette below. Unlike trends from past few years, we will see a lot more colors this season.

Source – https://www.pantone.com/fashion-color-report-spring-2017

My next post will be about the “styles that are trending spring/summer 2017”.

Stay Tuned!

Richa

Fashion

Valentine’s Day 2017 Inspiration

February 14, 2017 No Comments

Happy V-day Loves!

Red is the color of love and it’s one of my favorite colors too. However, I didn’t want to go all red this year. I chose a navy blue dress with red bag and red pumps. It wasn’t easy to find perfect red bag but I was lucky to get my hands on to the Aldo’s new V-day collection – this perfectly sized red bag with a little bow is to die for.

Also, I bought this dress in sale. I didn’t like it at first but when I tried it on, it fit perfectly and I like how it sits on my body. I like the length of the dress as well. Mostly I don’t find mini dresses because I am petite (5’4″ Under). Also, check out “Express” new Petite collection if you’re under 5’4″.

here’s the complete look –

Outfit Details –

Dress – Here

Bag – Here

Shoes- Here

Fashion

Fall to Winter Transition

February 10, 2017 No Comments

Happy Friday Loves!

I know how frustrating it can be to continuously think and plan your outfits for winter. You want to bundle up in the cold weather but also want to look stylish. I found an easy way to use some of old fall outfits and turning them into winter outfits.

Here is the outfit I restyled from fall to winter –

Outfit Details –

Black Striped Shirt-Here

Grey Skater Skirt – Here

OTK Boots –Here

Crossbody Bag – Nine West

Parka – Michael Kors

Fashion

Winter Look book 2016/17

January 29, 2017 No Comments

Winter is here!

Only thing I love about winter is the winter fashion and style – Coats, Long boots, Sweater dresses! However, it can be overwhelming to spend so much on the winter outerwear and accessories. I found some real nice pieces which are affordable and stylish. You just need a few staples in your wardrobe and you can rock the winter.

Outfit 1 –

Sherpa Coat – Lulu’s Here

Pants – Zara – Sold out ( Similar here – Here)

Boots – Nine west – Sold out (Similar –Here )

Outfit 2 –

Shearling Wool coat – Forever 21 Sold out ( Similar Here)

Olive Green Dress – Marshalls Sold out (Similar Here)

Studded Sandals – Chalotte Russe – sold out (Similar Here)

Outfit 3 –

Double Breasted Pea Coat – Forever 21 Sold Out ( Similar – Here)

Blush Pink Sweater – Target Sold out ( Similar Here)

Jeans – Aeropostale – Here

Black Pumps – Nine West – Here

Fashion

Diwali Look Book

November 16, 2016 19 Comments

Hello my beautiful friends!

Happy Diwali to everyone! 🙂

Diwali has been a very special holiday for me – family reunion, Rangoli colors and truly a festival of lights. I have never been interested in firecrackers anyway. Diwali 2016 has been no different than any other diwali except that we celebrated with my sister who has been living in the US.

Day time look –

While we were preparing for the festivities to begin, I wanted to dress up for the occasion but also look subtle and simple at the same time. so I decided to wear a plain white kurta with burgundy leggings (perfect for fall weather). I got this high slit kurta designed from near by tailor. I borrowed these beautiful earrings (Karigari) from my sister and they went perfectly with my dress.My sandals are from Michael Kors.

Night time look –

For a beautiful diwali evening, I wore this beautiful cold shoulder silk crop top and White skirt with bronz leaf kind of detail to it. I bought this skirt from my hometown – Jalandhar from a private boutique and I got silk crop top stitched by a tailor and design was inspired by bollywood actress recent post. I totally loved how cold shoulder trend could be turned into a beautiful ethnic outfit.

Here are the pictures –

Fashion

FALL’in Love – Fall edition 2016

October 24, 2016 No Comments

Fall/Autumn is my favorite time of the year currently because there’s very less of it that we experience in India. Now that I am in the US, I want to explore every bit of it. There are so many things about this season that I adore – Crispiness in the air, falling leaves, Change of colors, Pumpkin Spice Latte, beauty all around but Fall Fashion the most. Below are the few Fall essentials/Fall favorites of mine that I would like to show you.

Look 1 – The most common and my favorite – Plaid. If I wish, I would incorporate plaid everywhere – in home decor, scarves, coats, bags :).

Shirt – H&M

Boots- Nine west and

Bag -burgundy Satchel from Michael Kors.

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Look 2 – Duster Coat

It is an essential in your wardrobe, not just fall but you can throw it whenever it gets chillier in the summer evenings. It is very light if you have to pack it for travel. I totally love the color of this, it screams fall to me.

Top – Forever 21

White Jeans – Xpose

White sandals – Michael Kors

Duster Coat – Kazo

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Look 3 – Black leather Jacket with Blush Pink Skirt

I recently bought this beautiful Leather Jacket from Urban Outfitters. It was a bit expensive for my budget but I have waited to buy a perfect one for a long time. With the quality Urban Outfitters offer, I am sure it will last me for a very long time. See below on how I have paired it with.

Off Shoulder Black Top – H&M

Blush Pink skirt – Forever 21

Black Leather Jacket – Urban Outfitters

Blush Pink Pumps – Zara

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Fashion

Summer Trends of 2016

August 15, 2016 No Comments

A perfect summer day is when the Sun is shining bright, the wind in my hair and my best outfit on. Although, I always seem to get confused with the styles out there; do you? So I present to you my awesome, affordable and trendy ideas that you can rock this summer too.

Trend # 1 Cold Shoulder/Off Shoulder

2016 is all about those shoulders, don’t be afraid to show yours. I bought so many off the shoulder tops/cold shoulder dresses and have so many ideas to style them. I guess I should just a separate post on this trend :P.

dsc_0023-3 — Off the Shoulder Dress – Forever 21 Sneakers – Forever 21

dsc_0078-2 — Off the Shoulder top – Macy’s High waisted Jeans – Aeropostale Necklace – Accessorize Shades – Provogue

Trend #2 Gladiator/Boho

Let your shoes do all the talking and Gladiator Sandals are the way to do it. Gladiators are the hottest trend this season. It can be worn with a pair of shorts, a white slip dress or the way I did it below. I bought my gladiators from Charlotte Russe and paired it with a beautiful off shoulder bohemian dress from Hollister.

dsc_0382-2 — Dress – Hollister Choker – Claire’s Gladiator Sandals – Charlotte Russe Shades- Forever 21

Trend # 4 Crop Tops

It’s no secret that crop tops are a huge trend which is still going strong from last year. Opt for high-waist bottoms if you’re shy. Try a full sleeve crop top for little colder weather and rock the look. For a more feminine look, wear a matching bottom with it. There are no rules for wearing crop top, if you don’t want to invest in it, go for an old buttoned up shirt and DIY a crop top and give it a try. Here’s how I styled them :

dsc_0278-2 — Lace up Suede Crop top – Forever 21 Jeans – Aeropostale Peep Toes – Steve Madden

Trend # 5 Slip Dress

The most comfortable yet Chic is what I call a slip dress. I bought a long slip dress which gives it a look of maxi dress.

Slip Dress – Forever 21 Sling Blag – Stalk Buy Love Shades – Provogue

Trend # 6 Lace ups/Crochet/Scallops/Little White dress
Lace ups + little White dress equals perfect. I got this dress from Charlotte Russe and it was just so perfect. White Angelic dress along with scalloped detail on the bottom gives it a little edge. It is perfect for a beach day, a Sunday brunch or even for a date night in Summer.

dsc_0248-2 — Dress – Charlotte Russe Crossbody Bag – French Connection Ankle strap flats – Charlotte Russe

Trend #7 Tie Dye
Tie Dye is back. I remember dyeing my clothes in various patterns & colors with my sisters during summer break in 90s. I see the market is full of Tie dye crop tops, tank tops, skirts, maxi dress and slip dresses. There’s a lot to choose from but here are my ideas of how you can buy a slip dress in tie dye to combine two summer trends and minimalizing your wardrobe. It looks super trendy, breezy and is also pocket friendly.

dsc_0177-2 — Tie Dye Dress – Forever 21 Sneakers – Forever 21