La vie en couleur

All these posts on small wardrobes and minimalism made me go through my closet with a fine toothed comb. I purged a few skirts and a vest and put a few t shirts in the 'temporary keep' pile (thanks Angie!). I also made a list of each and every piece of clothing that I own for the very first time. It is amazing how many more things I have than I thought! I am happy to report that I do wear most of the items in my closet. I do need to wear a few items more though and I have a couple of orphans as well.

Here are my closet stats:
1. Shirts/tops - 7 (some need to be worn more)
2. T shirts (long sleeve and short sleeve) - 14 (some need replacing, need more woven tops)
3. Kurtas/kurti tops - 5
4. Leggings/churidar bottoms - 3
5. Jeans/pants - 5 (my denim jeans need replacing)
6. Dresses - 8 (3 are unworn as they need alterations and others need to be worn more)
7. Shorts - 3
8. Blazers - 2
9. Cardigans - 2
10. Jackets - 4
11. Vests - 2 (orphans, need to be worn more)
12. Cotton sweaters - 2
13. Skirts - 1

Phew! So there are 58 items in my closet. I do know that there are some wardrobe holes, I need some knitwear for winter, for example, and a winter coat. But making this list has showed me that I do have a lot of variety, clothes that fit and flatter me and can be worn in a variety of ways. I plan to follow Angie's advice and get as much wear out of these as possible even as I shop and add more stuff to my closet. :)

Since I was playing around with my coral dress anyway ( http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ost-687635), I decided to style it with a few of my toppers to see if it would work well for spring/autumn. I don't think I would wear this dress in winter because of the bright summery colour.

Pic 1 is with my cropped light wash denim jacket.

Pic 2 is with my dark wash, longer denim jacket.

Pic 3 is with my bright red denim jacket.

Pic 4 is with my cream blazer.

Neither of my cardigans looked right with the dress and my black blazer looked way too harsh.

What do you think of these combos? It is too hot to wear any of them now but I am hoping that once I am back from India in October, I can wear these outfits.

P.S. Please excuse the house slippers!

Remember the coral dress I bought during the sales? For those of those who don't, it is a coral eyelet dress that is 100% cotton and fully lined. Sadly, I haven't been able to wear it since I was unwell and unable to go anywhere.

But I am travelling to India next month and it is going to be very hot there, so I hope that I can wear it a few times during the trip. As I did for my Paris travel capsule, I decided to style the dress in a few different ways. What do you think?

Pics 1&2 are with my two toned oxfords and different necklaces. I could also wear my red ballet flats with these two outfits.

Pics 3&4 are with my navy obi, both tied like a traditional obi and tied back to create a regular belt. I could also wear my metallic sandals with these outfits.

Pics 5&6 are with my dark red obi, with my metallic sandals in one outfit and my oxfords in the second.

Do any of these work? I don't want the dress to have a very fancy or dressed up vibe, I'm aiming for stylish yet casual. :-)

P.S. I'm going to be in India for a month and I'm still working on a travel capsule, so expect a lot more 'India travel outfits' posts!

I really shouldn't be shopping, but the sales end on Tuesday and I got caught up in the frenzy of last minute discounts, most of them too good to be true!

I got the snakeskin top/sweater from Mango along with two belts. The first belt (see pic 2) is a black elastic belt with a black and brown snakeskin clasp. I like the combo of black and brown because I feel like it will make the belt versatile. The second belt (see pics 3-5) is a deep red obi belt with super skinny ties. I remember Angie says deep reds are very 'in' this autumn, so I just couldn't resist this belt!

Also, remember the knuckle ring I posted about here - http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....rustrated? Well, it arrived! I got it from raveneve jewelry on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/raven....._shop_more) and it is a perfect fit (see pic 6). I love how 'cool' it looks! :D

What do you think of my new purchases?

After months of stalking her shop, I finally purchased a black leather obi belt from elizabethkelly (http://www.etsy.com/shop/eliza....._shop_more) on Etsy.

I sent the seller Jo several messages on Etsy with questions regarding her belts and she answered them patiently and in great detail. I narrowed down on the black belt but wanted the ties shorter than normal and she agreed immediately, even giving me advice on a good length for someone my height. Needless to say, I was impressed with her shop even before I got the belt.

The belt was shipped in 3-4 days and Jo sent me the tracking number the moment the package was shipped. It reached me in a few days and with the belt, I found a lovely handwritten tag saying 'Handmade for Ki'. I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for personal touches like this!

The belt itself is made of a very soft leather. When I first tried it on I wondered if getting the ties shortened was a good idea since they seemed a little too short to me. However, after wearing it around the house a few times, I realised that this is a good length for me as it doesn't overwhelm my 5'4'' frame. I also love that Jo sells her obi belts in two different widths, 5'' and 3''. I chose the 3'' and it is the perfect width for me - any wider and it would be too much belt for my short waist.

I had a great experience buying from elizabethkelly and even though the belt wasn't cheap, I feel like it was well worth the expense. I hope this helps those of you who are thinking about ordering from her (like Shannon) or anyone who is on a lookout for a quality obi belt.

Here is a link to the belt I ordered - http://www.etsy.com/listing/81.....-wrap-belt. (see pic 1)

Pics 2 to 4 show me wearing the belt.

P.S. I am in no way affiliated with this shop, I just wanted to show off my latest purchase ;)

I'm not sure quite what they are - booties? oxford like shoes with buckles? I was attracted by the buckle detail and I think that these would work well well for autumn and winter, with both pants and dresses.

What do you think? Worth getting?

I had a doctor's appt today and on the way back, I stopped at the mall. I have been on the look out for a slouchy sweater, something like Angie got from NAS but with a lower neckline since I have a larger bust.

I think this cotton sweater from Mango might fit the bill. It is black&white snakeskin, slightly high low and has 3/4th length sleeves. I would wear it with a cami underneath and when it gets colder, a thermal tank. I usually wear fitted clothes, so this is something new for me. What do you think?

It is on sale and the sales end on Sunday, so I would get this tomorrow if you all approve. Thanks for helping! :)

I had a doctor's appointment today and on the way back, I decided to take the metro to the mall. I stopped by at Gap to try the Sexy Boyfriend jeans and I have to say, I'm a little confused about what these are supposed to fit like.

I first tried my regular size (see pic 1 to 3). The waist fit pretty well and these are definitely slouchier than any other jeans I have ever worn. But are they slouchy enough?

Pics 4 and 5 show one size up. These are so loose in the waist that they sit on my hip and even then, I was petrified that they would fall off! I can take these off without unbuttoning. Is this the right amount of slouch? If I get this size, should I get the waist altered?

I'm also wondering if boyfriend jeans need to be worn with a pair of heels (however low) or if I can make them work with flats? I'm picturing my oxfords with these and I like the idea of that menswear-ish vibe.

Thanks for helping!

Here are two of the outfits I wore this week. The shorts outfit was just for some errands and the coral and yellow outfit was for yesterday's Everybody Everywear challenge where the theme was 'Colour blocking'.

What do you think? :-)

I have been stalking elizabethkelly's etsy shop and her gorgeous obi belts since the beginning of the year. I just couldn't pull the trigger because I felt like they were a little too expensive, plus what would I wear them with?! But now that I've bought a few dresses and a skirt in the sales, I decided to pull the trigger and ordered this belt - http://www.etsy.com/listing/81.....ef=pr_shop.

I cannot tell you how helpful and friendly the shop owner is. She answered every one of my (silly) questions so patiently and agreed to make the belt ties a bit shorter for me as well. I will review the belt once it reaches me, but for now all I can say is that I have had a great experience with this etsy store. :-)