This shirt is one of my new favorites. Not because of the blouson sleeves or the blooming roses embroidered on them, but because of one thing- the collar. After seeing Meghan Markle's character Rachel Zane in Suits repeat one same gorgeous white shirt which has this big, crisp collar, I've been searching for one ever since.

I don't think the shirt I'm wearing has a collar as big as the one she wears on the show, but you have to make do with what you get. I fell in love with this shirt because of the embroidery on the sleeves, and the collar was a nice surprise I discovered only after I wore it. Most white shirts that I've come across usually have soft, floppy collars which is why this came as a pleasant surprise. You already know that I'm a huge fan of crisp white shirts. They go with everything, and they look fresh no matter the season.

I paired the shirt with high-waist wide leg pants for a simple but sleek work wear look. I accessorized with a simple crystal pendant, a floral ring and a thin leather strap watch. I wore purple pumps for another burst of color. This is one of the very last times you'll be seeing me in round toed platform pumps as I gave away all these kind of heels recently. I've been obsessed with pointed courts for the past couple of years now, and my round toe platform heels had just been sitting in my shoe shelves, unloved and unworn. I'm a big one to talk about decluttering your wardrobe and getting rid of the stuff you don't wear, but I found it really hard when it came to my heels. There were quite a few reasons I was reluctant to get rid of them, the main ones being that it's so hard to find heels {or any shoes for that matter} in my impossibly huge foot size and of course, because they're so prettttttttttyyyy. I wasn't wearing them, but I loved looking at them. Haven't we all been there and done that? So I finally bit the bullet and swept them all into huge bags and donated them alllll.

Now one shoe shelf is completely bare but it feels good to look at it, knowing that there aren't any heels on it gathering dust, and that I can fill it up with the kind of heels I like now. Or maybe even chuck the shelf out of my room altogether to make some more space. I've come a long way from wanting hundreds and hundreds of pretty heels. A notion deeply embedded in my head because growing up I had to wear ugly flat sandals which were the only footwear my mom could find that fit my annoying man feet. Also, last weekend I found three pairs of heels I like and that are keeping with my current style and lifestyle. So there. Getting rid of what you don't need magically attracts what you do need and love and want. I also talk about this magical concept in my book, Loving Yourself In Style, which is available in Bahrain in Jashanmal Book Stores in Seef Mall and Bahrain City Centre, as well as in Words Book Store & Cafe in Budaiya.

Coming back to the outfit, I finished the look with a structured handbag in deep emerald that matches the green in the shirt's embroidery. Even though I took these pictures a while back, I still remember feeling like a million bucks in this outfit. All powerful and businesslike. That's what a white shirt with a big crisp collar will do to you, I guess.

In other news, life is going back to normal after all the preparations and organization for the book launches, and I think I've gotten over all the exhaustion that entailed. Now we're gearing up and preparing for the launch of the ebook and trying to get the printed version into different markets. Still so much work to do! But the best part has been that I've been getting wonderful reviews from all of you that have either read it or are reading it, with lots of you having told me that it made you feel really positive. Which was one of my main intentions when writing the book. And that makes all the planning and the stress worth it.

Shirt, Bag, Ring: Gifted, Pants: Koton, Necklace: Forever21, Shoes: Steve Madden. Photos: Arif Feroze.