Istanbul in a day and half!

Work is tough. It's starting to swallow my life. In my own battle to try and find time for self, relationship and a place to live in, in London, I squeezed in a little weekend away to Istanbul. And what a welcome respite this trip was! I got back home today and before I get back into the concrete jungle that I call office, I decided to write this post while the memory is raw and while I can still taste the last Turkish cay (tea) I had.

Turkey is a juxtaposition of modern and the old, divided by the Bosphorus. Both the worlds nestle in perfect harmony and transitions from Europe to Asia like perfect shades of ombre. Of the cobbled streets of Sultanahmet to the unreal smoothness of the narghile (sheesha/waterpipe), its a city one instantly falls in love with. The Blue mosque, the Hagia Sophia and the Bascilica Cistern are the stamp of the rich Turkish culture and history. The most interesting to me of course was the Hagia Sophia. The Mosque which was a church! The Hagia Sophia at a glance looks like a mosque with its domes and minarets, but if looked closely, it looks like a church. The conversion of Hagia Sophia from a church during the Byzantine empire to a mosque later during the Ottoman rule is so fascinatingly visible inside the mosque.

Apart from the history and delightfully Mediterranean cuisine, Istanbul is also a city for the romantique. A quiet walk along the picturesque Sea of Marmara, enjoy the well lit Turkish lanterns in the night markets, enjoy a cup of Turkish tea or coffee in one of the many cafes lined on the streets of Sultanahmet, sit down for a long chat with sheesha as your only other third company in Tophane.....the list is blissfully long. And I did it all in one single day!

 Pic- Evil Eye safety pins

Pic- The Blue Mosque in the evening

Pic- The serene atmosphere in the Blue Mosque

Pic- Christianity and Islam under one roof

Pic- Painted ceramics

Pic- Decorative lanterns

Pic- My first meal in Turkey

London love?

It had been a week since I've moved to London. The city of grandeur, riches and the royalties. The city where one has to chase life just to catch up with it. Every day travels to the office, watch people walk like they have a mission to accomplish. And then the unaccountable number of coffees, the sigh of relief when you had sent that last email, wrap up your work and head back home. Head back home in the reverse tube ride with a cup of tea and bed in mind. I live in a city so beautiful yet so cold with buildings so big and condescending. The city where you are never alone yet you feel lonely. This city that I love and hate, must have seen everything from beautiful sunsets, to dark stormy days to two people falling in love right under its roof. I know for sure that it will be one hell of a relationship between us. :)

Fatima Bhutto

I've got a girl crush on Fatima Bhutto and am completely obsessed with her style! She is the granddaughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan's fourth President) and niece of the infamous late Benazir Bhutto. They say pressure makes diamonds. Fatima is a diamond surely! Although she was born into such privileges and wealth, she didn't grow up in the most conventional way. Her parents separated when she was 3 after her uncle Shahnawaz Bhutto was poisoned. Her father was shot outside the family home in Karachi when she was just 14. She suspected her aunt Benazir Bhutto (who was assassinated in 2007)  of being responsible for the murder. She has been against her aunt and her widower, Asif Ali Zardari who is now the President of Pakistan.  She believes power should not be 'hand-me-down' through generations like how it happens in the Bhutto family.

She may not be into politics even though the Bhuttos have dominated the Pakistan political scene, but she has equal or more power of thousands of words. She is fearless and speaks her mind only through her books. Her book A Daughter's Memoir was written to capture the memories of his father for ever.

Her relaxed style commands independence and that of a woman who has seen it all. What I love about her may stem from her intelligence more than her sartorial choices yet our girl is stunning! Sometimes dressed soft and sometimes with oodles of attitude, she has everybody's eyes without moving a finger. Love.

PS- I do not take any credits for the photographs. The photographs have been randomly collected from the internet for illustration purposes only.

Its a Posh car!

At Jaguar Land Rover, the marketing mind came together with Queen Victoria herself to come up with the stylish 'Range Rover Evoque'. Jaguar Land Rover, now owned by the Indian conglomerate TATA (feel the pride? :D) decided to reinvent the Range Rover to suit the younger generation and tap the ever growing pool of potential customers. That is when the Queen of Fashion comes in to give her expertise in style and fashion making the 'Range Rover Evoque' one hell of a fashion statement.

Queen V used rose-gold accents for the interiors, vintage leather seats and finished off with hand painted matt finish. The Evoque comes with four-piece leather luggage set and hand sewn wallet signed by VB. The car is priced at £80 000.

Pic- VB with the Range Rover Evoque

Pic- Interiors with rose-gold accents

Pic- Four-piece leather luggage that comes with the car

Its a slumber party!

Interesting! A new trend arises and its non other than the good old comfortable Pyjama ! 'Pyjama dressing' as it is termed is the new rage this season. Scenario- I wake up and realise there is no milk in the house for my morning cereal! *aghast*. I trudge down the road and head to the nearest Tesco in my Pyjamas and bird-nest hair. In fashiondom this would probably be the 'walk of shame'. But the comfortable pyjama cozied its way to the in the fashion radar. Best thing about this trend though is that anybody could own it in their own bedroom style sensibilities. Check this new trend out and let's make this world a big slumber party :D

PS- No bird-nest hair allowed. Dapper in pyjamas is more like the acceptable trend.

Pic- ASOS

Pic- ASOS

Pic- Get this look from ASOS

Pic- ASOS

Wear this look with these oh-so-comfortable slippers.

Pale Tale

This spring its all sugar and ice! If you want to give the loud colours a rest, then go the pale way. Its all blush blues and baby pinks, so live your fairy tale this spring with collections from Louis Vuitton taking inspiration from spun candies and everything sugar coated! With colour so pasty, make sure you wear interesting textures and details. It'll be fun indulging in this sugar craving :)

Pic- Louis Vuitton 2012

Pic (L to R)- 3.1 Phillip Lim 2012, Giambattista Vali 2012

Pic ( L to R)- Henar of Oh My Vogue wearing a Fernando Claro dress; Top-Pipa Loves, Jeans and shoes- Zara, Bag- Carolina Harrera Andy bag

Tango with Tangerine!

This season's love affair with different hues of 'Orange' is just too yummy to ignore. The colour palette is eye catchy and pops any boring outfit. The trick is maintaining the right amount of pop! Be it shoes, or hair band or bangles, or nail polish or even better lipstick, the colour draws the eyes and its one job done to stand out amongst the sea of fashionables. If you're wearing an all tangerine dress, make sure the accessories are nude and simple.

  Pic- Preen 2012

 Pic- via The Sartorialist

Pic- via The Sartorialist

Pic- Victoria Beckham 2012

Pic- via The Sartorialist