Monday 18 June 2012

Dressing-Up For The Rains!

Here’s a fact-I hate the rains!!! (I think I heard a collective gasp from all the rain loves out there!) Fact is, I just hate them! With all the insane traffic, water puddles, pollution and muck around, monsoon is my dark period, where I oscillate for serious mourning and sulking to major creative blocks and depressive ideas. Like I said not my best season!
Since I love everything else about Bombay, I have learnt to survive these 4 mad months on my own terms. As much I hate the rains I never let it get the best of me, especially in the dressing-up department. I make sure I am damn well dressed and prepared to combat the torrential downpour. 

Whether you love or loathe the rains, everyone need to be appropriately dressed to survive the monstrous monsoons! My mantra for the season is ‘keep it simple, keep it short, and keep it colourful’. Here is a list of my monsoon must-haves.
[More information on these pieces here]

Styling Tips for Monsoon.
Office Wear: Opt for sleeveless or short sleeves shirts or tunic instead of full sleeves ones and preferably pick knee length skirts. If pants are a must, then go for blended fabric that dry quickly and don’t crumple easily instead of pure cottons and linens. Wearing white or very light pastel shades is inviting disaster, so pull out your summer brightest- tangerine orange, neon green, electric blue and fuchsia pink. Avoid layering as much as possible, cause once it stops to rain it becomes crazy hot and humid. 

Ethnic Wear: Say no to all form of summer whites and neutrals. Flaunt your most colorful and liveliest kurtis, and pair them with snug-fitting churidars/ leggings. Ideally swap your dupattas for scarf or stoles. Heavy salwar kameez with trailing dupattas can altogether be avoided during monsoons.  
If you must wear a saree, stay away from cottons {as they will crinkle up in no time}, and  translucent and flimsy fabrics such as chiffons and georgettes {not only do they become completely see-through but also lose their sheen when wet}; instead go for light weight silk ones.

Casual wear: Maxi skirts/dress and light colour tops are not monsoon friendly attire at all. Instead opt for capris, shorts and tops in bold and happy colours. Remember, whatever you wear; make sure you have enough legroom to make a quick dash for cover when caught in a surprise downpour.

Footwear: Not to self: All monsoon footwear at all times must be slip-resistant.

Navigating those crazy puddles your footwear can barely be seen, but believe me, it is the most important part of your wardrobe. Seriously, you don’t want your chappals/ slippers {however cool you may think they look} plunging you nose-first into a puddle; neither do you want your heel breaking while you are crossing an uneven road. This is the season of sensible shoes. Opt for flat ballerinas with rubber soles {or made out of Neoprene or PVC}, rain boots, waterproof flip-flops or floaters. If you must wear heels in monsoon, then choose ones with heels no more than two inches high and having a firm base. 

Make-up and Hair Style: Use only waterproof and smudge proof makeup. Apply soft shades with rosy undertones for your cheeks, dramatize your eyes with coloured eyeliners, and give your lips a matte look – in bright or soft shade.
Since hair is almost always a problem during the monsoons, don’t choose styles that require your hair to be straightened, blow dried, crimped or curled. All that humidity will make it limp and shapeless in no time. Make sure you get a haircut that helps you style your hair with minimum fuss. Also, avoid putting too many hair products in your hair as the humidity may make it greasy.

Accessories: Lock away your cloth, leather and straw bags for dryer season and go for the trendy water resistant bags. Umbrellas are a must have for this weather, so pick one that is sturdy yet chic to make a style statement. Avoid wearing pure silver jewellery, cause they tend to turn black when in contact with moisture, instead pick some funky costume pieces to spice up the look.
Summer Styles That Should Never Been Worn In Monsoons.
Summer whites or very light pastel shades.
Clothes in translucent and flimsy fabrics such as light weight cottons,'chikankari' and lace.
Maxi skirts and dress.
Raffia wedges.
Pure leather or suede shoes and bags.

How do you deal with the monsoon season? And what is your fashion mantra and must-haves for the rainy weather? Share them with me in the comment section.


Till then, tra-la,
Amena!!
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22 comments:

  1. Amena as always, your posts are organised, colourful, and completely useful. Though we don't have monsoons here, we have constant drizzle which probably adds up to a monsoon eventually, anyway ;) Thank you for this post <3

    Love, Miffalicious. [www.miffalicious.com]

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  2. This is so useful! Great job!!!

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  3. Great stuff. Exactly what we needed!

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  4. Lovely post Amena, so informative - i need it! And well I'm a huge hater of the rains too ! Its pretty messy in bombay and stepping out of the house is like a chore!

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  5. Love the colorful rainboots on a rainy day! Hope you are having a wonderful day!
    -Jyoti
    Style-Delights Blog
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    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:13 am

    I seriously need one of those umbrellas.

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  7. A cute umbrella is necessary when it is raining!

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  8. Thanks for dropping by!! This is very informative post!! check-list for all!! Keep Visiting!! :)

    Love,
    Lazygul<3


    www.lazygulrox.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey,

    This is informative and useful,well you know what i came across this contest where you can share you share your own style mantra http://on.fb.me/BeBeautifulMantracontest

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  10. im eyeing on that neon necklace.. i saw it in zara..



    http://sindhugupta.blogspot.in/

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  11. It's always a challenge to look stylish in the rain and some of your wonderful suggestions here will certainly help. I've got my eye on that Nubu rain cape!

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  12. Dressing for the rain is always a bit of a challenge. I swear, any time it is raining I happen to be wearing flip flops...and get water splashed all over the back of my clothes! I love the fun umbrellas you picked out...

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  13. There is too much erratic rainfall in the UK at the moment, so I needed this!

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  14. Love the bright yellow jacket!

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  15. I go to school in Oregon and it rains SO much that I just don't even care what I wear sometimes. I have some red hunter boots which adds flare, but otherwise I am just way too lazy.

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  16. I agree! When I lived in S.Korea I hated that season esp when I had to walk to work!

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  17. This is a shout-out from Scotland...perhaps the rainiest place on the planet. I could not agree more with your philosophy. That bright chartreuse color of the necklace is the BEST thing to offset the months of gray that we endure. And I must add, people who live in rainy places and can cope, as you clearly do, are made of the strongest stuff known to man! So here's to bringing the sunshine through your sartorial choices!

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  18. no monsoon in Ireland but the weather appears to be way worse than the one I previously experienced in Asia... great picks :)

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  19. Good content. You have done a great job. i like it. thanks for sharing. I think you can purchase also like cotton printed kurtis from G3 fashions surat.

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  20. Oh I am one of the people who loves monsoons. But monsoons in Mumbai are okayish.
    Lovely post Amena.

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  21. Anonymous12:00 pm

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