The Silver Kick Diaries: May 2012

Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Happy Birthday Mummy!

You've been there for me when the world turned it's back on me. You've understood me when I didn't understand myself. You gave me your beautiful eyes and your intelligence (and passed on the genes for shopaholism, but I'm not complaining). You've stitched clothes for me since I was a baby and still love dressing me up as your doll. You were open-minded enough for me to do all the things considered taboo by culture and tradition. We fight, we misunderstand each other, but we have an attachment that can't be broken.

I love you, you crazy, silly woman, you.

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Say hello to TSKD designs and these summery sandals

Top: TSKD Designs aka my own design, Shorts & Handbag: Mango, Shoes: New Look, Bangle: Gifted, Watch: Swatch

I have so many things to say and I don't know where to begin. Pfff. Ok firstly, after a long time I designed something for myself to wear. Since I've been living at home and I have my mom's seamstress services at my disposal, I've given her a few (translation- twenty) tops to stitch. We have the best arrangement- I design them, she stitches them, I wear them. And this is the first one. I love how it's come out! Thank you mom! {I'm going to call them TSKD designs. Sounds cool, right? TSKD stands for The Silver Kick Diaries. Just in case you didn't figure that out.}

Next up, how much do I love these sandals? I got them a few weeks back. I was with a male friend while shopping for them. I picked them up, looked at him and said, "Summery." He thought "summary" and was about to start giving me a report on the shoes. Haha! We laughed about that for a long time! But oh how I love them! I've been dying to get summer sandals and these are yummy! The tribal print, the 6 inch heel, the pink and gold platform, ooooh I could marry them! Which is why there are two pictures of them today!

And lastly, I sat up until 4 am last morning making changes to my bloggy. It was a lot of html and javascript editing, and all that is complete gobbledegook to me. But I did it I did it I did it! All by myself. (Alright, Ancy helped. But just in the beginning.) I'm very happy with the way it looks now! And the funniest part is I've actually begun understanding html now. I feel sooooo smart! Haha! That's the thing about not finding someone to help you. You learn how to do it yourself. And feel proud of yourself later. Go me!

Hope you had a great Tuesday! xxx

Monday, 28 May 2012

Something I stumbled across...

...while organizing my files. This was in Signature magazine's April 2011 issue. Almost a year back! And all I can think of is- I need to wear that gorgeous maxi dress again. Sigh. Once a clotheshorse, always a clotheshorse.

Sunday, 27 May 2012

This leather jacket

Top: F21, Jacket: from India, Jeans and Cuff: H&M, Boots: Payless, Watch: Swatch, Sunnies: Vogue.

Don't you love it when you're going through old stuff and you find something that you could really use right now? It's like stumbling upon a treasure! And that's what happened with this leather jacket. My dad had bought it for me from Bombay, when I was studying in college in India. So it's at least 7 years old. And I thought I'd probably given it away. But my mom was recently putting away some old clothes and she showed me this jacket. I jumped with joy! I really wanted a simple black leather jacket and I got it! Woohoo! And it's in great condition. See that's the thing about clothes. If you invest in something that's great quality, and has a classic cut/shape, it's timeless and you get many wears out of it.

P.S: Nothing, I tell you, NOTHING can make you feel as bad-ass as wearing a black leather jacket with the sleeves pushed up. Unless of course, you add black boots to the ensemble. Then you're seriously ready to kick some butt.

Saturday, 26 May 2012

Vogue Sunnies- Look 2

Button-down: Giordano (men's), Shorts: Bershka,
Belt: Mango, Shoes: Dorothy Perkins, Necklace: F21, Bangles: Mix, Watch: Vintage, Clutch: Own design, Sunnies: Vogue, Photos: Arif Feroze.

I opted for relaxed casual today. A baggy men's button-down is a great piece to own. A colour like this soft blue goes with anything and you can get many wears out of it. I'm wearing my dad's. Roll up the sleeves, tuck it in the front, and you've got a look that screams effortless chic. (Although when my dad saw it he asked me whether I was going to wrestle someone. Sigh.) I tucked the shirt into these black shorts that I recently got from Bershka. I swear these have got to be the most comfy shorts I own. The material has a bit of stretch in it so they're really easy to move around in. I don't like looking too androgynous so I added lots of thin bangles and my silver heels to girlize (New word. Webster's, please note) my outfit. And finished the outfit with my oversized clutch. And of course, my 50s cat eye Vogue sunnies add the oomph!

P.S: I love the way these sunnies sit on top of my head! I can't do this with my other sunnies as they're too big. These are light and small. You can wear them to protect your eyes in the morning and to push your hair back when the sun goes down. It's another chic accessory added to your outfit!

Happy Saturday! Hope you had/ are having a great weekend! xxx

Sunnies available at Optica. Follow them on facebook here and here on twitter.

Thursday, 24 May 2012

DIY - Buttoned Clutch

I'd been wanting an oversized clutch for quite sometime now but I was never satisfied with any of them in the shops. My mom recently got this black one gifted to her. It's excellent quality leather. But it's black. And I wanted something that would add colour to my outfits. So I decided to add the colour on the clutch! My mom stitches so she has a menagerie of vintage and new buttons. And I thought that that was just what this clutch needed. (Did I blow you away with my use of menagerie?)

All you need is a variety of colourful buttons and a needle and thread. Knowing how to sew a button on helps too. (If you don't, shame on you! Just kidding.)

I woke up the seamstress in me and got stitching! All I did was choose an assortment of colourful buttons, in different shapes and sizes, and stitched them on the top space of the clutch. This was easy with this clutch as the leather is very soft and pliable.

Make sure you open up the clutch completely and smooth out the lining so that the thread doesn't get caught in the front and back lining. I stitched about 4-5 buttons at one time with the same length of thread.

And ta-da! The finished clutch.

I love how kitsch it looks!

So if you wanna jazz up any old purses/ clutches, try this out!

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Vogue Sunnies- Look 1

Top and Shoes: New Look, Skirt: Miss Selfridge, Necklace: Gifted, Bangles: Various, Watch: Vintage, Clutch: DIY, Sunnies: Vogue

As I said in this post yesterday, I'd be doing a few looks with my new Vogue sunnies. And here's Look 1. I wore a monochrome outfit by pairing this cute white shoulder cut-out top with this black skirt. I decided against wearing colourful shoes and so matched these white pumps to the top. I added colour with the accessories- pink sunnies, a colourful chunky necklace, multi-coloured stacked bangles and my DIY clutch. (I decorated that clutch myself, I'll show you how in another post, promise!) And finished the look with my red lippie! Simple, and great for this heat!

Happy Wednesday! xxx

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Vogue Retro Sunnies from Optica

I remember recently reading an article in some fashion magazine about retro sunglasses, how they're the latest must-haves and look great no matter what face type. And I was thinking, "Damn, I NEED those. NOW." And bam! My wish came true! Optica (previously Bahrain Opticians) sent me these uber cool Vogue sunnies. The soft pink colour, the cat-eye frames, the Brigitte-Bardot-esque-drama they add, oh Optica, how you know me!
{Er, hello, Universe, I'd like that unlimited-Zara-shopping-voucher I asked for too.}

My review: I love the design, it's very contemporary even though it's retro. The lenses are not very dark though. I personally wouldn't wear them to protect my eyes in the really hot hours but they're great when the sun's less harsh. Stylewise, they're trendiness and understated elegance is perfect to add the right amount of interest to a day outfit. Remember, even if you're outfit is simple, a stylish pair of sunnies can take you from blah to wow. (What rhymes with blah?)

I'll be styling a few outfits with these sleek puppies in the next few days. In the meanwhile, go visit Optica to see Vogue's entire range of very chic and sophisticated eyewear. Right now they have an offer going on: Free Bourjois nail polish and eyeliner with every pair of Vogue eyewear. I got them too and I LOVE the colour of my nail polish. (see pic below)

Optica are located all over Bahrain, from City Centre to Hoora, and are also in UAE and Qatar. Click HERE for their website, HERE to join their facebook page, and HERE to follow them on twitter.

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Art conversations and a visit to art galleries

Adopted

Lab experiment

Furry

Me and mine.

led me to snap some of my old sketches to show you. These are really old. I sketched these between 1999 to 2002. Now I feel old. Dammit.

Guest Post: The Hugs Felt Around The World

When I started my year long journey of hugs I never imagined that the effects would be felt clear across the world. It was a simple idea to spread love and hugs. It was also going to be a way to for me to break into the world of blogging. It was all so new to me I wasn’t sure where to turn. I found a few blogging forums that I joined and that is how I met Shabana. Her blog was so straightforward and stylish. I found myself drawn to it on a regular basis.

Over the year my journey evolved. I spent less time (and by less I mean none) on the blogging forums and more time focused on hugging, writing and self improvement. Through it all Shabana and I continued following each others blogs. We wrote to each other, we tweeted each other, we even shared regular twitter hugs. Next thing you knew we were friends. Great friends.

I know people say that as a society we are becoming less connected due to the internet, but I find the exact opposite to be true. My circle of friends has expanded because of it. Without the internet, without my blog, I never would have had the privilege of knowing Shabana. She is beautiful, caring, honest, loving and my life is richer with her in it. And come on, without Shabana how would I know how to accessorize?

Today's Guest Post is by Melinda, a 36 year old hugging blogger in North Carolina, USA. She has 2 young boys and enjoys being a mom while creating the life of her dreams. Her blog, www.myyearofhugs.com chronicled her year long journey and is now evolving in to a community of like minded hugging bloggers. She is one of the sweetest, bravest and kindest people I know. Don't forget to visit her blog! You can find her on facebook here and send her hugs on twitter here.