STEALING FROM THE BOYS

The pull of the siren song that is Target's clearance on me is comparable to that of the moon on the ocean's tides. And its the one store where even the kids racks attract me like moths to a flame. Okay, that is plenty of metaphors for one post! My excuse for shopping the kids section is of course to look for cute stuff for my little girl. But do I just buy my daughter's clothes there? No siree. 

Quite some things from the girls section and a few from the Target boys section have found their way into my closet too. Here's one example. 

Parents of pre-teen boys, please don't be mad at me for stealing your kids clothes before you have a chance to buy them! 

Can you guess what item in today's outfit came from the boys department? If you guessed the shoes or tee, you would be wrong. If you picked the jacket, then you are spot on. Denim jackets are very much in vogue in the summer, and while this is not a color I would gravitate to under most circumstances, there was something about it I really liked, besides the $6 price tag. Yes, I did say $6.

I guess the knowledge that wearing kids clothes would definitely make my ensemble one of a kind was a draw. Am I also one of a kind to steal from the kids or do you also shop the kids section for yourself?  Please do let me know in the comments. Don't leave me thinking that there is something wrong with me!

Tee: Old Navy | Pants: Old Navy | Jacket: Target (similar, similar, similar, similar)

Shoes: Target | Purse: Who What Wear for Target (similar, I have and love this) |
Earrings: Sugarfix by BaubleBar (similar, similar, similar)

Since I took something from the kids, its only fair that I share a picture at least of my cute photo-bomber kid! I know the lighting isn't doing me any favors, and neither are my lack of photo editing skills. The yellow in the background was just too irresistible to me. I am also attracted to yellow like a lot of other pestilent insects and bugs! Maybe I should have my head examined after all!

Thanks for reading!

-Supriya.

LAME-O-VALENTINE'S DAY

I hope you have been well and I apologize for being MIA for so long. There is no one specific reason for my prolonged absence. Some amount of grieving, some being busy and nothing creative to report would be the main causes for my silence. I am back now, with an outfit pic from Feb 14. Yes I know, in June. But hey it could be the outfit I am planning on wearing next year for V-Day. In which case, I am a tad early!
I do think Valentine's day and many other "days" like this are lame. At least for me. I understand that its an opportunity to express one's feelings and more power to folks who are successfully able to do so. In my household though, these "opportunities" end up becoming pressure cooker situations with the weighty expectation of trying to make this day as memorable as it should be. And it ends up being a disaster. I learnt that lesson the hard way through my many birthday, anniversary and mother's day celebrations. So for me, its easier to let this day go by unnoticed.
The other reason for giving this day a miss is because my brother's birthday is 5 days after Valentine's Day, and its terribly painful for me to celebrate anything at all when he can't celebrate his birthday.
We got a small cake with candles and sang for him, and made a birthday card on what should have been his 34th birthday. He would always tell me to get my daughter a piece of cake on his behalf for his birthday, and now it gives me some small solace when I do so.

Back to what I was wearing - I wanted to include some red and/or pink, but not overwhelmingly so, and this sweater seemed just right for my intentions. But now that I look back upon it, I find the fit a little lacking. Maybe that's what happens when you look at winter clothing in summer!
I have a jacket in the same print as these pants as seen here, and one day perhaps I will wear them both together. Monochromatic dressing is very happening these days!
Please excuse the weird pose with my hands on my hair in one of the pictures below. I promise its not one of the poses I practice in front of the mirror! It was an un-posed one and just happens to be one of the few acceptable pictures of the 15 or so that my poor husband took of me. I am still working on being myself in my own pictures! Did that statement sound as bizarre to you as it did to me?
Do write and tell me how you celebrated Valentine's Day this year, and your thoughts on celebrating such events.

Sweater: Ann Taylor | Pants: Who What Wear for Target (similar, similar, similar) | 

Shoes: Old Navy | Purse: Who What Wear for Target (similar, I have and love this) |
Pearl Choker: Ann Taylor (similar, similar)

Thank you for reading!
-Supriya.

IMPROMPTU DATE DRESSING

One February morning as I was pottering about at home in my PJs, my husband declared that he had to run to Staples on an errand. Spontaneity being his middle name and all that, he suggested we turn it into a date. Lucky for me, the local Staples is right next to Target so it only required a millisecond for me to say yes. I did not shower or even wash my face. I just threw on this top and shoes both of which are from the girls section of where-else-but Target. And off we went on our date, right up to the entrance of the shopping center, where he marched off purposefully into Staples while I floated into Target like a lady of leisure. After an entirely too short a browsing session at Target, when we met up to head back home, my husband volunteered to take pictures for my blog.

My jaws dropped in suspicion. Mostly I have to harangue him to take pictures for my blog. Why this sudden nicety? Either he spent way too much at Staples or I must be looking awful and hence the joke's on me. Turns out he was feeling guilty. Not because of his choice of date location but because I did not even get to spend 15 mins at Target. I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and before he could reconsider I accepted his offer. Shortest date ever. But at least I got some pictures out of it.

Where do you go on impromptu dates? Let me know in the comments.

Top: Target (Girls) | Jeans: Old Navy | 

Shoes: Target (Girls) (Toddler sizes here) | Purse: Zara (similar, similar) | Cart: Staples!

Thank you for reading my post!
-Supriya.

NOT A CANADIAN TUXEDO

By definition, my outfit is not a Canadian Tuxedo. "What is a Canadian Tuxedo?", you ask. "Depends on how you define 'definition'", I say. I was under the impression, that wearing two different tones of blue denim is called a Canadian Tuxedo. (Now that I think about it, do both tones have to be blues?)

But it seems I may be off the mark. Potato, potato..

Here is the story of its origins: The Canadian Tuxedo

I have no idea what I am doing in the picture below. But it seems to be a pose I frequently adopt, although unintentionally. Here is the proof. I just hope that unbeknownst to me, I am not breaking into this pose every few seconds when I am walking. Hmm..that probably explains why my daughter and husband usually trail me instead of walking with me.

 Necklace: Swarovski | Pants: Banana Republic | Top: Target (Boys section) |

Shoes: Target | Purse: Forever21

The necklace I am wearing is a gift from my brother. He bought it the evening before he left the US to travel to India for his wedding. It pains me to think that this is how he spent his last evening here. I wish he had spent it doing something for himself. But that's who my brother was. Even as he was leaving, he focused on the ones he loved. Even in the final moments of his life, he was reassuring his new bride that he was going to be okay. Liar!

When I wear this necklace, I am transported back to the day he gave it to me, and it is so vivid in my mind, that I feel him around me. I wish I could go back in time, and change his story and not let it end so soon before his time had truly come.

I will always miss you and love you, my dearest baby brother.

-Supriya

FLORALS AND STRIPES

 

 Jeans: Old Navy | Blazer: Gap Factory  (similar - here, here and here) |

Shoes: H&M (similar - here and here) | Purse: Zara (similar - here and here)

This outfit came together in under 2 minutes. That's all the time I had between stepping out of the shower and when I had to be out the door to make it to my daughter's school for my volunteering gig. So I wore the first things I laid my hands on. And these shoes were lying by the door, so without even pausing to think or care whether they worked with my outfit, I was gone.

After I was back home, I realized I had a free hour before having to head back to the school, so again without much thinking I ended up at the mall where 2 things of import happened - 1) I ran into another woman who I enjoyed chatting with. Both of us recognized that we had seen each other somewhere before, and just got talking. Only later in the day did I find out that she was actually a former colleague of my husband's. But neither of us knew it when we were talking. We just bonded "organically" over shopping talk. And 2) A sales associate at Ann Taylor complimented me on my ensemble. She said I had put it together very well and she liked my styling.

What did I learn from this? Don't think too much about what to wear. Close your eyes and grab the clothes and they will style themselves. "Hmm...probably not...that has the potential to get out of hand very quickly. What if I grabbed my bathrobe?" is what you are thinking. But wearing a robe on your clothes is a perfectly legitimate style these days.
What else did I learn? It pays to be a little lazy with housekeeping, or if you want to put a spin on it then lets put it this way - always have a pair of shoes on the ready for a quick getaway. I can see Bond, James Bond nodding his head in agreement.
And what else did I learn? Its okay to talk to strangers sometimes. They don't always bite!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day.
-Supriya   

BLUSHING IN LEOPARD

Jeans: Old Navy (similar) | Sweater: Old Navy (exact) |

Jacket: Who What Wear for Target (similar) |

Shoes: Old Navy (similar) | Purse: Aldo (available here)

I don't know how models do this for a living, but I feel extremely self conscious while posing for a picture. It would probably help my cause if I looked like one, since I keep imagining onlookers and passersby thinking "Who does she think she is?". Although, I am sure the reality is the general population has better things to think about than torturing their brain cells over random strangers and their poses. If I keep telling myself that, someday I will be confident enough to pose unselfconsciously for a picture. Either that, or I magically morph into a model. Whichever comes first. 

Fashion gurus preach that "Leopard print" is in style, and apparently "Neutrals never go out of style", so by that dictum, I am doubly trendy! And of course I have the "statement purse" too, so I claim that I am triply trendy.

-Supriya

Learning to Dance with the Limp

Life is a journey that sometimes takes you down paths you would never choose for yourself.

My brother died in July 2016, under horrifying and tragic circumstances, while he was on his honeymoon. Eventually, when I feel that I can, I will write more about his death.

The only way to cure grief is to bring back the person you are grieving for. I would give up everything to make that happen, but since I can't have that at any price, I have no cure. As anyone who is struggling with grief knows, grief is a life long companion. And while it is more bitter than sweet, the sweet part is that through this pain, you continue to love, honor and cherish your loved one.

Eloquence eludes me on the topic of grief, but this oft-repeated quote summarizes the essence of living with grief:

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly – that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”

–Anne Lamott

So, this is what I focus on now - learning to dance with the limp.

When I started blogging, my brother was very proud of me, and encouraged me to write. I know he would want me to continue. As much for him, as for me, I am going to try and get back to blogging, ocassionally even posting articles or thoughts on grief.


- Supriya.

A Letter to my Brother

Dearest Shirish,

It has been years since I wrote you a letter. The last time we wrote to each other was when we were living in different countries as kids. Since then, I never thought I would have to write to you ever again. We were always just a phone call away from each other.

I keep staring at my phone these days. Waiting and willing it to ring. To see you name appear on it as the caller. My mind knows that it won't happen, but my heart refuses to give up. I can't believe I haven't heard your voice in a year now. There are times I want to share your niece's accomplishments with you, and I remember how much you used to ask to Skype with her, and how little time I had for you then. At times I crave to hear you and see you, just one more time. But that feeling passes, because I know that one more time will not be enough. I want a lifetime of it.

When I was travelling to India for your wedding last year, I was so excited and happy for you. I was glad that you were settling down and I was looking forward to having nieces and nephews to spoil and Sia was looking forward to having cousins. I imagined that you would move from Florida to California and we would see each other regularly. The one thing I never imagined was that a week after your wedding, I would stay on in India for your funeral. From the first time I saw you when you were born, to the last time I saw you at your wedding was just a span of 32 years. And it went by in the blink of an eye. And now I have an empty life ahead of me, trying to learn how to live in a world without you.

Shirish and Sia at Mumbai Airport, en route to Shirish's wedding

I am angry that your life was cut short and that you didn't get to live it the way you should have. The unfairness of it consumes me. I want to write a strongly worded missive to someone demanding that you be sent back immediately. I compose the memo in my mind, and then soon enough I am deflated by the powerlessness of my situation. I miss you more with each passing day. I keep hearing your voice in my head, and I imagine you - waving to me or smiling at me. When I see people on the street who resemble you, it stops me in my tracks. I feel like stalking them, convinced that it is you who has been playing a prank on us all this while. I daydream that this is just a nightmare I will wake up from one day.

Every time I cry, I feel you right next to me, crying along. I hear your gentle voice soothing me, and urging me to live the best damn life I can, for the both of us. Without you, my life is only half of what it would have been. But I owe it to you, our parents, my little girl to make that half count. And I will do everything in my power to live a good, meaningful life. I heard somewhere that we are not defined by the things that happens to us in life. We are defined by how we react to the things that happen to us. I am trying to make that my new mantra.

But that doesn't mean I won't miss you or mourn for you. I will continue to yearn for you, even as I try to smile through my tears and keep on living on.

I wanted to honor you in some way, and I decided to run a full marathon as a tribute to you and my way of acknowledging the pain you must have gone through. It seemed befitting, since you and I had gone together to pick up the bib for my first ever half marathon, and that it was almost exactly 2 years to the day that you died. At the time you said that someday we would do a full marathon together. And this marathon was one day before the 1st memorial of your death, so it felt right, that I channel the pain and grief inside of me into a physical form. I was not able to train fully for the marathon, but I had no doubt in my mind that I would finish it. Run, walk or crawl, I was going to cross that finish line on my own steam. So I ran it, for you, and you were with me every minute of it.

I will always miss you, and your love will continue to be the wind beneath my wings. Nothing in the universe can change the fact that you are and will always be my brother. I would give anything to have you here physically with me and it pains me that I can't make it happen. We may not be in the same world, but you will live on in my heart, and the hearts of all the other people whose lives you touched. This, is not goodbye.

Always,
Your sister - Supriya.

PINK AND GREEN FIT FOR A QUEEN

J Crew Tippi Sweater | J Crew Necklace |

Kate Spade Outlet Bag | Old Navy Jeans | Old Navy Boots

This queen had a willing king take dozens of pictures for the royal blog, but upon examining the end results she was forced to acknowledge that alas she couldn't lay claim to the title of a FIT queen..specifically because of her muffin top. The queen has proclaimed that J Crew is to blame for this, since they make sweaters that shrink in the mid section instead of growing and expanding with the wearer. Off with your head, J Crew.

The queen also solicits input from people regarding blog pictures. Do you use a cell phone as the queen currently does, or do you use a DSLR? Any photography advice will be appreciated, and possibly well rewarded (with lavish praise and thanks).

The queen wishes one and all a nice day, and expresses her gratitude for your readership.

P.S  Kate Spade is currently having a surprise sale going on, and my bag's pattern does feature on a few of the bags on sale. I like this one a lot, and it is under $40.

Linking up with Elegance and Mommyhood, A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Mix Match Fashion, Living in Color, Jersey Girl Texan Heart, Sydney Fashion Hunter and Happiness at Midlife

QUIRKY BAGS UNDER $30

1. Ice Cream / 2. Popcorn / 3. Soda / 4. Watermelon Print Satchel / 5. Watermelon Clutch 

1. Polka Fur / 2. London Girl Clutch / 3. Perfume / 4. Lipstick / 5. Pencil / 6. Globe

A sighting of the Nila Anthony Grapefruit bag at T. J Maxx for $15 is what prompted me to search the Internet for this genre of bags. I can't vouch for the quality of any of these bags, but for the reasonable price point, they sure are good conversation starters. I am fairly green at photo editing, and you would be wise to trust that the the pictures shown here are NOT to scale.

If you up the price point even a little, there are a lot more options. But for me personally, I doubt these will get used too many times and so I prefer to stay within this price range.

I have been considering the watermelon clutch since last summer, and there are lots of them on eBay and such sites, but I haven't yet pulled the trigger. 

Of the ones above, I can see myself using both the watermelon bags, the ice cream bag and the fur clutch, maybe even the girl motif one. But I am not sure that the rest of them are for me. Which ones do you like? Let me know in the comments if you like any, or even if you like none of the above. If you have been eyeing some other fun bags, please do share.

Have a nice day, and thanks for reading!

HAIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW

J Crew Factory Top | Target Jacket |

Old Navy Pants | Michael Kors Handbag | Old Navy Flats

Every once in a while, I get possessed with wanting to do something different with my hair and I attempt new things. The results of these experiments invariably lead to me realizing that I actually prefer my hair simply straightened.

Once I decided on wearing these cropped wide-leg pants today, I had the urge to try a big hair do with it. Although I was aiming for a 50s hair style, I got caught in the 70s and didn't make it to my final destination. I crave the beachy, tousled, effortless bed head look, but despite spending copious amounts of time on it, it usually looks worse than when I just roll out of bed.  Next time I will just roll out of bed and call it a day.

My photographer (who is 4) was itching to take a video and only the promise of a bribe enabled a few pictures, but I had to take matters into my own hands (literally! I had to take a selfie) to get a closer look at my hair. If you were thinking "What a cutie who wants to take a video of her Mom", let me stop you in your tracks right there: she starts off each video by saying "This is my Mom who is 70 years old." One time I made the mistake of asking her how old she thought her parents and grandparents were.  Her grandparents are in their 30s, her Dad is 20, but apparently her Mom is 70. The more I try to convince her that she is off by a few decades, the more she insists that I am 70. Maybe I should just start telling people I meet that I am 70. Hopefully at least someone will say "Really? You don't look a day over 20." Now that is wishful thinking on my part. 

I am curious to know, how old do you think I am? Please feel free to be honest. It can't be worse than what my daughter already thinks! If anyone has any styling tips to achieve the messy hair look, but without actually looking messy, then please dish.

I was browsing around in Banana Republic and I found a top that looked very similar to what I was already wearing, so I couldn't resist another selfie with it.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

CINCO DE MAYO

Two things of note happened this Cinco de Mayo:

1.  I changed my clothes two times in one day! And that did not involve PJs or workout clothes. I wore this orange dress in the morning to my daughter's Mother's Day party at her school, and then changed into my jeans and polka dot shirt (that she had picked out as one of the outfits she wanted me to wear to her party) thereafter. This is unheard of in my life, and made me feel like a regular Hollywood A-lister, albeit without the accompanying looks, wardrobe or photographer.

2. My sassy four-and-a-half going on fifteen daughter reached new levels of sass yesterday. When I served her a version of rice with some veggies thrown in for nutrition, she took one disdainful look and this is how the conversation went:
Daughter:  Today is Cinco de Mayo, and thats what we have to eat? Couldn't you have made something a little better at least today.
Me: What does Cinco de Mayo mean to you anyways? And that is paella (totally wasn't, but what does she know) and thats what people eat on Cinco de Mayo. So eat up.
After which she just went "Oh" and despite my begging, pleading and threatening, proceeded to not eat any dinner whatsoever. The pictures in today's post were all taken by her though. And she did exhibit a lot of patience with me during our 'photo-shoot'.

In the pictures below, I am posing with two bags, since I would like your opinion on which bag works best with my outfit. In my quest to push my own boundaries, I keep trying to work in a pattern-on-pattern combo, and I think the floral bag would have gone along just fine with my polka shirt since it does have some purple shades. Do let me know what you think. Do you think the floral pattern is too much or do you think it goes well with this shirt?

 Uniqlo Shirt | Old Navy Rockstar Jeans | Old Navy Boots|

J Crew Factory Lavender Handbag | Aldo Floral Handbag

The last picture reminds me of the models on the home shopping TV shows displaying the wares. Not that I watch those shows or anything. Do you think I have a chance at making a career in that business?

Home shopping reminds me of a funny anecdote. Soon after returning back to India from one of her visits to the US to see us, my Mom who was still jet lagged at the time ordered a vacuum cleaner in the middle of the night, while watching something on TV. The next morning her foggy brain caught up, and she realized what she had done. Fortunately she was able to call and cancel it, else this would not have been a funny story! But the thing I find amusing is that she didn't even need a vacuum cleaner and wasn't even looking for one, but still ended up ordering that item instead of any of the other things they were selling. She should have just ordered some diamond jewelry instead!

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Linking up with Style Elixir and Mix Match Fashion