In an alternate universe we’d all like to power dress in bodycon pencil skirts and empowering stilettos. But let’s face it. There’s only one battle we can rage every morning and that one’s reserved for our will to get out of bed.
To world has changed and mood dressing is a thing now. Our emotions unconsciously and rather organically dictate our appearance. And personally, there’s nothing more empowering than truly expressing your unhindered emotions – be it through your actions or your wardrobe.
We thought of a way by which you can channel your mood into your office wardrobe. So I went around the Kool Kanya office badgering everyone to dress the way they would like to express themselves. The result? A unique mood board for your office looks.
Feeling heavy? Dress light!
You’re strong. You’re independent. You have a lot on your plate. And you have to reach office in half an hour. Putting on pants seems like a responsibility you just cannot take right now?
Here’s a quick look that gives you just the comfort of mobility your thoughts need at work today.
Gone are the days of bodycon dresses. Formfitting fashion, albeit empowering, can feel too restrictive and impeding on days when you already have too much cowering you.
So wriggle out the most flow-y piece of cloth from your bottomless closet and let your thoughts flow their course.
Wondering where we grabbed such a comfy find? Head to your closest H&M store for a budget shopping spree. This one certainly does not burn a hole in your pocket.
The 90’s called and it does not want baggy clothes back. Instead, since it’s a new year and basically anything goes, it’s letting us share the trend.
There’s no rule that can stop your pullovers from being as free-flowing as your dress. There’s something comforting about being nestled in oversized clothes. And pairing an oversized blazer with your breezy dress is both functional (so you can avoid the ceaseless AC temperature wars) and uplifting for your movement –physically and emotionally.
And speaking of oversized pullovers
Feel like power dressing but lacking the will to make the effort?
Oversized power blazers!
Pair your easy clothes – comfortable leggings and a plain tee, with a fancy power blazer. This doesn’t particularly require much effort so it solves the lethargy problem. And an easygoing blazer perfectly encapsulates your personal empowering style statement. Complete this with comfortable sneakers that accentuate not just the cozy aspect of your style statement but also the one that nonchalantly breezes by with the ‘I woke up like this’ look.
The sneakers are most certainly ruling but we hear that combat boots are inching very close to dethroning them. Personally, boots have always been something of a fascination for me. They’re designed for comfort but weirdly exuberate something that strikes you as strong and defining.
Fun fact: the idea for this ensemble came from a place of feeling incredibly cold –hence the overload of clothes, but all of these elements come together to form a unique simpatico.
The lesson we learnt?
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different elements. Which is why this look is the perfect definition of mood dressing –a mood that doesn’t particularly wish to be dressing.
If you’re wondering where in Mumbai you can lay your hands on this oversized piece of pure comfort, the online H&M store has some fun collection for these.
For the times you’re feeling dressy
I have lost count of the times I woke up with the urge to actually make an effort and dress up but ended up wearing my routine jeans and a tee. The reason? I can simply for the life of me never figure out what to do with all that pent up fashion motivation. But the answer lies in places you have long abandoned, hidden in the lost cause mountains inside your wardrobe. Skirts.
Pair your usual tees and shirts with a skirt instead of your usual comfy pants or black leggings. A skirt is the perfect manifestation of everything fancy and frivolous with the elegance of anything long and flowing. This look is comfortable and leaves ample room for unhindered movement. Pair your skirt with some funky flats or classic white sneakers and you have the perfectly dressy look.
Fun tip: pairing your formal shirt with a skirt makes for a great look! And not to brag, but this skirt is the result of a very excruciating shopping spree from none other than the Sarojini Nagar market in Delhi.
Combine power dressing with the soothing comfort of pastels by pairing your petite skirt with a blazer. This ensemble is the perfect element to satiate your fashion cravings and channels your outfit efforts to produce a look that shows your fanciful creativity.
So for all those times you feel clueless bringing a novelty to your outfit, try donning that forgotten skirt with your usual shirts or tees and add a blazer for an added tinge of panache.
Oversized boyfriend t-shirts make for a great partner for your teeny skirts. This shirt is just one of those stolen never-to-be-returned finds from the partner’s closet.
There is a way to harmoniously sync bold colours – a massive belt. For all those times you feel creative and willing to sport a carefully created look, the belt will truly be your friend.
Personally, belts have long been underrated and it’s time we give them their due.
Want to give a shapely silhouette to your dresses? Belts. The way to pair up long comfy pants with a monotone shirt? Belts. And the perfect way to add that flight of fancy to your work outfits? Belts!
Here’s a place where you can find some similar massive-sized belts to add the perfect completion to any of your outfits.
We can try as much as we want but work fashion simply cannot evade pencil skirts. But here’s a unique way to don those too. Pairing it with a funky top and comfortable flats instead of the usual shirts and stilettos is certainly comforting. And it also satiates your dressy questions.
If you’re wondering about the skirt, here’s where we got it from.
Feeling blue? Wear red!
Or any bright colour at that.
Denim jackets can answer a lot more questions than we think. It can jazz up a plain white tee. It can prove functional as well as comfortable through the day in your seemingly cold office corners. And pair its basic blue with a red to get a look that screams effortlessness.
Wondering where we got this massive denim jacket? Yet another innovative find at Sarojini Nagar.
Black is certainly the go-to colour for any mood. It shrouds you in your darkest time and gives you the confidence that you just need someday. But pair this monochrome with bright accessories and you have yourself a look that brilliantly supplements your blue mood.
This look has everything you need to get through a difficult day. The confidence and comfort of black; as well as vibrant colours that can give you the perkiness you so need.
Fluorescent earrings can be paired with any outfit to make the whole look appear a lot more fun and quirky. These earrings were one of those flight of fancy finds through an Instagram ad. Here’s where you can shop for more fun earrings.
Feeling edgy? Cross-tradition dressing!
With the world at the brink of becoming a melting pot of global cultures, there’s no reason you shouldn’t seek some of that coalescent inspiration for your work wardrobe!
Kurtas have taken on a whole new meaning - and a rather multifaceted one at that. They’re traditional while managing to be funky. They’re comforting and can also be the perfect canvas for your creativity as you can pair those with literally anything! Pair those with classic black leggings and a quirky set of flats and you have yourself a striking look with practically no efforts.
The Kurta is an empty canvas. It’s meant to be filled with whatever colours you deem your own. They go with basically anything and can be customised to the highest potential. It’s a look that can go the way you want it to.
And speaking of Kurtas as a canvas,
Here’s another Kurta look. While the previous look went with an uber western appeal take, this one here uses the same canvas and brings a traditional voice to it.
A street-shopping spree find from the Dadar markets, this Kurta, paired with a comfy parallels, a stole and traditional earrings makes for simple, chic, and comfortable ethnic look.
Who even needs blouses anymore! A unique look that combines the comfort of a regular tee with the elegance of a saree, this is the perfect way to get your fashion juices flowing!
The saree is the most versatile piece of clothing that there ever was. It has the highest potential of personalising it to best suit your personal style statement - use that potential the way you’d like. The sky is the limit.
And while we’re on sarees,
Feeling clueless? Stick to the classics!
No piece on work fashion can feel complete without the mention of a saree. Imagine classic looks on a fashion spectrum. If on the one hand of a spectrum there is the effortless saree - one that doesn’t require much thought, one that doesn’t discriminate between body types, is as flowing as water itself and doesn’t require a size; on the other end of the spectrum is the black leggings.
Black leggings are universal. They don’t need a size. Neither do they discriminate. They let you breathe, they let you stretch and they let you think. If the world ever faces an apocalypse, the black leggings will save us.
These can be paired with literally anything. Since I have a penchant for shirts, this look is one of my personal favourites. A Zara shirt, with black leggings from Zara, paired with contrasting colour flats - my go-to look. This look needs no pre-conceived effort or thought. It doesn’t demand much and is perhaps the best choice for a day of hustling.
Pastels are for everyone. Period.
And last, but most certainly not the least.
The men behind the Kool Kanyas. We don’t discriminate between colours. Pastel pink is a colour that suits everyone. It’s a definite mood and it can also uplift your mood. This colour definitely uplifted everyone’s in the office.
Personally, I feel we put too much pressure on ourselves to appear perfect. Have perfect hair. Dress in the perfect way. Lead with your best foot forward and whatnot. What we forget to factor in this equation however, is the fact that perfection is subjective.
Fashion is a significant aspect of raising your power. And there is nothing more empowering than dressing in a way that’s not only your personal statement of self-expression but liberating to your true self – in whatever clothes you choose to wear.
