A cup of Assam Tea

When the two beautiful pieces of fabric arrived from Fabricurate, a plethora of emotions hit me. As much as I was awed by the design and texture of the fabric, it brought me a bit back home to India, which I had not visited for over a year, due to the pandemic.  What is Fabcurate ? Fabcurate is an e-commerce company born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It caters to a one-stop fabric destination with an array of fabrics.  If you want to choose a chic contemporary fabric for a special occasion, you can opt for organza, chiffon, georgette, jacquard, or stick to the age-old tradition with kalamkari, Ikkat, Ajrakh, or Indian block print in organic cotton linen upada, among many other options.  Fabric for day to dinner or dawn to dusk.  How Fabcurate work? You need to select a design from Fabcurate    . The best part is that you can curate your own design. Next, select the fabric of your choice. And, place your order. There is no minimum order required. They provi...

                     Hope you all are doing great. It has been a little longer than I usually post. In New England, winter is long, and you feel like sitting beside the fireplace and sipping your favorite tea or snuggling in a blanket. Although I enjoy doing things like that, doing something for a prolonged period can be boring and monotonous at times. I always love to dress up, but in the winter, I often find an excuse not to. February is a month of celebration for my family. It's my son's birthday, my birthday, and of course Valentine's Day.  The other day, I dragged myself out of the monotonous zone, dressed up, and felt better. Sometimes, a little effort and a gentle push can help us feel better, both inside and out. So, here comes the outfit with a still grey long maxi dress, and I accessorized it with Indian antique silver jewelry. The dress is loosely fitted and gives a casual vibe, yet adding accessories gives the vibe ...

      The most I miss about Indian festivities is mostly the vibe that the festivities bring, the lip-smacking sweets and savory treats that instantly melt away your heart. With new trends emerging with the festive seasons, the sudden rush in our town, and those festive breaks, we waited to greet the festivities with warm and open hearts.  Here, fall is emerging and clearing away the sultry summer blues. However, the truth is that wherever you go, you bring your culture and color to your new home.         We stay in a neighborhood with people from all over the Indian subcontinent, and they bring their culture and celebrate with great zeal. Here I am wearing a cotton kurta, peach dupatta, and peach skirt. To the whole neutral palette, I added emerald earrings and oxblood red lips and nails for a pop, and dark kohl-filled eyes. Subtle celebratory look.  I hope you enjoy  Festive Look 2, Festive Look 1, and this festive loo...

      East has always inspired the west when it comes to fashion. Indian intricate design and enthralling patterns were always adorned by the west. Eastern fashion has merged with the west this decade more than any other in the past, thanks to globalization and some of the major designer collaborations. Pioneer names like Sabyasachi for Pottery barn and  Christian Louboutin, Prabal Gurung for Jcrew and Target, Pankaj and Nidhi for Anthropology.  I was born in India and living in the USA for a couple of decades, my fashion has always switched and swiped between Indian verses western and mixed and matched with each other.       This time for my daughter's recital, I wore this Apricot peach dress and teamed up with my already owned Indian designer accessories. I am sure, if you have read my blog, you obviously have spotted those accessories. I already wore a few times. That says how much these accessories are versatile. The peach-pink ma...

      After 4 months of brown winter  when you finally see the spring  bloom with wonderful weather, it almost feels like some Artist painted a blank canvas with color. It was exactly the same feeling when I discovered raw mango by Sanjay Garg's creation. With all the bling designs in the market raw mango is a new kinda traditional take yet the feel is contemporary.       I bought this parrot green chanderi saree a long time back when Raw mango sarees were not easily accessible as today. Every time I wear this saree, I fall in love with it all over again. This is the signature of Raw mango sarees. I can go for a more subtle look if I want, but I opted for a more bright look and added Manish Arora's colorful large earing and blue blouse and blue silk potli. Brown Smokey eyes, bright lips, and a loose bun. Do let me know how you like it.

      We are officially in spring. However, the temperature and wind chill do not adorn the spring that much.  Last week, on a particular day when the temperature rose into the 60s, high hopes for spring emerged.   Here I'm all game for  spring,  with its wonderful weather, beautiful blooms, and to match, a feathery-soft outfit.   Yes, I already wore an Indian  spring  outfit.         Pastels are always in for Spring, and I love the feminine and that soft vibe every time you wear it. Wore a pastel Kurta and pant set with a touch of silver embroidery. The fabric of the outfit is chanderi a handwoven feathery soft fabric and is known for it's flowy and easy to wear quality. You can see another chanderi outfit here . Teamed it up with a basic pearl strand, a silver mojri (flat shoes), a pearl-adorned off white potli, and bright lips. As the whole outfit has a mild vibe, the bright lipstick plays a great role. H...

Happy 70th republic day India. India's independence has a lot to do with Ahimsha silk or peace silk Khadi. Unlike khadi, my home state Assam is a proud curator of Eri silk. This subtle understated light beige or cream color silk has huge importance in Assamese culture.      After the festive season bids adieu in Assam, the mild winter arrives. My grandfather used to wear the Eri shawl to protect him from cold. Not just my grandfather, in those times a quintessential Assamese winter essential was an Eri shawl and still is.     Cultivated domestically the word Eri came from Assamese word ‘era’, which means castor as the silkworm feeds on castor plants. Eri is also called ahimsa or peace because while producing eri threads it does not require to kill the worm as moths leave the cocoon naturally and then the cocoons are harvested to be spun. Isn't it enthralling?      Eri silk was once considered as an essential part of the bridal trou...

      The countdown has just begun and you are half a week away from the most celebrated festival of lights, the Diwali in India and the world. Along with cherishing and celebrating time with family, Diwali reminds me of the beautiful months of October and November, the stores filled with colorful accessories which you don't spot any other time of the year, especially jingles of the colorful bangles. Let the accessories do the talking - Jazz up your look with some colorful accessories, be it a colorful mojris or a pair of good heels. Even such simple dressing that will surely elevate your overall look. Wear some colorful bangles and your ethnic or Indian look will surely take the front row. Color me up please - I can't think of festivity without some bright lips or smokey or well-played eye makeup. You can do one or both. Nothing is over the top when it comes to the festivity.  But if you are doing both then tone down the outfit. The balance is the ke...

My grandmother's thuria, age-old and heirloom jewelry, of course, not part-able         A piece of jewelry echoes a region's rich heritage, aesthetics and sensibilities and Assamese jewelry does not differ from that. A piece of jewelry not just enhances the wearer's beauty but identity as well.       A land of flamboyant rivers engulfed in exotic flora and fauna, birds, musical instruments Assamese jewelry is highly inspired by that. Sharing a few assamese pieces of jewelry from my personal collection.       An Assamese bride's dress up is incomplete without Assamese jewelry. Traditionally Assamese jewelry is purely handmade. The main frame is made out with 24-carat gold and lac is used as a filling material. Stones are studded on the top.  The creatively and meticulously studded stone craftsmanship resembles with pomegranate seeds. The color and texture of the stone are opulent and lurid jus...

“I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days - three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.”  ― John Keats       This year in east cost winter was way too long. After feeling like a decade of hibernation, spring/summer finally arrives. When you step into something after long anticipation, it certainly feels precious.  Here we are not just enjoying the beautiful weather, but amping it up with summer fashion.      Just the other day I visited a friend and wore this easy breezy suit. One might not like the fitting as it is little loose fitted. Sometimes I prefer easy breezy suit in summer days, it gives you more comfort than the fitted one.  A neon pink silk kurta which I team up with a neon green sharara and a parrot green banarasi georgette dupatta. For accessories, just a pair of earring and a cocktail ring. The colors were quite statemented so you...

      Tomorrow daylight saving begins. That reminds me of spring and spring weddings. Nowadays, every time I call back home to my parents, I hear either one of our cousin or family friend is getting married. From next month, with Assamese new year starting, wedding seasons begins too. One beautiful lightly rainy spring day we tied the knot too, about sixteen years back. I can't believe how time flies. Indian weddings are rhapsody of colors when it comes to outfits or dressing up. There are a plethora of opportunities to dress up. Dressing up is one of the great attractions in any wedding, whether you are a family member or friend.       Spring is the season when flowers bloom and trees perks up with leaves and keeping up with nature and warm light downpour days, you dress up. Usually bright and pastel color looks great in Indian weddings. I personally avoid red as most Indian brides wear red as tradition. Wearing red sometimes might overshadow the ...

      How is the new year treating you?  Freshness and positivity always bring hope, isn't it?       I recently attended a friends daughter's sweet sixteen birthday party. Sweet sixteen is beginning of adulthood. The energy and hope of sweet sixteen is unmatched. Sweet sixteen is a year of dream and aspiration. When I look back to my sweet sixteen, I was always dreaming about writing. Probably that dream of mine became reality today. Doing something you like has more love than anything else. Here is my outfit post for the sweet sixteen. It was an Indian theme party, so I wore Indian Rohit Bal dress. It came with a legging but I switched it with a black skirt I already own. I wore red lips and added a brocade potli bag. Just to give the whole traditional affair a modern touch, I wore a pair of Suhani Petit earrings.  Do let me know how you like it.