Fash Friday: My Faves

Hi everyone!

So unfortunately, the holiday season is soon to come to an end, which means that we must also wave a goodbye to winter fashion. This perhaps one of the most difficult things about style for me, bidding adieu to my boots and sweaters. I feel so "Portland" saying this, but there is something about scarves and cozy that makes them inherently more chic than sandals and shorts. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite winter styles:

Plaid Scarves

Capes

Chic Vests

Dress + Rain-boots 

Stripe Shirts (love that hat, too)

Metallic accents

Trend Talk: Fur

Hello everyone!

As you have probably noticed, fur is making a fashionable entrance into the style world. Not only does it keep you incredibly warm, but it is chic as well. I love the retro-glam look of fur. It immediately makes your outfit "pop". Here are two ways you can wear fur:

Fur by lilarpi featuring j crew t shirts

Fur by lilarpi featuring a pleated dress

Winter Layering

Hello Everybody!

First of all, I would like to apologize for not writing on my blog for a while. Clearly it is difficult for me to post every single day, so I might have to change the frequency of blog posts that I write. 

Portland is getting colder by the minute (we had a crazy cold week), and it's about time that we talk "chic winter fashion". Initially, I was under the impression that being warm and staying chic were two things that would not coincide. But over the past week, I discovered that there are plenty of ways to keep yourself from being chilly while still looking chic! The easiest way to do this is to layer several pieces together. Last week, temperatures were below freezing, and instead of opting for a fuzzy-but-not-so-glamorous sweater and yoga pants, I decided to wear a Striped T-Shirt (similar), J Crew Excursion Vest, Old Navy Trench Coat (similar, love this), a Scarf (similar), Hudson Jeans, and Hunter Rain boots. I was pleasantly surprised to see how warm I was! So yes ladies, layering does really work. 

A Late Music Monday

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break full of food, rest, and relaxation. I apologize for not posting over break...I was in Seattle attending a seminar. 

So I suppose I'll get started off with Music Mondays. The song is called "How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep" by the Bombay Bicycle Club. Hope you like it!

Music Mondays!

It's Music Mondays! Today's song is "Twice" by Little Dragon. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite songs. I'm not sure whether it's her voice or the amazing instrumentation in the background that makes the song so beautiful. Hope you enjoy!

Trend Watch Thursdays

So winter is around the corner, and with it come new style trends. Here are a couple trends to look out for:

Tweed

Pop of Color Coat

Cords

Chunky Scarves

Printed Sweater

Tuesday Thoughts

I'm big on food for thought. One of my favorite ways to use Pinterest is to salvage quotes that I may find particularly interesting/inspiring. Here a few that I liked:

Music Mondays

Happy Monday! So I know that Monday's can often be the exact opposite of "happy", so I've decided to do a little something called "Music Mondays". On Mondays,  I will post videos of songs that I particularly enjoy and love. Today's choice is called Higher Love, by James Vincent McMorrow. I absolutely adore this song and I hope you all will like it as well. What songs are you listening to these days? Let me know in the comments below!

Fash Friday: A Fall Ensemble

Happy Friday! Here are some pics of my outfit that I wore yesterday--my ensemble seemed very autumnal and I wanted to share it with you all! Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Ask Arpana: College Interview Attire

It's finally the long-awaited college season, which means it's interview time! Interview nerves plus outfit anxiety can be a little overwhelming. Fortunately, I have a couple of tips that I can share with you when it comes to tackling your closet to find the perfect interview outfit. 

For interview-appropriate attire, I follow three guidelines. First, be well-dressed. This may seem obvious, but it can actually be often overlooked. This means you have to leave your yoga pants, comfy sweatshirt, flip-flops, and frayed denim in your closet. Second, be modest. That glitter mini skirt may look great for a party, but not for an interview. Play it considerably safe here--no deep necklines or body-con dresses. As a general rule, make sure that your skirt/dress is two to three inches from your knee whilst standing up. Just to avoid those rare mishaps, make sure to wear tights with your skirt/dress regardless of its length. In addition, tights give the appearance of looking more put-together and can give a more "formal" look to your outfit. The last and most important tip is to be YOU. People can learn a lot about you through what you wear. If you're a pretty casual "jeans and t-shirt" kind of gal, wear a pair of dark-rinse jeans but opt for a sweater instead of a t-shirt. If you have a cool tunic that you brought from Africa--wear it! The college interviewers want to learn about who you are, and this is your chance to show them. Don't let the "interview" aspect discourage you from abandoning your own personal style. There are plenty of ways to make your outfit unique without compromising the first two guidelines. I've added some sample outfits below...Hope this helps!

Casual

Preppy

Boho

Twenty Things About Me

So, I was debating how I could tell you guys a little about myself in a way that wasn't boring or bland. I've noticed that some bloggers do this "Twenty Random Things About Me" post, so I've decided to follow suit. Here we go:

1.I am an only child
2.I was actually born one month earlier than I was supposed to
3.I love the rain more than I love the sun (weird, right?)
4.If I could live anywhere, I would live in San Francisco
5.My favorite color is blue
6.Hindi was my first language
7.I have absolutely no athletic capability. I have tried every sport and failed at it
8.I'm really bad at meeting new people
9.I've been to India five times so far
10.I love going on road-trips
11.My favorite type of food is Thai food and Lebanese food
12.In elementary school, my go-to outfit was a Juicy jacket and Uggs (shamefully)
13.I can do a backwards sommersault, but not a forwards one
14.My favorite season is fall
15.I love 80s movies
16.I've been to almost all national parks on the West coast
17.My first favorite style icon was Lauren Conrad
18.I play several instruments and I love to sing
19.I'd rather wear boots than sandals
20.I first learned about style through reading my mom's fashion magazines! 

I hope that was somewhat interesting! Thank you so much for reading.

Welcome!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to Ask Arpana! My name is Arpana (appropriately), and I am beyond thrilled to start sharing my magical (and often not-so-magical) world with you. To be honest, blogging was an idea that was swirling in the depths of my mind for quite some time, but it was something that I never quite got around to. It was only until this fall that I decided that I would follow through and start chronicling my thoughts, ideas, and whatever else that would pop into my mind. 

So what exactly is Ask Arpana? It's basically a space where I can share my musings on style, music, reading, travel, and life--and where you can share yours too. You can also ask me questions on any topic you might have (by commenting on posts or shooting me an email), and I'll do my very best to answer them. 

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I look forward to getting to know you all!