Weekend in Pantaloons (and a giveaway)

Happy Monday everyone! 

We celebrated daylight savings weekend with no major plans apart from wedding planning and plenty of relaxing. On Saturday I spent a glorious afternoon at Aire Ancient Baths - which was so wonderful it deserves a post of its own and yesterday I had my first facial in a long time at Mario Badescu. So my body feels like jelly and my face is as soft as a baby's bottom. BLISS!

I was in la-la land from the experience at Aire so instead of cooking, we shlepped out to Ditmas Park in Brooklyn for Mimi's Hummus. I needed space for all the pita, chickpeas and shakshuka, so I wore this airy dress that was kindly offered by In Sattva - Pantaloon:  

While designed to be a tunic top, the length was long enough to be worn as a dress. Made out of a solid yet light-weight cotton with a slight shimmer to it, I am in LOVE. My favourite part of the dress is the gold saree-like hem - although I wish it went all the way around instead of just the front half of it.

In Sattva - Pantaloon dress (c/o), Lanvin heels (sim), pearl bracelet, Ann Taylor gold skinny belt (sim)

A 2013 resolution is to come up with different ways to wear existing items in my wardrobe. I decided to put another In Sattva - Pantaloon top to this test:

Weekend: In Sattva - Pantaloon kurta top (c/o), Sportsgirl Australia belt (sim), DL1961 Nina denim, Target Kaelyn boots (on promo and last worn here)

Weekday: Zara stretch belt (sim and sim) and skirt (sim - so pretty!), Spanx tight-end tights, Prada ankle boots

This is a kurta top in the traditional sense and I would normally wear this at casual Indian functions. In keeping with my new motto, I jazzed up the casualness of the top with a bright red belt and cuffed jeans to my facial yesterday; while a few days earlier I wore it to work tucked into a solid skirt, which showed off the beautiful oriental-like neckline vividly. Wearing this 100% cotton voile top last week made me feel like it was almost Spring... if not for the thick coat shrouding the outfit when outdoors. 

Weather-talk aside, In Sattva - Pantaloon have kindly offered this top to a lucky reader:

This 100% cotton top is in a size Medium and has a really pretty embroidered yoke and vibrant cobalt blue neckline. Like the first dress in this post, it also has a distinct hem - this time in an orange-gold colour.  

For a chance to win (International readers welcome), all you have to do is follow Tripping the Light Fantastic on Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin AND leave a comment telling which item on the Pantaloon website you'd like to welcome Spring in. 

Don't forget to leave a contactable email address. 

I will pick out a winner on the evening of Sunday, 17 March.

Good luck ladies and do check out www.amazon.com/pantaloons and like them on www.facebook.com/insattva! 

The radiance of Zara

I live directly across the street from a Zara store and I still could not help place an order the moment the company launched it's online presence.

I purchased these two - which unfortunately for me, went back to the store as quickly as it was delivered:



The slit of the skirt (bought in size S) stays decent only whilst standing. The moment I take steps, it reveals WAYYY more than should be EVER revealed to anyone (besides to a lover). I am afraid even wearing this skirt with tights won't mitigate the flashing so tread with caution!

The pretty salmon pink coat - well I was just sized out. I bought an XS so I suggest sizing down. There is no tapering of the waist and it has more "swing" than appears in the picture above. Not made of wool and the obvious 3/4 length of the sleeves mean the coat will only be suitable for fall or "mild" winter (holla Australia!).

Now that's out of the way, here's the September lookbook and some of the pieces that caught my eye: 

I love the rich colour of cable knit juxtaposed with the shimmery mini  

I am hoping this is a solid coat and not just a trench

I already have a pencil skirt in nave lace but there is always room for more, no?

I will be stalking this dress since I hope to be living in it all winter

If you weren't already aware, here are some tips for a happy Zara shopping experience:

• New shipments arrive in store on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I am hoping this also applies to online stock.
• Zara maintains a 30-day return/exhange policy in the US. Always retain your receipts - without it, an exchange will be solely at a store manager's discretion even if you have all tags attached. Don't even try returning without one.
• Non-sale items can be put on hold in store, usually for 24 hours.
• I have a feeling that the mirrors in the change room are of the "skinny" kind - I have ended up with many dubious purchases to the extent I always try things at home to make sure.
• Most importantly, Zara quality is questionable at the best of times - so check seams, buttons and zippers etc. of your garments thoroughly (another reason to keep your receipts carefully).

Have you plunged into Zara e-commerce yet? Would you be keen to see more, thorough reviews of Zara items? Email or let me know via the comments section!  

ps - Fun fact: the word "Zara" has Arabic roots and means radiance!