Carrie Bradshaw – New Quarantine Muse?

I always thought I was a Charlotte – despite my career is basically what Samantha does – I was convinced between the either – at least I wasn’t a Miranda. Maybe a Carrie – since I do like to write, especially when I’m sitting by my window, staring out and writing.

But this whole quarantine situation seems to have thrown everything in the gutter. After living in my rotating set of PJs for three weeks straight, I’m starting to really get bored and want to dress up – even if it’s for myself and my parents. And while I’m still doing the work that Samantha does (professionally, not you know what she mostly did on the show), I’m looking at fashion’s late 90s muse – Carrie Bradshaw on the secrets of quarantine dressing.

Carrie was a risk-taker when it came to her outfits – she dared combinations I still wouldn’t exactly wear – but as a freelance writer working from her Upper East Side apartment, she was often at home in from of her MacBook – and dressed to the toe. While her problems revolved around what to wear to brunch and when would Big come around and not social distancing and self-quarantine, there is still inspiration to be found in her wardrobe.  

With very little casual moments in everything that Carrie wore – even if it was for a grocery run or sitting down by the window to write her column. In an effort to find some joy in the new normal – here’s to embracing dressing up like Carrie.

For the Balcony:

While it’s no Parisian balcony with the Eiffel Tower in view, it’s a balcony – in the wild outdoors. Mix it up, put on a dress, maybe colour – and brush that beautiful mane.

For the Kitchen:

Bring out the checkered-shirts that you haven’t worn, matched unmatched PJs or add a pair of red heels to the outfit to make the drinking, I mean – cooking more fun!

For the Virtual Dinners in the living room:

Adding a little effort – maybe breaking in the big gowns, something with glitter, poofy sleeves, a giant flower broach or a tutu-skirt number for the surprise virtual dancing!

For the grocery runs:

Sure it might not be Manolo-s that you are going out for, but the grocery run every other day – could be the time to shine. Even elevate the simple capri and loose top with a pair of heels and a bandana. Bring out the pattern on pattern and the shiny belts you saved for some reason!

For the working out or athe-leisure dressing:

For someone who looked the way she did, Carrie didn’t do a lot of working out. So off-shoulder sweat shirt with pearls and mascara it is.

For the work video conferences:

I have seen those unfortunate videos of toilet sitting and no-pants *cringe* so, make a little desk – perhaps by the window. Add in a (faux) fur jacket, a headband or a bandana, a pearl necklace or just a cozy knit – add the chic in conferences that could be an email.

Confessions (of some kind) of a Clothes Hoarder

Imagine it is a cold, windy day, and you are walking around the stores and then suddenly you see something on one of the store windows that calls your name. You look at that item of clothing – I’m not going to get too specific here- and you know it belongs in your wardrobe. You go in, and ‘click-click’, ‘swiiish’ and a very mental ‘kachiiiiing’ later, it’s yours. Packed in a bag, sometimes wrapped in tissue, that item is yours. Sounds exactly like the first scene of Confessions of a Shopaholic? Well, welcome to my life.

‘The Confessions of Shopaholic Swati‘ will be saved for another time, but today, we discuss a very dire problem at hand – my out of control habit of hoarding clothes that are absolutely unnecessary, completely out of style and don’t even fit me properly. In many normal cases, this wouldn’t be a problem, but here- I’m a shopaholic who continues to buy clothes, likes not to get rid of the things she already has, therefore, continues to dig herself a larger hole to fall into with her clothes.

You would think that writing this post would make me realize that I have a problem and probably do something about it, like – I don’t know, clear my closet out? I am sincerely hoping for a similar outcome.

In this day and age, everyone tends to clean out their wardrobes, donate to the poor and wear out what they own. This way, every year, if not every season, most (normal) people tend to get rid of what they haven’t worn in a while. I’ve often tried to do the same- and with a lot of determination, but most of the time, I’ve gotten rid of maybe 5, at most 9 things – which were mostly clothes that were getting too hole-y for my benefit. And for me to get rid of that many things in a single sitting is a lot.

I guess that would have been fine had I been wearing them alternatively, but there are a some that just sit in a huge lot- taking up space and never being touched – except when I’m cleaning my closet (which is a full day task, btw) and they need to be refolded and colour coded.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a very serious mental debate over and over again about this. And the only sound reasoning (I use the term ‘sound reasoning’ very loosely in this sense) that I could probably relate to was that I get emotionally to attached to my clothes.

Have you seen the episode from The Middle (Season 2, Episode 18) where the Hecks are spring cleaning, and there is a broken set of hair curlers that Sue owns but refuses to throw them because (gulp) they might have had feelings? Now, I not saying my clothes have feelings, but I bought them with so much feeling and love that I really, really don’t want to part with them – nevermind the fact that they still have their tag on and I only bought them because the salesgirl was too nice or too mean.

I have a friend, Nicole who is a stylist and a fellow shopaholic. I don’t even need to prove the fact that she for sure shops more than I do. But, as a rule, she always clears out (donate what she doesn’t need or wear) her closet every season. And recommends doing the same.

 

Would you do it? Would you throw away the clothes you handpicked with a lot of love? Do you get emotionally attached to your clothes? Do you have nothing to wear? Tell me I’m not alone…

‘Suraj Hua Maddham’ and Some Revelations

As every new year begins, everyone has new resolutions. My resolutions aren’t dependent on the new year, but rather on how far away my birthday is (February 23rd). I get into the full swing to get working on my birthday body roughly about in September/October.

In the gist of that, as Taylor Swift dropped her new album in November 2017, you cannot possibly imagine my excitement to go running listening to the album. It’s my jam. So, come January 2nd, I’m still running, still listening to Reputation. And just as my pace starts to differ and slow down, ‘Dress‘ comes on. It HAS to be the sexiest song on the album.

To recap, my exact emotions when I first heard the song were:

OH.MY.GOD.

This is a very, very sexy song. With an emotional touch. I am at a serious loss for words. I feel like this should be in 50 Shades of Grey.

“All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting.”

As the lyrics mooned on, with all the “ah-ah-ah-aaaaahs”, it got me thinking – this song obviously makes me feel a lot of things. Things that another PR girl (read: Samantha Jones from SATC) will proudly raise a toast to. But, while this does make me “feel” a lot, there are more songs that probably have the same effect.

Taking my thought process as a freaky clue, ‘Suraj Hua Maddham’ from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham starts to play, making me blush to my cheeks and thanking my stars for it being dark on my track.

It was the year 2001, and I was 8 years old (if you are doing the math, I’m 24 for another month and 21 days), when I first heard/saw the song. And since then, it’s been my ultimate love song. Till date, if I hear the song, I automatically start to blush. In that Egyptian backdrop with those plain effortless sarees and Shah Rukh Khan’s lusty looks, I had my “awakening”.

As a vain kid who didn’t know what sex was, I assumed, when people went on honeymoon – mostly in Switzerland or Egypt, they danced and ran to each other in slow motions and BAM, that was it. I was proven very, very wrong at 12 when I read my first ever Jude Deveraux. But, that’s a story for another time.

So today evening, as I walked back home, blushing pink with a huge cheeky smile plastered on my face from just listening to two songs, it occurred to be – I can’t be the only one who has a few songs like these – the kind that would make one blush in a busy room.

I can’t, right? 

 

Travel Friendly Shoes

While we are busy packing clothes, beauty essentials, the only two bags you’d really only use, one of 3 passport cases you have, and other things- we tend to just stuff in the shoes- sometimes without a lot of thought. But really, how are you going to walk in heeled boots throughout the day without crying with pain after 3 hours of wandering. No number of amazing pictures will match the aching pain you’ll have every step of the way.

After a lot of travels, and some unfortunate choices of footwear, here are my suggestions for when you’re packing for your next travel.

1. Sneakers
   
   Comfortable sneakers that you can do pretty much anything in are the key. I carried some really heavy sneakers that didn’t really add to the purpose- so I ended up buying new sneakers/trainers when I was in St. Petersburg to make the rest of the trip easier.
2. Ballerina Flats and Espadrilles
   

   

   Picture from Weheartit.com

   I actually never travel without a pair of these. I have some very comfortable pairs that I especially keep for my travels that I walk in. They are versatile (the right ones, at least!), they look pretty and go with pretty much anything- dresses, skirts, pants, jeans.

3. Boots
   

   

   Picture from Weheartit.com

   If you’re packing boots, better pack tall boots for somewhere with a cold climate. I carried my pair of fancy boots to Rovaniemi, they had a little back heel in them- and after 2 hours of exploring the city in my boots, I walked back to the hotel and swapped them in for my trusty sneakers. Carry boots- because they can be functional and fashionable but make sure they are flat and comfortable for longer than 10-12 hours!

4. Sandals
   
   They are actually perfect if you’re going somewhere beach-y and hot. Because if it’s really hot- ballerinas and sneakers can get sweaty- and that’s never good. There are some really pretty ones that you can go for!
5. Flip Flops
   
   Don’t get me wrong- I’m a sucker for hotel room slippers- but I still like to carry my flip-flops whenever I’m travelling to somewhere I know I’ll be in the water at some point. They are actually especially perfect for beach days!

 

An Ideal Match: Women and their Shoes

During that one distressing day when nothing goes your way, when you’re confident has hit the lowest point, when nothing seems to be pretty enough anymore?  That’s when shoes step in. Walking around the town, totally depressed and one look at those beautiful heels and I’m all for it.

Recent studies have shown that a woman’s “shoe obsession disorder” (personally, it’s really not a disorder or obsession but rather a necessity) can really boost her career. Shopping for shoes is an exhilarating experience. These were the lines of a journalist, I’d read somewhere.

Men who aren’t “shoe fetishists” (seriously- who comes up with such terms?), find it hard to swallow and understand the deep relationship a woman and her shoes have.

Remember Cinderella? The one with her glass slipper (clearly a symbol of virginity, by the way), pumpkin ride and rats for horses? Well, it wasn’t that Cinderella’s step sisters and all the other girls in town were after the Prince Charming, they were only in it for the glass slipper. Believe it or not, shoes has always been just something women love. Many actresses, also, confess to owning several pairs of foot wears. One for everything. Be it Keira Knightly, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kareena Kapoor.

The growth in the sales of shoes is always rising whether come the recession or drought (you are getting the drift right?). Studies and sale reports show that while the sale of everything had hit up a bottom line, being the recession and all, the sale for footwear has gone up compared to earlier years! Shoes can cost a fortune; yet while money itself does not bring happiness, pair of new shoes brings on a kind of exaltation.

But what is about shoes that us women really love? Unlike clothes, shoes have a distinct advantage. Whether you’re fat or thin, short or tall, beautiful or ugly, you can buy all the shoes your heart desires. They are capable of making you feel sexy, elegant or sporty at a single stroke. In other words, feet don’t have hips, feet don’t have thighs. Feet are our friends. High heels make women look more appealing. Wearing them not only makes woman’s legs look longer, but changes her whole posture and make her carry herself differently. Of course, it stands true only if a woman knows how to walk on high heels properly. Making wide steps and having knees and back bent doesn’t make anyone sexier.

Everything has a biological reason, and surprisingly so does the obsession of buying and wearing footwear. First of all, shopping is always such an amazing mood buster! You can be tired, exhausted, angry, hurt or anything, the sun couldn’t shine but you’d know when nothing else is around, shopping is what will stay with you, always. Well, here goes the biological reason- “The neurotransmitter dopamine is released, providing a feel-good high, similar to taking a drug, The dopamine increases until you swipe your debit card.” says Martin Lindstrom, a branding expert. Usually, that’s when the guilt steps in, except when the item you’re purchasing are shoes! “Shoppers rationalize shoes as a practical buy — something they can wear multiple times a week — so they hold on to that pleasurable feeling longer,” says Lindstrom. Buying new footwear stimulates an area of the brain’s prefrontal cortex termed the collecting spot.

Our intimate relationship with shoes begins shortly after we learn to walk. As soon as we want to feel “grown-up,” we slip on a pair of our mother’s shoes, preferably high heels, instantly heightening our sense of what it means to be female. And then what happens? We grow up and get to be the same size as Mummy and our personality begins to assert itself with the first independent purchase of shoes. As adults, we ask shoes to be our representatives. At any given moment, they are indicators of our age, mood and desires. Whenever my mom and I go for “shoe shopping spree”, my dad just shakes his head and keeps on murmuring, “This is insane”. And when after we buy what we require and we didn’t, he just sorts of ignore our little obsession. After all, he can’t really do anything about family, can he?

When you’re also a woman, what are the first two things you notice about another woman? It is the clothes and the footwear. The type of footwear you wear defines the type of person you are, sort of like character analysis. Collecting different types of footwear, types include color, heel length, design, etc, etc. isn’t anything wrong. Buying a different type of footwear stimulates in us that mini-adrenaline rush similar to that of a stamp collector when acquires a rare find.

To sum it up, there are so many outfits we wear so repeating shoes isn’t quite a possibility now, is it?