Gemmes Go Global: Takin' it to the Max(i)

Soooo our deepest and most heartfelt apologies go out to you Gems for our basically having fallen off the face of the earth. As many of you now know from Ratty's previous post, the majority of our August was spent visiting Ratty’s extended family in Bangalore, India (eek!!!)- so not exactly off the face of the earth, just the opposite side of it. But besides being one of the coolest experiences of my life thus far, this was a great opportunity to take our fashion experimentation to the next level. As a foreigner in any country, and particularly in one as religiously and culturally diverse as India, the key to fitting in (or at least as much as my innate Americanness would allow) was to keep it conservative. One would think this would be restricting, but any true fashionista sees limitations as challenges rather than as barriers. Ratty and I took advantage of this opportunity to capitalize on a trend that’s literally exploded in popularity recently: the maxi dress/skirt/anything.

In Indian culture, its customary for women to dress fairly modestly. Bare arms aren’t too big of a deal, but women rarely show their legs at all, either wearing long skirts, pants, or leggings underneath tunic tops. As a traveler or foreigner, one can obviously dress in whatever way she so chooses, but be forewarned: people WILL stare at you. So in my mind, it’s better to not attract attention as that culturally ignorant American wearing the daisy dukes or thigh-exposing skirt when there’s an easy way to avoid it. Thus, when shopping/packing for India, I knew it was the perfect time to stock up on as many maxi dresses and skirts as possible. And let's be honest- who really fights a legitimate excuse to go shopping?!

Hence, some of my attempts at expressing my sense of style while at the same time remaining respectful of India's more modest fashion culture (while Ratty modeled all the latest traditional Indian fashions- see her previous post for pics!):

Left: Flower pattern maxi skirt for my first rickshaw ride! (C'ville Goodwill, literally $3..)

Middle: Paisley navy blue and white maxi skirt for the henna event (C'ville Goodwill, also $3)

Right: Black maxi dress for the wedding reception (TJ Maxx, $15.99)

This trend isn't just for India though- fashion divas everywhere in America (specifically UVA and VT shown here haha) are working it!

  

Kierstin R.: Brown & Cream Strapless Maxi Dress (Urban Outfitters, no longer available)

Chelsea J.: Navy Strapless Maxi Dress (Body Central, $25)

Maggie C.: Black Silence and Noise Goddess Maxi Dress (Urban Outfitters, $79)

Teaba S.: Lilac Maxi Skirt ($10, Marshall's)

And now, for our first edition of 'Who Wore It Best': 

(JK... kinda.)

Me sightseeing in India and Kate K. tailgating for the UVA v. Penn State game, both wearing a striped maxi dress (Urban Outfitters, no longer available).

Sister face-off: Ratty out to dinner on a fab weekend getaway and Shikha G. frolicking with Winnie the pup on the Lawn at UVA, both sporting a zig zag black and white striped maxi dress (NYC boutique).

So just to recap, 1) don't be afraid to take advantage of your travels as a way to test your ability to interpret other cultures' customs into your own personal style and 2) there are a rainbow of colors and plethora of styles of maxi dresses/skirts available for very affordable prices at literally every store right now. If you haven't already given this fun trend a try, it's not too late! Pair it with a light sweater or leather jacket and fun flats or boots for an quick and easy fall version. I know I plan on it!

______

XO, NB & RG

Traveling In Style When Staying A While

Well, I've been back in the States for two and a half weeks now (kind of feels like longer), and I can't deny the fact that I miss being abroad in India with Nina. One of the biggest reasons would probably be the cold coffee that the house cook made for me and Nin any and every time we asked (SO much better than Starbucks, guys). The second reason being that it was an amazing experience to come back after 8 years and see how much things have changed. The last time I was in India, I was 13 and just starting high school- AKA a fetus.

Obviously, my biggest concerns before my month long trip were: how am I going to fit everything in 70 lbs or less and what am I even allowed to wear. Luckily, I'm a pretty decent packer, and I have a secret weapon when packing: Roll it. Literally, it saves my life. Roll all your clothes into teenie tootsie rolls and pack them like sardines. I guarantee it will save you tons of space.

My next thought: do I own anything appropriate that won't make me die of heatstroke? (Lesson learned in New Delhi when I wore a sleeveless dress above my knees and hid in a store in the midst of a market to avoid awkward peering eyes. Luckily, my brother ran back to the driver to grab me a sweatshirt and jeans which I was more than happy to wear in the muggy 80 degree weather.) The answer: cute colored jeans, flowy tops, and maxis on maxis on maxis (see Nin's next post).

Nin and I had to also pick out outfits for our first INDIAN WEDDING! Since there are seven events and five days of the wedding, we obviously needed seven new outfits! My mom and I bought a lot of our outfits from Ritu Kumar, an Indian designer, and a couple pieces from stores in New Delhi during our visit.

My favorite outfits were my lehenga- a crop top with a beautiful floor length skirt- and the saree- one long piece of fabric that is beautifully draped into an indian gown.

Sidenote: one of our drivers told Nina that she wore the saree like an indian woman, and I looked like a baby duck learning to walk. Needless to say, we know who the real indian princess is. Walking was hard enough but imagine dancing in a parade with your entire extended family throughout the city in those outfits!

 I warned Nin beforehand that she probably didn't want to spend oodles of money on Indian outfits that she would only wear once. I was so impressed with how she turned western outfits into Indo-American fusions! Here are some of our looks on each of the different events:

Event 1: Mehndi (Henna)

Event 2: Mata di Chownki

Event 3: Engagement

Event 4: Var Pooja

Event 5: Wedding (Sari Day!)

Event 6: Reception (and Finale)

Needless to say, it was definitely a trip of a lifetime with all sorts of new fashion experiences! I couldn't have asked for better companions to explore with than my family and Nina!

XO, RG & NB

Trend Watch: Craving for Crop Tops

As I pass the hours- sometimes very slowly- of my shifts at Urban Outfitters, my thoughts often turn to brainstorming for new topics to write about for our beloved Femmes in Gems. Either that, or I pretend shop for myself, checking the prices of all my fave items under the pretense of "straightening the racks," with all of the money that will hopefully come with my next paycheck ("so 40% off of this would be...?"). Very 'True Life: I'm A Shopaholic,' right? But anyways, a trend that has seemingly taken UO by storm this summer is the crop top- all colors, patterns, etc that you can imagine. Crop tops used to scare me off admittedly, but with my recent health kick that involves training for a half marathon in the spring, I've been less and less afraid to bare my tummy. Healthy is in, as is showcasing all of your hard work and progress! And what better way to do this, beat the summer heat, and be a fashionista all at once than with the perfect crop?

To give you an idea of the beautiful specimens I'm forced to gaze longingly at every day while I work, here are a few I'm enamored with from Urban:

Top left to right: Sparkle and Fade Burnout Bodycon Tank ($19.99, was $34), Cooperative Eyelet Strapless Top ($19.99, was $29), Silence & Noise Pieced Lace and Mesh Bustier ($29.99, was $49)

Bottom Left to Right: Title Unknown Cropped Fringe Tee ($34), OBEY American Super Crop Tank ($68), Reverse Lattice Seam Tank ($49)

And the best part about the crop top is that it's up to you how little or how much skin you want to show. If you want less to show, pair your crop with a high waisted skirt or shorts, like on some of the UO models above. For those of you feeling a little friskier (ow ow !), sport some lower riding shorts or jeans. It's also easy to dress up or down, depending on how you work the rest of your outfit: a tight skirt, sexy wedges, and some fun jewelry is a quick and easy combo to take the vibe from casual weekday lunch date to Friday night out with the girls!

UO obviously isn't the only store taking advantage of this trend's comeback, so here are a few examples  as shown by myself and some of our stylish readers:

Me: Coral Crochet Top (Nordstrom Rack, approx. $15)

Laur W.: Black Flowy Top (TJ Maxx, approx. $12)

Chelsea H.: Hot Pink Structure Cutout Top (South Moon Under, approx. $60)

Bekah S.: White Knit Top (H&M, approx. $12)

And our contributing Brit Jenny L. from across the pond gives us a European take on the trend:

Left: Black Bustier with Gold Buttons, Denim with Zipper (Both Topshop, approx. $35)

Right: Striped Crop Tee, Crop Tee with Heart (Both H&M, approx. $8 and $15)

As you can see, there are stores galore where you can find very affordable versions of this fun trend. Dare to bare ladies!! 

Haha I couldn't resist a little throwback- even the Spice Girls knew how to rock the crops!

____

XO, NB & RG

Ring Fling

When it comes to jewelry, every fashion lover has her favorite type , or in my case , ultimate weakness. Rathi won’t leave the house without the perfect pair of earrings on (keep your eyes peeled for a future post !), whereas I feel incomplete without one or more rings perched on various fingers. I’m one of those shoppers who will have everything all decided when I get to the counter, have already put back a top or skirt so as to not go over my budget for the day, only to arrive at the counter and see the ring display… And disaster strikes. I’ll spring for a more expensive cocktail ring every now and then if it’s very versatile and will go with a number of different outfits or occasions, but I tend to stick with more reasonable $10 or under purchases from Forever 21 or H&M so that it’s not as big of a deal if they break or I lose them. 

My biggest splurge this past semester occurred while i was conveniently shopping Stella and Dot for Rathi's 21st birthday present (oops). Pictured below is my Stella and Dot 'Aurora Cocktail Ring' (Stelladot.com, $49).

       

Stella and Dot is great if you have a little extra money to spend or are looking for quality jewelry that will last and won’t turn your fingers green (haha). It’s also a great place to shop for gifts- I got Rathi a gorgeous pair of earrings for her 21^st, and my mom a pair for Mother’s Day!

But as I mentioned, I usually stick to the cheaper side when it comes to my rings, so that I can afford a wider variety to match any and every outfit! 

Mine (left to right): Turquoise Stone (Forever 21, approx. $5), Black Rose (Forever 21, approx. $3), Silver Giraffe (Gift from Italy from Rathi!)

Rathi's (left to right): Orange Stone (H&M, approx. $8), Multicolored Tribal (Urban Outfitters, approx. $20-25, Turquoise Stone (India, less than $10)

Reader Contributions:

Axelle E.'s (left):  Turquoise Multi-Stone (top right, Target, approx. $5-7), White Rock (bottom left, H&M, approx. $2-3), All others from Glitter for $1

Nichole B.'s (right): Sparkle Flower (top left, F21, $4), Multi-layered and Turquoise (top right, TJ Maxx, $10 and $12), Silver (bottom left, Dillards, $15), White Multi-Stone (bottom right, F21 $3)

And if you're looking for a super splurge (Christmas or birthday list material from the p's maybe?), our fave post grad has a few ideas for you:

Shikha G.'s (left to right): 'Petite Albion' Ring with Diamonds and Onyx (David Yurman, online), 'Elsa Peretti Open Heart Ring' (Tiffany & Co., $255) 

In summary, places to find great, inexpensive rings for $2-$15:

-Dillard's

-Forever 21

-H&M

-Target

And if you can afford to spend a little (or a lot) more, i.e. $20-$250+:

-Urban Outfitters

-Nordstrom

-Stella and Dot (online or through reps)

-David Yurman

-Tiffany & Co.

I wholeheartedly encourage y'all to rock some finger candy- every size, shape, and color ring adds its own twist to any outfit!

_____

XO, RG & NB

Instagram Tales of Pretty Nails

INSTAGRAM,INSTAGRAM,INSTAGRAM.            

These seem to be the only kind of pictures you ever see anymore, whether they are monopolizing your timeline via muppies to FB or Twitpics on Twitter.  Don’t get me wrong, I myself am the InstaQueen- I started using the app back when they only had like six filter options (how did we live like that?!) and you were cool if you had two likes on a picture. This year, Instagram is the perfect substitution for a camera- why carry around one more piece of technology that you’ll probably lose by the end of the day, right?! Along with being a self-proclaimed profesh instagrammer, I am an avid liker- showing my appreciation for my fellow instragrammers’ art-whether it be gum on their shoe (#shoe #gum #gumonshoe), their dog lying in the exact position as their previous 15 Instagram (guilty!), or the perfect (and
EXTREMELY rare) selfie and outfit combo.
However, my personal faves for instas are definitely food and a good old nail pic. My obsession with nail polish stems back to 8^th grade when I started painting my nails so I wouldn’t bite them (helpful hint!), and they haven’t been naked a day since. Some current trends with nail polish this year have been the shatter, glitter, confetti, random-unrelated-ring-finger, mirror metals, intricate designs,  inside out frenchies, and more! And with it being summer, everyone’s dying to show off their tan by wearing brights and pastels. Thanks to OPI and Essie: your wish is their command. It’s how us artsy folk (the Instagram photographers and professional bloggers) express ourselves! Plus who doesn’t love a great tan enhancement? This is one app I don’t see dying out in the near future- so keep those nail pics coming!                           

Special thanks to these ladies and their awesome instagrams in today's post:

Nicolette Killen 

Kristen Carden
Kelly Luker
Marlee Newman

Kara Braunstein
Shikha Gupta

Amy Salamon

Katie Hammaker
XO, RG & NB