Ri(t)ch Styles Blogging 101 : Fashion Apps that I can't do without!

A lot of you always ask me what Fashion Apps I use for inspiration and to help me in my work, so today's post is going to be about those. While I try to keep myself App free as much as possible, here is the list of my favourite fashion apps that I can't do without and help me make my life simpler!

Andaman Style Diaries: Jumpsuit Loving!

I find jumpsuits really versatile and chic. Wear them anywhere from the beach, to a casual day out, to a night on the town, and they perfectly fit in anywhere! I like the cropped wide leg ones for the beach especially in synthetic fabrics as you can walk in the shallow water in them, they don't let the sand stick and dry up pretty quick too. Thanks to that you too can take off right from the beach to your next pit stop. For my trip to the Andamans I picked up this black one with metal chains for straps and I loved the way it fit me like a dream. Super comfy and flattering, I was so glad I wore this for my day that started with checkout, to spending some time at Vijaynagar Beach i.e. Beach No. 5 at Havelock Island, and then heading to Neil Island. 

2016 Roundup : Favourite Outfits on Ri(t)ch Styles

It's funny how fast the year has just zipped by and before I could grasp that we are actually in the second half of the year, it already is the last day of the year. It has been a whirlwind of a year for me personally and professionally. Motherhood and work both have been challenging, but they have also been highly rewarding, and full of learning. I believe that hard work and prayers never go unanswered, and I am absolutely delighted with the way things are going. Well, I know this is supposed to be a round up of my favourite outfits but then I had to share a roundup of my feelings too right? :-)

Saree Elegance with Zivame's Saree Shapewear

Graceful, beautiful and elegant - A saree is the most timeless piece that an Indian woman can have in her wardrobe. It is 6 yards of absolute femininity that embraces a woman's curves in the most poised manner. While innovations in the style of sarees have been happening with time, I still love the classic style and it is a must wear for me on special occasions.

What are you gifting your Mother this #MothersDay? #IdeasWeLoved

So finally we have deduced on the best from the ideas we received for our #MothersDay Contest. While the entries were many, we have chosen the ones we loved and found unique yet realistic. Say hello to our featured readers and check out their loving ideas for their mothers.

Getting comfortable shopping for your Body Shape

I love the shape of my body. I think I am lucky to have a pear body shape which means my torso and upper body is smaller than my hips with a defined waist. However I too tend to crib at times about my heavy hips and thighs(it's human nature so it's not odd to do that) but overall I prefer my body shape to other body shapes. Body shape plays a huge role in how an outfit will fit you. Whether you wear a size S or a size L, it's not just about your size but also about your body shape which determines what suits you best. So while something may look really good on someone, it could make someone with a different body shape look really shabby. Some people are aware of this, but the others keep only size in mind as brands do not provide the information on fit and what will look good on you. The ignorance is mainly because consumers are not educated by the brands with the requisite information on body shape and fits, as brands tend to provide information only on sizes. Hence in India being size 0 or XS/XXS is such a huge aspiration for most young girls who just let size determine their thought processes. My advice - be fit, know your body shape and dress accordingly and you don't really need to be bothered about your size because end of the day you can't change your body shape how many ever sizes you try to drop. In a lot of cases, your body shape and bone structure will never let you become a size 0 how many ever sizes you try to drop. A little secret I am letting you in on - I felt the most unhealthy when I became a size 0(since I am petite, I could achieve it), and a size 2 and a size 4 not only felt better but mentally made me feel healthier and fitter too :)

Ri(t)ch Styles Featured on IFB Links à la Mode: April 9th - Finding Meaning in Fashion Blogging

Update!

My post got featured on Independent Fashion Bloggers Links à la Mode again :) Yayy!! :) My last post that got featured was in this round-up!

There are some really fabulous bloggers who have been featured with me and you can check out their posts below!

Finding Meaning in Fashion Blogging

This week, many IFB bloggers sought to go deeper than the #OOTD, with shout outs to philanthropic organizations including Scotty’s House and To Write Love on Her Arm—plus we heard some compelling personal stories. Other posts tackled diversity in magazines, the “new sexual revolution,” and older women’s right to wear leggings. On the lighter side, we have our fair (and necessary) share of fashion and beauty tips, trend pieces and news bites. All around, it’s a well-balanced collection of fashion blogger fare. I hope you enjoy! And if your post was chosen, please don’t forget to post the LALM roundup on your own blog (see instructions below)!

Links à la Mode: April 9

• A Handful of Stories: Shooting Outfit Posts With the Olympus OMD-EM10
• Attire Club: The Men’s Guide to Wearing Pastel Colors
• Bibi Shelter: Jeremy Scott for Adidas Original Fragrance Launch
• Charlotte Lucy: Alexander McQueen/Nick Waplington: Working Process at The Tate
• Flip Flops and Furs: A Benefit for Scotty’s House
• Funky Jungle: 5 Fashion ‘Must Haves’ I Don’t Own
• A Glamorous Revelation: To Write Love on Her Arms
• Jodie’s Touch of Style: Leggings With a Tunic After 50
• Ms. Fabulous: Winners of the 6th Annual Fashion 2.0 Awards
• Prime Butterfly: 5 Magazine Trends That Need to Die in 2015
• Purushu Arie: Celebrating the Spirit of the Seventies
• Riva la Diva: Easy DIY Valentino-Inspired Dress Tutorial
• Ri(t)ch Styles: How to Pick the Right T-Shirt for a Guy
• Sly on the Wall: A Hair Story
• Spy Girl: L.A. Frock Stars—Golden Age of Hollywood
• Storybook Apothecary: Swimwear Looks for Every Style
• Suzanne Carillo: 10 Important Life Lessons I Learned From Watching Mad Men
• That Paki Blog: Illustrating Pakistan Fashion Week by Mahoor Jamal
• TLV Birdie: Watch Your Mouth
• Wear It Fair: Vintage Styles for Work, Rest and Play

SPONSOR: Shopbop Coupons: Theperfext, Katin, and Black Wedges, Sperry Men’s, French Trotters, Red Heels, Nude wedges, Plaid Dresses,Leather & Lace Dresses

Want to be featured in Links à la Mode?

1. Read the clarified rules and submit your links on this page: Links à la Mode.

2. If your link was selected and you need this week’s code, visit this page: Links à la Mode Code.

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

    

You can also email me on ritchstyles@gmail.com :)

MAX Fashion Play: 'Summer Secrets' 2015 Preview

Spring and summer are more or less synonymous in a city like Mumbai and for me they mean bright colours, lots of prints, light fabrics and airy silhouettes. At the recent Spring Summer 2015 preview hosted by Max, I witnessed a delightful blend of all these and felt like a child in a candy shop not able to wait to pick it up all. They had promised us some 'Summer Secrets' and what was revealed was fantabulous! They have incorporated most of the current international trends into their Spring Summer 2015 collection, and have it working very well for them with the really affordable price points they are offering. What impressed me even more was that not just the women's but also the men's collection was bang on track. The entire collection lets you prep up your wardrobe at really pocket friendly prices for the coming summer and I am going to take you through it all just the way I witnessed it - The Max Fashion Play way!

Tropical Prints

This range imbibes inspiration from the tropics and you can see the elements like the rain forests, fruits, beaches, birds, and palm trees all across this range along with a lot of pastels and muted tones. The men's and the women's range was exhaustive. I loved loved loved the crop tops.

Floral prints

This range is the perfect marriage of florals and colours. Right from small prints to big prints, bright colours to pastel colours, this range has it all. Working print on print is also quite easy with the offerings that this range has. The jumpsuit here was my absolute favourite out of the entire collection.

Sporty Collection

No men's collection can be complete without the sporty range. Graphic tees, comfy tracks, cargos and the swoon list can go on. This range was a really smart one from Max with the tees having a base print and then a numerical print on it.

Casual Ethnic & Indo-Western

The ethnic range consists of beautiful hues and the Indo-western range has a nice boho vibe to it. Casual anarkalis that you can also wear as maxi dresses, digital prints on crepe kurtas, maxi skirts, peasant tops and Indian embroidery on skirts and capes is one reason why I am going to lay my hands on these as soon as they are in the stores. 

Quite explosive isn't it! But well just in case you might have missed anything, here is the video encapsulating it all!

And they weren't done with us with that :) So I ain't done yet with you too ;) Post the multiple showcases, they had a bloggers styling activity which was my favourite bit, where they assigned us a model and asked us to style them. They ran a contest on their Facebook page called the 'People’s choice award' but more than the results what was fun was creating my personal style statement this is what I came up with :)

The look was a combination of a bright yellow free spirits t-shirt, a pastel blue bird print shorts and aztec weave tie-up shoes.

Here's my thought process behind look

A lovely afternoon with some lovely secrets revealed for a stylish summer ahead! Go check it all out at a Max store near you :)

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

    

You can also email me on ritchstyles@gmail.com :)

Party away with KAZO AW'14!

My birthday is round the corner and due to all my time being devoted to the baby, I suddenly realised that I hadn't started shopping for my birthday yet, which till last year meant shopping from a month before the birthday and ending obviously only on the birthday. So when KAZO invited me to their Autumn/Winter '14 preview, I knew that this was going to be the start of my shopping spree!

While most brands seem to have heavy jackets, fur coats and heavy knits as part of their AW'14 collection, I was really happy to see KAZO have a collection apt for the Mumbai autumn and winter season.  Georgette trousers, shimmer knits, leggings with faux leather trimmings, peplum jackets and lighweight party dresses from the collection stole my heart. The colour palette consisted of neutrals, pastles, brights and warm colours, while pretty florals, geometric prints and embellishments gave the collection a very charming appeal. With the party season all ready to set foot, in my terms, I would call this the 'Party Season' collection.

I zeroed down on my favourites from their collection and put together 5 looks to choose from.

Shimmer Shimmer on the Wall

My love for shimmer is known by everyone. So my first look had to be all things sparkly and shiny for a night party - A shimmery gold jumper paired with a pair of black leggings with faux leather trimmings, a clutch embellished with pearls and embellished loop earrings. An evergreen look that even 10 years down the line will make heads turn.

Style me Twice

This Orange embellished dress caught my eye as soon as I entered the store. There is something that I have for bright colours over dark colours for the Autumn Winter season. For the first look I kept the original brown belt and paired the dress with a white clutch and pearl earrings. For the second look, I colour blocked the outfit by replacing the original belt with a bright blue with gold belt and added a blue sling purse. Absolutely simple ways to style the dress twice. With such simple changes you can easily take it from day to night as well.

Monochrome Love

Monochrome has to be the most loved trend in the world and these georgette palazzo trousers have got to be the most comfortable piece of KAZO's AW'14 collection. It is a must must buy. The bird print on the layered top adds an edge to the outfit. Pair it with a jacket if the weather gets chilly. This look is perfect for a brunch or a dinner date. 

Bringing Sexy Back

This blue dress in every sense brought sexy back for me. The lightness of the material, the way it fell on my curves, the way it fit me, the way the drapes fell on my back and the way the diamante accessories and gold clutch matched perfectly. It is going to be the perfect birthday outfit for this new mommy! Sexy yet elegant!

All these looks are going to be perfect for the numerous lunches and dinner parties I am going to plan for my birthday. Why not, after all my birthday comes once a year only and this is my first one with my little one! Yayy, I'm so excited :-)

To see more from the collection, you can check it out all on their website - www.KAZO.com

I would love to know which was your favourite from the looks I have styled, and if you would like any other piece to be styled from their collection, do drop me a comment with the link from their website. Would love to help you guys put your party looks together for the coming season :-)

Stay tuned to my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see some more of my favourites from the AW'14 collection!

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

    

You can also email me on ritchstyles@gmail.com :)