Celebrations at Shazé!

Christmas is here and it's time to bring out some holiday cheer! Time to toast to the year gone by and to the good times ahead! Also time to toast to my dear Aanam's blog What When Wear turning 3 in style with Shazé's latest launches!

Shazé is a premium lifestyle brand with gift options ranging from fashion jewellery designed in Italy which it launched recently, scarves in soft Yak wool, sunglasses, watches to home décor that also includes adorably cute baby stuff (you know why baby stuff is so dear to me these days!). My favourites are all laid out below for you to check out and desire!

Well well well, what did I tell you? Gorgeous aren't they? But I ain't done yet :-) The best part that I loved is yet to come.

Shazé's latest jewellery campaign which has just been launched - The ‘Un Occasion’ Campaign, is all about dispelling the thought process that only occasions such as Diwali, Christmas, birthdays or anniversary’s call for buying gifts. Infact Shazé’s jewellery range is fit for any occasion and every mood, anytime time of the year, just how I like it. I dress up everyday without waiting for a special day or raison d'être cause I believe in making every day an ocassion! Do you still need any other reason to get going and gift yourself a pretty piece my dearies? ;-)

Shazé is available in Mumbai at their store on Hughes Road, and pan India through stand alone stores, shop in shops and on their online store.

What When Wear, all the best for lots more years and loads of success!

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Just Be Yourself

My pregnancy was filled with futile shopping visits most of the times that I wanted to buy clothes. Having not put on too much weight other than a little bit on the tummy and on the curvy areas, maternity clothing didn't fit me well and regular clothing my size would be super tight on the tummy. What I needed was good plus size clothing which most brands in this country don't really believe in despite most Indian women actually being endowed with curves in the right places. I mean being curvy is good - Ask the ones who have the curves! Since I am extra choosy and picky and can't make do with just something not up to the mark, I managed with existing clothes in my wardrobe that were either flary or were picked up abroad(they actually have great clothes catering to plus size and curvy women). Even when I wasn't pregnant, because of being heavier on my lower body, I always craved for well fitting pants that I didn't have to alter to fit my waist, because I always had to buy larger sizes as per my butt size! I constantly wondered why hardly any brands ever bothered about it, and if they did then why did they not care to make stylish clothes instead of drab and boring ones.

My recent visit to Westside seemed like an answer to all my prayers. Sassy Soda, its latest trendy collection designed for women who love their curves and believe in 'Have it, Flaunt it' definitely displays a unique understanding of the fashion needs of the curvier youth of today.

I had a great time exploring the collection cause it was too good to be true, and put together a few outfits too to show you how awesome this collection is!

I love how they have taken care to incorporate all the latest trends, be it fun prints and silhouettes and colours that pop to add oomph to your wardrobe. Finally curvy girls are going to dress up without any compromises.

Plus size fashion in India is not going to be the same anymore. Westside has definitely added SASS to this segment! :-)

By the way, it's not just Sassy Soda that they launched recently. They have also introduced their first in-house stylish and affordable lingerie brand called Wunderlove. They have 3 different collections to suit different moods - Daily Essentials that are your everyday must-haves. Everyday Pretty that lets you explore your fun, playful side and Fancy Pants of alluring and elegant separates. Something to suit everyone's taste. I am a crazy hoarder of lingerie and I know for a fact that I am going to go back to pick up not one but loads of their gorgeous pieces. Lovestruck is the apt word for what I feel about Wunderlove! 

These launches scream out to me "Just Be Yourself"! 

I'm sure you guys want to know what all I picked up but what's the hurry? :-) Soon Soon.. Very soon... Till then do go and check out these new launches at Westside! 

If you like what you see on Ri(t)ch Styles and want to stay updated regularly, follow Ri(t)ch Styles on 

    

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The Luxe Café - Global Luxury at your fingertips

Having been a part of the Publishing Industry in India particularly the Luxury domain, I know for a fact that there are hardly any publications in the B2C market covering Global Luxury that focus on high-quality curated content and don't give the eyes an eye sore. After having developed a highly respected magazine for the Indian Luxury market, I know the pains it takes to put together a product that shares first-hand information and a 360 degree view of the elite lifestyle choices in today's world. So one day while browsing for one of my work projects when I came across TheLuxeCafe.com,  I was truly impressed by how well it was fashioned as a virtual salon for the serious purveyors of luxurious living. As an online luxury lifestyle magazine, this virtual café is poised to be a one-stop destination for people globally who appreciate exclusive tastes, travels, technology and much more. The content revolves around Fashion, Interiors, Auto, Real Estate, Travel, Gastronomy, Personas and Ideas.

India is still on the path to 'Luxury Consciousness'. The delay isn't because we do not have the disposable income due to which we are disinterested, but because there isn't proper access to required information. The Luxe Café is trying to bridge this gap by appointing not only experienced writers, artists and design specialists to create a unique offering, but also selected industry experts to directly engage with the readers and provide them first hand authentic information to make informed choices regarding premium brands.

Editorial Director of The Luxe Café, Manisha Mayur Shekhar [ex-journalist and luxury marketing expert] has her focus very clear. As luxury enthusiasts are on the rise not only in cosmopolitan cities but also in upcoming tier II & III cities, she wants to extend the experience to the discerning audience who are becoming highly brand conscious in these cities as well. To put it rightly, India has become the new destination for Luxury. According to a recent report by ASSOCHAM and Yes Bank, India's luxury market is expected to reach $14.72 billion by 2015 from an estimated $8.21 billion last year, with about 30% of the customers coming from smaller cities. The rapid growth of the Indian middle class has ensured that a larger number of consumers are able to afford luxury goods than ever before. Luxury is no more just for the privileged few. Therefore, Manisha has made sure that The Luxe Café is uniquely designed and features a selection of engaging, informative and exciting stories, reviews, experientials and tips from brands directly to consumers, thus making it not just a regular online magazine,but a quick gateway to the world of luxury.

My favourites hands down were the Fashion and Travel sections.

Personalities like HH Maharaja Gaj Singh, Rosita Missoni - founder of the Italian fashion house Missoni, Malav Shroff - boating tycoon, Dinaz Madhukar - President of DLF Emporio, Riccardo Bestetti – creator of bespoke Italian men’s shoes, are some of the famous names from among the selection of many more who will be associated with The Luxe Café. This for me means hanging out with the best and appreciating the finer things in life.

Those looking for a good read on the Luxury Industry, do log on to The Luxe Café and I promise you will be awestruck! Meanwhile I am heading there to read the latest stories :-)

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A penny saved is a penny earned!

The last few months have been crazy! Motherhood is a full time job by itself, but a job that I am loving to the core :-) Along with motherhood descending upon me, the other aspect of my life that has become important is the necessity to save more, as now its not just 2 people but 3 people that we are going to be spending on. Since I am an avid online shopper, mainly because of the convenience and also cause I am a Shopaholic, the showering of online sales and deal/coupon sites onto the Indian web world in the recent past has been a total blessing!

Zoutons is the latest deal/coupons site that I have stumbled upon and I'm loving it! The coupon categories range right from baby products(fresh category in my life), books, clothing & accessories. chocolates, cosmetics, electronics, food, footwear, home decor, personal care, movie tickets, travel to what not and much more. You name it and you will find a coupon. Zoutons motto is to form a symbiotic relation with shopaholics by providing them crucial information on discount coupons, closing sales, promo codes etc. from all the leading merchandisers of the Indian retail industry. They have coupons from most of the sites I shop from, be it Jabong, Myntra, Flipkart or Amazon. During the festive season, they bombard you with deals from all over the Indian world wide web, thus making gift shopping a stress free affair.

Just before Dusshera and Diwali, I decided shop on Jabong for some gifts for PS. UCB was having an awesome online sale on Jabong  and there was a further discount of 27% being offered on using a coupon available on the Jabong website. While that would have been a great deal in itself, it suddenly struck me to check out Zoutons because of the various reviews I had been hearing for a while and guess what, I found a coupon for 32% off for Jabong. You have to see this picture to believe the deal that I got!

I always get great deals on Jabong, but the coupon from Zoutons was the cherry on the cake! The price at which I got the entire order is less than what I usually pay for a shirt for PS when I pick it up in full price from the UCB store! So this purchase wasn't just a saving, but a mega saving and I kept patting myself on the back for days on how smart I always am in finding the best deals ;-)

This way I don't have to worry about more shopping or increasing expenses and I can save likewise and spend on other things! What more does one need in life? :-)

Have you guys ever tried Zoutons? If yes, then how was your experience and if not, then do try and share your experience with me! I love hearing deal/savings stories!!!

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Ri(t)ch Styles' Victorinox Christmas wish list

Watches are my new obsession these days. While I always had a fetish for watches, over the last few years my craze for them had reduced. Lately I have noticed a revival of the craze, but this time majorly for the luxury watch brands. Victorinox with it's innovative range of watches is a part of this obsession (you saw my detailed review of the I.N.O.X watch recently here). With Christmas just a month away and my someone special’s birthday too round the corner, I have been evaluating the various options that Victorinox has to offer, and have kind of zeroed down on a wish list to choose from.

1. Night Vision

The Night Vision watch line has been a success since it first appeared in 2003. The new watch launched from this range this year embodies the existing successful features of being luminous yet multi-functional, along with being available with two new bracelets options: 'Black Ice' PVD steel or a black leather strap. Last year it had been launched with the rubber strap options in green and black.

The wearer can illuminate the dial for optimal time reading, turn on a continuous beam and even launch an SOS rescue signal, in Morse code, that can be seen clearly a kilometer away. How cool is that! This avant-garde lighting feature uses low-energy consumption LED technology that is perfectly integrated into the sleek design of the dial and bracelet. It has two separate batteries for light and time, and also a battery end-of-life indicator. So no worries about exhausting the battery with any kind of usage or getting stuck with a watch that suddenly stops working when you are rushing for something important. Works perfectly for me!

The electronic module of the Night Vision is an exclusive Victorinox Swiss Army creation that has been developed and manufactured in Switzerland, and no other watch on the market offers anything like it.

2. Chrono Classic
Chrono Classic is a 'three-step' watch. A classic timepiece dedicated to the reading of hours and minutes, it is also a chronograph accurate to the hundredth of a second. The transition from one mode to the other is performed through a simple double click of the crown. This returns the three central hands to 12 o’clock and turns the date window at 6 o'clock into a counter displaying the zero-zero position. Perfect for a Chartered Accountant (that's what P.S. is ;-) - financial stuff all the time!) whose every minute is important when it comes to money matters. Money is time after all!

The most amazing thing about the Chrono Classic is that you can switch back to normal time-reading mode while the chronograph continues running (here is the video). This technical prowess is due to the watch’s Swiss Made FM13D quartz movement, which is manufactured by Soprod, a Bernese Jura company with which Victorinox Swiss Army has worked closely. This collaboration has resulted in an exclusive development: the numerical representation of 1/100th of a second, which is performed by two small rotating discs on the lower part of the dial.

The display form of the Grande Date, a perpetual calendar, is another unique feature of the movement. The guilloche decoration covering both discs recalls the shape and decoration of Swiss Army Officer’s knife. No wonder this is called a classic! I'm confused here between the dark grey dial and bezel with Black Ice PVD coating, and the champagne dial and bezel.

The I.N.O.X. watch I reviewed earlier, is also a part of the wishlist along with the above two. Why don’t you guys help me out in picking one from these? :-) Drop in your sweet comments with the suggestions!!!

If you like what you see on Ri(t)ch Styles and want to stay updated regularly, follow Ri(t)ch Styles on 

    

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I partnered with the brand to write this article