The Lazy Girls Guide To Amping up Jeans and Tees

I’m not as obsessed with clothes as I should be. Don't get me wrong, I'd love having a walk-in closet full of stylish threads, but I'm sure I'd head for the comfiest, softest pieces every time! As you can probably infer from my photos, the jeans-and-tee combo is my go-to-simple-style because it needs no over-thinking.

That’s  one of the reasons why I don’t blog about fashion very often. Taking 371046 minutes to dress up take the dog out for a walk, change 28 times before going out to catch a movie, or taking pictures of every outfit I wear – I fail to see the glamour of it all. Also, when it comes to things like these, I'll confess, I'm lazy!

Ok ,maybe I do take pictures SOMEtimes… but that’s about it. Seriously!

Through college and jobs and from vacations to parties, I’ve gone through all phases of tops - the off-shoulder ones, the formal shirts, cowls, peplums (which I still wear occasionally for weddings and funerals) and the crops (that I sometimes pull out of my closet and wonder how I ever fit into them.)

I could literally live my life in a plain cotton tee and jeans, and since I work in advertising, thankfully, that’s the dress code. But there's a fine line between fashionable and frumpy. When your day involves impromptu business meetings, catch-ups with friends and random events, this ensemble has made me look and feel under dressed.

To avoid such scenarios, I'm regularly wearing chic-er, more versatile tees with trousers or distressed denims for a low maintenance, yet elevated look. . Gotta love it when all it takes is 3 pieces to create a complete outfit. If you're style is low maintenance too, welcome to the club! Here are some tips you can try:

Master The Half-Tuck – Whether it’s a brightly striped shirt, long knit sweater or a graphic tee, I love how tucking in the front makes it looks so much cooler. It gives you the comfort of wearing something over-sized in a polished, sophisticated way. Keep it effortless by tucking it in haphazardly in the front

Add some headgear – A beret or hat can make a boring outfit look super stylish. But my favourite is the bandana – it simply exudes confidence, freedom and a laid-back attitude. Wear it around your forehead, your neck or simply loop it through your jeans!

Nail Nautical – The navy blue-and-white striped print is a fashion miracle! It goes with literally everything from cutoffs to high waisted skirts, they’re super smart, fresh and clean cut. Invest in a classic one (as big buttons and embellishment look cartoonish) and wear it with a chunky neck piece. Simple!

Trade Blue for Black - Replace blue jeans with a coloured pair. You can't go wrong with sleek, black denim, either! It looks so much more formal when paired with a necklace.

Wear it with heels - Sometimes, all it takes to make an outfit dressy is good heels. Three pairs - black, red and nude will save an outfit every time, especially ones that involve jeans and a tee. Not a heels person? Pick up some embellished flats.. they're totally worth it!

Roll your sleeves – When wearing a button down shirt, a long sleeved tee or even a short sleeved tee, try rolling up the sleeves. You’re probably wondering how much shorter can the sleeves of a short-sleeved tee be. Well, a little longer than the arm holes of a tank top. A subtle change like that can change the whole vibe of your outfit. It’s one of my favourite things to do on those rare occasions that I wear a shirt. Fold the sleeves in half, then fold them again and let a little of the cuffs stick out of the folds (especially if the cuffs are a different colour!)

Belt it - They aren't just for holding up pants, they're stylish too! Tuck in your tee and accessorize with a contrasting or jewelled belt. 

Layer – Layering with a summer jacket or a denim vest is summer friendly. They give an outfit a lot more depth. Another thing I like to do is to wear a long, striped or contrasted spaghetti under a top to give a simple outfit a much needed boost.

Tie It - A stylish way to make an over-sized tee look amazing is to tie a knot at the bottom. But the trick here is to not show too much (or any) belly. Choose a really long, loose fitting tee shirt and then make the tie on the side above one hip, or at the back.

Cuff your Jeans – There’s not much (quick) style tricks you can apply to a simple top and jeans. But this one is the easiest of them all – it takes less than minute. Neatly folded legs of your jeans with heels (ballerina shoes/quirky socks and sneakers, in my case) is very celebrity-like!

Over to you.. what tricks do you have to amp up the tee-and-jeans combo? Oh.. and should I write about fashion more often? What do you think of this post? :)

Talk later xx
Don't forget to drop by my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages to say "hi!"

read more "The Lazy Girls Guide To Amping up Jeans and Tees"

Mibonasa - A culinary tour through South East Asia

Mibonasa only opened a month ago, but its reputation has been burnished by the bling-bling reviews on zomato by food lovers from Navi Mumbai. Located on Palm Beach Road, the restaurant is growing in popularity for serving South East Asian food that’s as delectable as it is Instagram worthy. 

AMBIANCE 

A swanky red door leads to a lobby with that smells strongly of lemon and I make my way up the stairs to the restaurant. The first thing that catches my attention is the wall decor. Two walls covered with what looks like wallpaper, but I later find out, they’ve been covered end to end in newspapers from around South East Asia, with beautiful scenes hand-painted on it in black. An auto rickshaw from Thailand and a lively floating market are two of them. 

Nina, the owner, extends a warm welcome and offers a table. I can’t help but notice the calmness of the restaurant. Along with the intimate lighting from lamps overhead, the instrumental, oriental music and floral-lemony scent that I’m getting accustomed to, I get the feeling of instantaneous calm you experience when you enter a spa, even before the relaxing massage has begun. 

The decor is smart – a black and white colour scheme with a candle in the centre of each table atop metallic meshed table mats. 

SERVICE

The staff is well acquainted with the menu, ingredients, and are near at all times, without hovering. They are a friendly bunch who keep checking if customers need anything every now and again. One of them gives an all knowing nod when I tell him I want to take a picture of the food as he is about to serve it. *sigh*

THE DRINKS

Desi Aam Panna – I let the bartender take the liberty of choosing my mocktail, and boy, was I happy! Not only did this instantly cool me down after the insanely long trip to Navi Mumbai, but every sip was like a medley of childhood flavours. The flavours of chilled mango juice with raw mango syrup, cardamom and salt was amplified with lip smacking chaat masala on the rim of the glass. 

Orange Temptation – Worth a shot, if your inclination towards mocktails is neither sweet or tangy. I wasn’t too impressed with the Orange Temptation. It was a mix of orange juice, sprite, orange pulp, and I think I tasted a bit of apple juice in it as well. 

Buckle in, here's THE FOOD

Vietnamese Chicken Salad – Fresh and summery, this salad was anything but boring. Lightly pickled vegetables, boiled chicken, glass noodles and flecks of red chilli was all it took to make it. It was crisp, cooling and the chilli added heat without being fiery. I took a second helping of salad for once – and that’s saying something!

Tender Coconut Soup, Thailand – One sip of this soup and I was completely floored (in a good way!) I’d even go so far as to say it was the best soup I ever had. Between the lush coconut milk, tender chicken pieces and subtle flavours of red chilli and basil, this refreshing soup hit the spot. Try it, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s going to be hard to not crave it on a rainy day. 

Pork Baos – I’ve always felt that baos are the friendliest looking food on earth! And if I had to imagine a face on Mibonasa’s pork baos, they would be that of a marshmallow-like smiling Chinese man with a Fu Manchu mustache. I mean, c’mon, how can you not want to stuff this in your mouth? The buns pillowy soft bread-like texture gave way to juicy, barbecue pork filling. An East Asian Spin on Choris Pao? I think so! Nonetheless, it was my second favourite on the menu, the first being the soup. 

Cantonese chicken dumpling – What Asian meal is complete without dumplings? The lid of the bamboo steamer, when lifted, revealed these translucent treasures containing diced chicken seasoned with Chinese herbs and a mild vinegar sauce. I expected it to be different from other dumplings, but apart from the great sauce, it was pretty much the same. 

Curried white fish dumpling – I personally liked these more than the chicken dumplings. Tender basa marinated in Asian herbs and wrapped in silky, almost translucent wrappers came to the table in the traditional bamboo steamer. Inside, it was nestled on a plate of thick, vibrant Burmese curry and crunchy curry leaves for garnish. Yum!

Crispy Fried Tulip with Corn – I was pretty surprised when I heard the term “fried tulips” but thankfully, they weren’t actual flowers. Crispy batter in the shape of tulips were stuffed with fresh, seasoned corn and red masala – like a modern take on a spring roll. If you’re looking for light starters before your meal, choose these, rather than the dumplings. 

Sushi Platter – God, this was love at first sight! Can we just take a minute to admire this amazing plating? Each sticky rice ball was covered in paper thin slices of a vegetable or fish. Dipping into soya sauce and wasabi is a must because the first couple of pieces, it can get a little monotonous. Check out the little brown stick-like works of art that garnish the plate. Those are actually prawns that were held in place with a touch of thousand island sauce. If you haven’t had your first sushi roll yet, or have eaten it and not liked it, I promise, you’ll love it once you’ve eaten at Mibonasa. 

That’s a lot of food, right? But wait, I’ve not started on the ACTUAL dinner yet!!! 

Coriander Pot Noodles – This could be a meal in itself. At first bite, you can’t help but notice how fresh the ingredients are, possibly because the starters didn’t have much scope for the vegetables to shine. Loaded with coriander, baby corn, carrots, juicy mushrooms, red and green pepper, this dish was so healthy and flavourful. We’re so used to soups being either sweet or sour or tangy – this one was neither, yet each flavour of these soupy pot noodles was distinct and harmonious. 

Sri Lankan Sambal Rice – I was already slipping into a food coma when the Sri Lankan Sambal Rice arrived. Steamed white rice on a bed of fragrant tamarind and tomato chicken curry garnished with curry leaves. It was both spicy and sweet, and I can’t fault it in any way. However, there are much more exciting items on the menu, so it’s better to skip this one unless you REEEAALLLY want some rice.

Thai Mango Fantasy – Though thoroughly stuffed by then, I couldn’t leave without sampling dessert. And if you thought Goan food used a lot of coconut, you’re wrong, my friend. The chef’s recommendation was this mango and coconut mousse with sago and seasonal fruits on top. Don’t miss the sticky, crunchy honey noodle garnish.

Belly distended and head swimming in umami, I concluded a fabulous meal at Mibonasa. As you  can probably tell, it was well worth the trip. There’s still a lot of tempting things on the menu that I haven't tried yet – like the crab meat baos, prawn chaophraya, thai sesame prawns and barbeque pork spare ribs, to name a few. 

Go ahead, try it out and report back! 

Highlights – Coconut soup, crispy fried tulips, pork bao, coriander pot noodles 

Meal for two – Approx Rs. 2500/- for two (excluding drinks)

Till next time!

*My meal was paid for. However, all opinions, as always, are mine.

read more "Mibonasa - A culinary tour through South East Asia"

The Truth About Living Alone

When new people I meet find out that I live alone in the city I get a lot of raised eyebrows and “are you a sociopath?” kind of expressions. That’s followed by mild questions like – “Isn’t it scary? Don’t you get bored? It’s lonely, isn’t it? How do you manage without room-mates?”

I will admit, there were times when I thought there was no possible way I could live in Mumbai without my family, best friends and comfort that comes with living somewhere for practically your entire life. Turns out, I was wrong. I’m still here, and plan on being here for a while. It’s far from boring. In fact, it’s an adventure that I don’t know where to begin telling you about.

Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learnt:

You’re cleaner than you think – Or messier... works both ways. When my house is a disaster, it becomes apparent that those room-mates I once had weren’t at fault all the time. And when it’s clean, I can take comfort knowing that it will stay that way. Plus, there’s something strangely calming in knowing that the idiot who’s left dishes in the sink again... is me!

Learn to tidy up. Fast! – For two reasons. Your friends will definitely want to hang out at your place since there are no parents around. Secondly, if you work 5-6 days a week, you don’t want to spend your weekend cleaning.

Learn to live with bugs – Gross, right? But every apartment has one at some point or the other. Stomp ‘em, spray ‘em or put a cup over them and wait for reinforcements to arrive. What I do is just never enter that room again for... you know, ever.

You’ll find out if you’re an introvert or an extrovert – While I love being outgoing and social, there are times when I work from home for days, without seeing a soul and felt so refreshed! You’ll find out if you recharge best when you’re alone or if solitude gets you feeling lonely and isolated.

Pants Optional? – You can confidently wear whatever you feel happiest in without fear of awkwardly running into a room-mate or one of their friends. While going ‘sans pants’ can be considered freedom at its finest, that really isn’t my thing. I’m more of an old-tee-I-love-so-much-it-has-holes-in-it kind of person.

You will run out of food – When you’re hungry and live with room-mates, you can just eat their food and replace it later. What a lovely back up plan! Living alone means if you’re out of groceries, you really are out of groceries and the Pizza guy will have to make his second trip of the week to your house... even though it’s only Tuesday.

Speaking of food....

The craziest things will make a meal – A tomato, an egg, a pack of noodles – dinner! I’ve eaten combinations like these and let’s face it – it’s hard to cook for one person! Plus, this system works if you haven’t done the aforementioned grocery shopping.

You talk to yourself – I’ve always known I was a chatterbox, but when you live alone, it’s different. Maybe it’s about making some noise in a quiet house, or maybe I’m just losing my mind (it’s possible). But I’ve found myself wondering aloud on many occasions. And by “found myself” I mean “I’ve been overheard.”

The TV is yours! All yours! - Binge watch Masterchef Australia or slum it with old, sappy re-runs. Who cares? There’s no one to judge or complain.

Double or Triple check security – Ever get out of bed multiple times to see if you actually latched the door? Don’t worry. I do, too!

Friends are a phone call away – There are days when being alone with your thoughts isn’t what you need. You can easily sit home and wait for people to call. But that won’t do. Never underestimate the power of your social circle. Pick up the phone, call someone, text or better yet, go out and meet a friend. If I didn’t have such amazing friends, this part would have been hard.

My place reflects my style – A no-brainer. But those who live alone will understand. To live in a place where everything belongs to me, to see my mismatched collections, trinkets by the TV, scarf thrown over the chair because I like it that way... it pleases me more than I thought possible.

Other random things – Like the hair in the drain is all mine (OMG!) and how do I zip/button up the back of my dress? Let’s not forget the philosophical stuff that occurs, like “if I eat this cheesecake and no one sees it, did I really eat it?”

A couple of nights ago, I was reading an amazing book in bed and shed a teeny tear. I realized how nice it feels to have the privacy to do so – for this time of ruling the roost and making the rules. The truth is, living alone is the farthest from lonely I’ve ever felt :)

Can anyone else who's living alone relate? Talk to me! - Comment below and stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Cya next time!

read more "The Truth About Living Alone"