When the temperatures outside begin to dip, the social scene here in BD starts heating up! Parties, get-together, religious festivals, and of course, the inevitable weddings. Weddings in this sub-continent are elaborate affairs, spanning three or more events over the course of a week, or even longer. That makes for a lot of different outfits in varying degrees of formality.

With the chillier weather amenable to more layers, there’s also a wider range of choices for both men and women. It’s easy to get confused, but with a little careful attention, you can be safely stylish. Remember not to chase trends, but to go with what works for you.

The Engagement: Both the groom and the bride may be dressed rather simply for the occasion. Suits for men and Jamdani sarees with very light natural make up and a set of jewelry is a good mix.

The Holud: This is the most colorful ceremony during a wedding. Both the bride and the groom should be dressed in bright attires. The bride should try avoiding gold jewelry and go for more natural jewelry made of flowers.

The other events: include ceremonies like Mehendi (where intricate details of Hena is drawn on the bride’s hands), Sangeeth nights (musical evenings) etc. The bride and the groom should wear Lahengas (blouse and a skirt) and Sherwani suits. It’s alway nice to see the couple sport colored attires together.

The Wedding: This is the big day. The groom should sport a heavy detailed Sherwani suit teamed with a turban, while the bride has an option between a Lahenga or a Saree. Heavy make up and a heavy set of jewelry is also welcomed to celebrate this auspicious day.

Guests: Don’t over do your outfit. Nice embroidered Panjabis or suits for the men teamed with a good pair of shoes. Ladies! Keep your make up simple, play with your hair to make it look different and throw on a saree, a shalwar kameez or even a lahenga. Don’t forget the bling!

Sometimes it’s easier to pack for a trip than it is to figure out what to stash inside our everyday handbags. With the fickle fashion dictates first wavering towards ultra-mini clutch purses and then veering off towards big bags, the issue of space and necessity becomes a pressing concern.
This is particularly true for people who are always on the go, and usually have impromptu social engagements. Imagine a day packed with classes and work, when you suddenly have to drop in at a friend’s place? How do you retain your freshness without the option of a shower or a change of clothes?
Girls, make use of the big bag trend while it’s still in, and fit everything that you need into your roomy tote or coach bag. Make sure you don’t stuff so many things into your carry-all so as to totally distort its shape.

Make a checklist of the things that you need.

• Shades to protect your eyes

• Lip-care and sunscreen because you don’t want chapped lips and a horrible tan

• Eye-liner and a face powder for minor touch-up jobs

• Comb, breath-mints, perfume, keys and of course, cash

Special tip for the extra cautious people: you could always carry a traveller’s toothbrush; it’s small and doesn’t waste space
Those of you with severely oily skin carry blotting paper to soak up excess facial oils; other options include wet towels or a small face-wash.

Boys have limited options, since backpacks don’t go with all kinds of attire, and you don’t want your pockets bulging out with too many things, attracting pickpockets and all sorts of melodrama. But then again, you also don’t need to worry about lotions, potions and make-up, so you don’t have the same space issues.

• Cash, cards and keys to help you get about to places

• Mints and a handkerchief – remember to wipe off the sweat from you’re face before visiting your friend

Extra tip- you want to smell good, so leave the cologne either in your car or in your locker so that you can use it just before leaving

You got have the bags, the shoes, the bling and the attire; you’re walking the walk, you’re talking the talk. There’s no way you could not be the cat’s meow when it comes to fashion, right? Wrong.
Even the coolest outfit can bomb if the hair doesn’t go with it. Think Britney Spears’ mousy wig, or Christina Aguilera’s Dirty black extensions, or even Katie Holme’s sorry impersonation of her husband’s do. Not that the guys are always better at mane management. All you have to do is to tune into one of those Indian soaps to know what I’m talking about.  
 Wear it up, braid it, do a ponytail, keep it messy, go for the wet look or blow dry it. Whatever you do to your hair, the end result has to work. It’s true that no matter how good our attire looks, if the hair isn’t complementing the outfit, you just don’t look complete.
Let’s take a look at some DO’s and DON’Ts for men and women

Hairstyles you may not want to try out

Beads, Shell earrings, Stone earrings, Silver and Gold

You wear a nice outfit, and team it up with a nice pair of shoes and a bag. What else do you think you need to complete your attire? Yes, trinkets! Shine your way through people’s heart with the right jewelry. Thumb rules to remember? Don’t mix gold and silver. If you’re wearing something heavy on the ears go easy on the neck and vice-versa; strive for balance. Experiment with a bracelet or some bangles, maybe an anklet at times, but not everything together. Keep it simple, keep it chic!    

You don’t want to be staying indoors, only because the sun outside is too bright, do you? You use a lot of sun block and maybe wear a hat to beat the heat, but what is the other accessory that should be your companion on an outing on a sunny day? Yes! Your sunglasses. Be stylish, be sporty, be practical, put on a pair of shades and walk the streets merrily without squinting.

Don’t lock away the pair of old frames that your mom or dad wore, because Gogos are in again. Anyone wondering what Gogo’s are? They are the big flashy retro pair of shades that our parents wore during the hippie era.

I’ve noticed how modest cute sized pairs of sunglasses were very popular even two years ago. The world of fashion changes so drastically; today shades are considered more hip if they are bigger. I find girls and boys sporting the flashiest sunglasses on roads, university campuses on the way to work, on leisure trips, just about everywhere.

I prefer boys sporting the very chic aviator shades, gives them the sexy suave look. Honestly, hats off to Tom Cruise for showing the world the coolness of flyboys, and Keanu Reeves for proving that pilots are not the only ones who look hot in them. As for us ladies, we look good in whatever we wear; we just have to be careful about the shapes and sizes of the shades that we want to wear. Soften a square face with oval or cat-eyed frames. Add angles to a round face with angular sunglasses such as rectangular frames with soft angles. And if you’ve got an oval face, lucky you, because you can carry off any shape!

You might want to check out some of these brands: Prada, Dior, Gucci, D&G, DKNY, Bvlgari, Ray Ban, Oakley, Police, Ben-Sherman. These are just to name a few among the many other brands.

You want to be punctual and you need it to help you keep track of time. What could look better than a nice watch on the wrist? The best thing about this accessory is that you could sport the most casual brands and still make your wrist look glamorous. I prefer a modest small dialed watch on the hand to keep me company during class lectures or on casual day out with friends. However, big dialed watches are a new trend now. It’s easier to look at the time and of course a wonderful sight to the eye. Some of the classiest brands for the ladies would be DKNY, Gucci, Fossil, Tissot, Kenneth Cole, and Coach just to name a few.

Guys look the best when sporting Diesel, Jacob, Calvin Klein, and Chaumet when they want to go for a mafia look with the watch in 18K yellow gold, stainless steel and leather. Sporty guys tend to go for   the dynamic Casio G-Cool watch, which is extremely stylish and remarkably strong, they also have other options among strong watches like Nike, Nixon and so on. If you’re super stylish you might as well go for the all time classics like Omega, Swiss Army, Longines, and Concord etc.

Hey, I put some new shoes on,
And suddenly everything is right,
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody’s smiling,
It’s so inviting,
Oh, short on money,
But long on time,
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,
And I’m running late,
And I don’t need an excuse,
’cause I’m wearing my brand new shoes.

~New Shoes-Paolo Nutini~

Every time I hear that song I keep thinking Paolo Nutini sang it for me because I can relate to it so much. People say that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” but I say “shoes are my best friend”. Having collected around seventy-five pairs from all corners of the world, I still think I’ve got a long way before I’m actually content with my collection. That doesn’t mean I’m materialistic, that just means that there are too many shoes that deserve to be worn. Stilettos, Ballet slippers, scandals, strap on shoes, wedge heels and more. Leaving the various styles, lets talk about the colors and the patterns! Every shoe comes with a purpose of serving us satisfaction in every occasion. Some help you to cross the street, some help u to show off at a friend’s place, some just bring the bling out of you and some just make u feel like you cant leave the red carpet.

If you’re under the illusion that it’s just us girls that are shoe crazy, think again.

Footwear is an invention of necessity to protect us from the elements beneath. Approximately a person will walk 70,000 miles in a lifetime, so it is important to purchase the correct shoes. Over the years shoes have dramatically changed due to cultures and fashions. Footwear is under the influence of fashion.

I’ve heard stories from my male friends regarding their fascination for shoes, but I never took them seriously until I went on a trip to Kolkata this August. I never got to hear the end of the typical “Sarah! Quit buying shoes! A nation could grow rich if we invested the amount of money on them instead of your shoes.” I’m used to this complaint…it comes with the territory of being shoe-obsessed.

What came as a surprise though, was when the boys started their own shopping spree. It was crazy watching my male friends on the trip walk into shoe stores there and stay for never ending hours trying out different shoes and of course buying them. By the end of the trip we had well over fifteen to sixteen pairs of shoes and around half a dozen sandals in the boys’ bags. I don’t blame them though; even I went crazy seeing the colored Converse, the range of Puma sneakers, Reebok, shoes from Diesel and Vans on sale. On a more formal rack, the stores offered matted moccasins, high polished square toes that look best when worn with a formal or a semi-formal outfit. I’ve also spotted a large collection of traditional Kolapuri scandals to be worn with Panjabi suits.

If I were to go out on a date, shoes would definitely be one of the first things that I’d notice on the boy. I like it when they are careful about wearing appropriate shoes for the occasion. Special brownie points are scored when the belts match with the footwear. 

When you purchase shoes the usual questions start emerging, what style? Size? Is it well made? These questions are important, a pair of shoes can have an overall effect on a person’s health and happiness. Not only pain and discomfort can be brought on by the wrong shoes but headaches, backaches and leg cramps.

I took this test to find out my shoe personality. It turns out that I’m “barefoot”, where I was described as a free spirited shoe lover. I’d agree with the result because I adore shoes: any size, shape pattern or colour.

Batuas

You know how they say “too much of something is not enough”? That pretty much describes me when it comes to bags. How can a girl have enough bags? They come in such a delicious wealth of colours, shapes, sizes, and patterns. You really can’t just have enough of them.
I’m a bag-a-holic, and have tried to grab something from all corners of the world to help me accessorize any outfit that I wear. Bags are not only trendy, they are ESSENTIAL. Where else would I keep my makeup, keys, phone, emergency snack, the odd kitchen sink….(well not really, but you get the idea)?
I’m personally a believer of the phrase “the bigger the better” in cases of bags. I’ve often heard people tell me that I could fit into the bags that I carry. But then again big bags don’t generally go with all outfits. You just need to know when you need to bring out that cute sized purse, or clutch bag to match with the pair of glamorous stilettos you’d want to wear in a formal evening.
Honestly, a good bag can make you feel like you’re a celebrity hitting the red carpet.

http://www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/2008/09/02/centre.htm