Discover the fashion guru in you…..(spring/summer)

Moving to a new country in itself can be overwhelming and added to this is the new fashion trends and different climatic conditions. Dressing to look good is important but feeling comfortable in it is prime for us. Initially summer here was a totally different experience for us as multiple things had to be taken into consideration while dressing,which was very confusing and sometimes we found it hard to maintain our individual style. There were days when we went out thinking “Oh it’s sunny!” but then came back drenched. Such learning experiences helped us realise the importance of weather for getting dressed.

Each one of us have our own dressing style and maintaining a balance between both style & comfort in a new environment is sometimes intriguing. We had an instant liking towards everything we saw in the stores. We felt like we had to blend in and started organizing our wardrobe according to the city, taste and weather. We observed for a whole season the unpredictability in weather & the changing trends. Gradually we understood that the point was not to buy everything on the list, but rather invest in clothes that never go out of style. We got a few tricks which took care of our needs without burning a hole in our pockets and at the same time complimenting our personality.

After months of cold weather and gloomy skies, everything about Spring/Summer is refreshing - the colors , the smell of flowers, the flowing skirt of a dress, shorter hemlines, beautiful floral prints, bright and happy colors. We slowly  started investing in good summer clothes like light cardigans, summer jackets, chinos, ballerina flats etc.,

We would like to share a few suggestions based on our experiences for the spring/summer seasons. Our go to styles are

Style 1

Whether you prefer the customized effect, comfortable classic jeans or a trendy pair of denims, your closet is incomplete without owning one good pair. Team it up with a white shirt or bold color t-shirts.

                                                                  

Style 2

A bright colour & cute prints all in one dress is perfect for the summer getaway. A colorful yellow dress can be matched with a shrug for the evenings or turquoise neck piece for summer.

Style 3

If you don’t mind showing some skin then cotton shorts or  skirts paired with nice tops or tees are a trendy option.

Style 4

If you want to add an ethnic touch to your summer list, a cotton kurta with a pair of jeans always comes handy.

General accessories: Different variations of pastels can be used to accessorize in the form of  bags, belts, scarves footwear or just piece of stone on your neck.

Tips

• Floral prints, navy stripes, polka dots, ethnic designs are some styles you can never go wrong if you don't overdo it.
• Save money by experimenting with how many of these pieces you can combine together into several outfits for a fun look!
• Look for off season sales & deals and stock up on winter wear before the winter sets in or look for summer wear in the middle of winter.

We realized these trends will never go out of style, and we consider these to be our closest essentials for spring/summer. Although these are our ideas, there are numerous other options where you could mix and match your clothes for a stylish spring/summer look. Please feel free to share your ideas with us which could help us discover more styles.

Some of our preferred stores are Forever21 , H&M, New Look, Primark, Mango, Zara, North Face, Aeropostale, etc...

Keep following us for our fall/winter clothing tips.

Happy Styling!!

Lake Como- a place of serenity

Lake Como is one of the most prominent Italian lakes which has gained more popularity off late because of George Clooney who owns a villa there. Ok girls...move over...don’t start drooling over George Clooney now, because there is more to Lake Como than Clooney and you’ll know why he loves going there often.

This Y shaped lake is beautiful, serene and did you know it is the deepest lake in Italy! Many charming villages are located on the shores of this humongous lake. Situated amidst the pre-alps, this lake with its stunning scenery and postcard beauty is a must visit and definitely an affordable family vacation.

Popular Villages on Lake como: Como, Bellagio, Menaggio, Varenna, Tremezzo, Lecco.

Como is the nearest village to travel from Milan.

Bellagio is situated in the centre of the lake, busier and more expensive than other villages.

Menaggio is more affordable and lot of hotels and restaurant line the lakeside.

Varenna is comparatively silent, and has beautiful views of colourful houses.

Tremezza has many villas of which Villa Carlotta is most popular which is now a museum to visit.

How to get there?

Nearest airport is Milan malpensa airport and from the airport it is around 50 km drive.

There are also trains running from Milan to Como. Como has 3 train stations, so book accordingly (Como San Giovanni, Como Nord Lago and Como Nord Borghi)

Accomodation

Hotels in Como are quite expensive as such but there are more economical options in Menaggio and Varenna (personal favourite). If you have a large pocket you could book a hotel in Bellagio with exorbitant prices. On the other hand, if you prefer a calm and affordable room away from the hustle bustle and are willing to climb the stairs uphill then Varenna is a good choice. Bella como is a company which helps in renting out apartments which is a more prudent option for longer stays.

Travelling within Lake Como

If you want travel swiftly then there are ferries operating between these villages. You can take your cars too in car ferries. You can buy day passes with which you can travel any number of times on these ferries for one whole day. There are also buses that operate across the different villages. Please check the timing of the buses very carefully. They are pretty tricky to understand if you don’t follow Italian. Taxis are affordable during offseason.

Sightseeing

In Varenna, there is this funny, friendly guy Luca who operates Taxi boat varenna (link). He takes you on a group tour to few of the villas of the rich and famous including the Star wars/Casino Royale villa and Richard branson villa (George Clooney’s villa not included in this :( ) (price 30 euros per person in offseason) Although you can’t enter most of the villas as they are private properties, there are a few villas (Villa Monastero on Varenna) which charged us 5 euros for entry where you can enter and enjoy the stretch of lakeside gardens (reminds so much of game of thrones).

Food

There are infinite restaurants on the lakeside of all villages. So ranging from Pizzas, pastas, raviolis to Italian desserts you can find them all in ranges and not to forget the gelatos.

Travelling with toddlers

Lake Como may not be easy to travel with kids since there are a lot of stairs and exploring the villages with strollers might be little difficult. So be prepared to take them around in a baby carriers or do your research about where you want to stay and what kinda activities you want do and check if the area is child-friendly.

Our Suggestions:

Travel by car to Como. Parking spots are tricky to find in many places. So once we reached our hotel, we started using bus to reach the lake side. Once on the lake side, we used buses and ferries to visit other villages. Nice long walks are also possible if the weather is nice.

Stay in a silent village or book a small Villa (http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/, www.booking.com)

Don't be in a hurry to see the different villages. Each village has a charm of its own and different views from the lake itself.

Do the tour from Varenna. There are also tours from other villages some of which include entry to Villas.

Finally, Lake Como is a place to relax and enjoy rather than making any itineraries to visit this place; because once you go there, you are serenaded by its magic you don’t want to stick to schedules.

Happy sightseeing!!

Packing for a home away from home....

Every Indian bride travelling to live abroad undergoes this huge dilemma while packing about “What to take?”. With baggage weight restriction in flights, we feel like packing everything we want within that limit. To add to this confusion, we also go through mixed emotions of leaving behind our parents, our comfort zone, friends and family and the nervous excitement of starting a new life in a new country.

Every girl dreams of HER ideal kitchen and house, arranging and decorating it as per her taste and comfort.

So when we start making our "packing" list, we feel like taking our entire kitchen and wardrobe with us. But since it is not practical, we would like to give you a few suggestions based on our personal experiences which we feel might help you while packing your essentials.

Here are the five things we feel is necessary

1.Pressure cooker: This is a MUST. Ask every Indian girl abroad and she will vouch for the fact that pressure cooker is a necessity. As Indian cooking mainly involves dal (lentils) and cooking dal in microwave or stove top is a tedious process. Pressure cooker is handy whether you are boiling potatoes, cooking rice or making nice soft idlis :). An alternative to pressure cooker is electric cooker which is a good option for taking abroad because of the uninterrupted power supply.

2.Indian mixer: You will surely get blenders abroad, but to make few things like coconut chutneys and grind masala pastes, Indian mixers are better than blenders because they are more suitable for grinding larger quantities and also into very fine pastes.

Grinder: For idli and dosa lovers, a table top grinder is convenient for making the batter. Although we can grind it in a mixer too, we believe it is best to take a compact grinder which will make your work easier and your dosa tastier!!!  

3.Masalas and powders: This depends on your cooking style. Most Indian stores abroad these days have all the masalas. But if you are a big fan of your mom’s recipe, then better pack powders like sambar powder,rasam powder and garam masala. You could take the spice box which we use,which has all the important spices. Take smaller quantities, as the powders loose the flavour with time. So take for a few months, by then you will be ready to make it your own kitchen. Also please check the immigration rules of the country you are travelling to, because in some countries there are restrictions on certain products.

4.Ethnic Wear: When it comes to packing  clothes try to be a little frugal .You can shop for a new wardrobe after you settle down in the new country and learn about the trend, style and weather there. It's better to take what you won't get there. Our suggestions are ethnic wear like sarees and salwars, even kurtas for your husband for special occasions or to wear on festivals.

5.Medicines: If you are taking any special medicines or using any special oil then it is better to pack them with you,stock them for at least few months until you can find the place to buy them in the country where you are moving. Note: Remember to carry your prescription while you travel.

General suggestions: Pack all food items in sealed bags and see that things inside your suitcase fits well and don't move. Weigh your luggage once you are done packing to check if you have exceeded the weight limits. Believe us once you do this you will feel much better rather than going to the airport and rearranging things. Few other things which we haven’t included in the list above but we would like to mention are local currency, power convertor, iron skillet for dosa, Indian tongs, idli plates, small coffee filter, steel plates and tumblers, ritual items, bangles, bindi etc.,

Although this article may be specific to the Indian scenario, we feel irrespective of the culture there are certain things people living in any part of the world like to carry as per their requirements.  

Having given all the suggestions one last and very important point to be noted. Never ask or listen to your husbands’ suggestions while packing as they will promise you that you will find all these things abroad and online, but when you reach there it will be your kitchen and your struggles, so pack as per your preference and priorities.

Happy flying girls !!

Three Cheers to Fitness!!!

There is a lot you can learn by loving oneself. This is a very important lesson we girls learnt recently. The three of us realized this when we moved to live abroad. Initially the excitement of moving to a new country, falling in love with the city, trying out new local cuisines, getting a taste of the local culture got to all of us. While we enjoyed eating out we didn’t realize we were adding all those calories and gaining weight. One fine day while chatting we realized that we had one common problem “LACK OF FITNESS”. Each of us had different excuses. There were days when we would waste our time being couch potatoes watching our favourite TV shows, just sitting munching junk, or say to ourselves we are busy with our day to day work or give the lamest reason and blame it on the weather. We stopped giving importance to ourselves and all we cared was our household chores, husband and kids.

To put an end to this chaotic schedule, going to gym or dieting was not our cup of tea. Home workout was our appropriate  solution to get into a fitness routine . While researching we came across BLOGILATES and ‘Cassey Ho’ came to our rescue.We decided to do a group challenge and focus on common problem areas in our body.We narrowed it down to arms and abs for our first challenge. Finally, we chose two different challenges: the 30 day abs challenge and 6 mins to sexy arms routine. We planned  to do this at our convenient times and have been following this for the last 15 days. First few days, OH!! we had all kinds of expression on our faces, our arms were killing and abs were hurting, but once we got the hang of it ...it was fun and slowly we got attuned to the routine. We now keep a tab of each other and see that we push each other to do the routine. It was tough initially but we now realized we have grown stronger. 

We are not sure if we have lost any weight, however we do notice some changes. But we still have a long way to go. We have become more active and eat healthy and realized that staying fit does not mean spending hours at the gym.We do a conscious effort to remind each other why we started this and treat each other by having our own little cheat days. Who knew one small positive thought could change our whole day! The biggest lesson we learnt from this workout is that no matter what, it's never too late to start getting fit and we feel happy giving importance to ourselves and this brought of a lot of confidence in us. We hope our experience can help someone else as well.

Keep playing this line in your head (I am sexy and I know it).

Please find below the links to the Blogilates website and the arms and abs challenge we follow.

Blogilates: www.blogilates.com

Arms video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1CohjEGbPc

Abs workout: http://www.blogilates.com/blog/2014/12/29/30-day-flat-abs-challenge/