Living a Dream! ♥♥

How would you feel guys if you had the opportunity of Living a Dream one fine day? … Wouldn’t you all feel … Delighted !  On top of the world … Wanna dance with joy! … A little shocked and surprised … May be pinch yourself to check if it’s actually happening to you and if it’s true.  I had one such opportunity in the recent past and thought … I have to have to share this story with you.  A true story of my life … and with this hope that I get many more such opportunities in the future 😀 #dreamsdocometrue !

Sunshine Stylista was born out of the sheer love of fashion and passion for stylish and beautiful things,  and it was and is just the way I see the world – With my die-hard love for shopping –  love for the stylish things, latest trends and styling tips  … I had this deep desire to share my ideas with the world out there ! … and so, 06 months back started writing about what I felt about the latest trends, places to shop and stylish things we love.  A creative person at heart … having worked in the Corporate world for nearly bout 11 years now – Retail / Corporate Sales … I finally started the journey of my passion for Style, Fashion and Home Decor exploring the stylish world and some way along the journey – also learning the art of writing in style ! 

During my immense research, after office hours studying and following other hugely popular blogs, connecting and asking bloggers on tips, suggestions  etc … I happen to read about the DLF Fashion Blogger Meet’13 and its first edition, judged by the none other than the famous fashion designer Mr. Suneet Varma –Suneet Varma – Official Page! The whole concept seem to really interest me and its was that day … I thought to myself – when will the day come that Sunshine Stylista will be invited to participate in such high-profile events – An opportunity to meet other seasoned bloggers, interact with liked minded people and a platform to showcase your talent to the world  !  …  Since then the dreamer in me  {Star Sign read – Piscean } started dreaming … with the no of hopes that my dream will actually come true soo soon !

On one lazy Sunday afternoon, I got a call  from the Social Media Company Crosschairs Communications to participate in the DLF Fashion Bloggers Meet’13  – Second Edition . {It was only after checking the details of the event – I realized that this was the same event I always dreamt of participating in } … I was just soo super excited to receive the invitation to our 1st styling contest – for the entire experience – for the learning and the joy of attending our 1st major Fashion Event.

Finally the D Day – 13th November’13 – DLF Promenade Fashion Bloggers Meet organised by my favorite shopping destination and the trendiest mall in New Delhi with Hair by Looks – Unisex Saloon, Makeup by Inglot and F&B partner – Mamagoto   The Styling Contest which had a tag line ” What happens when High Street fashion peaks perfection”. See style statements being created ! … See exclusive trends being set … See high street fashion come alive !

It was a date with Fashion !  … with a million things running in my mind … with no formal education in fashion or style – I was all set to compete for the tile of “the most stylist” along with seasoned fashion bloggers  … some of them who had a background and formal education in style and fashion.  Super excited and at the same time super nervous !

This said it all – Experience pure fashion running unbound as some of the most celebrated fashion bloggers compete for the title of the “most stylish”, judged by ace fashion designer- Anumpama Dayal and Dior boutique director, Bhumika Pant. It was delight and honor to be judged by such high-profile people from the fashion fraternity ! 

The contest was about creating the most stylish Autumn – Winter look for a male and female model among the looks given and  judging criteria was kinda tough … that’s exactly what I felt and thought ! The looks were to be judged on Overall Impact, Wearability, Originality, Detailing  and Presentation – (On stage presentation – I have the fear of stage fright ! )

The minute I saw the list – I intuitively chose  Trench Coat with Boots look ! … purely for the reason – the look was soo mee !! Absolutely love trench coats. On second thoughts, in order to give my bestest also contemplated between Corporate Look { I do this look for a living :p } , Day Causal Wear but finally went with my gut feeling !

Thank God for small mercies ! … I was honestly lucky enough to have Ankit and Binny as my models. They were extremely cooperative and complimented each other together beautifully on stage.  Both young, fun-loving people and were modelling as a fun thing ! … My first aim was to make them feel comfortable and make them have all the fun. Once the ice was broken, we surely had a lot of  fun ! …  They were able to understand the look which I wanted to create and were open to newer options / looks and experimenting with different things. To my mind, the person whom you are styling for should feel good about himself / herself or else your look will lose the impact.

My biggest challenge was to the create the look for the Male model … and I spent most of my time in figuring out the best for the male look. The only thing I was very clear from the beginning to create the look from Zara  { One of the conditions of the contest was if you choose Zara the entire look had to be from Zara only }.

… and here is what we showcased !

Autumn & Winter Look with Trench Coats and Boots  ♥

Ankit ‘s entire look is from Zara. Absolutely love Zara – all time fav and their men’s collection is just amazing and classy ! The trench coat and the black pants were the 1st things we chose. Once we shortlisted the 2 main things … found a crisp white shirt with a thick blue strip in the middle to get a semi formal look! Then selected the ankle length boots in tan brown color.  Layering has been my personal style favorite so had to get an inside cardigan. We found a grey color perfect to match the entire look. Between a tie or cap / hat , we choose a woolen hat.  Come to think of it … Pretty much looks like Sherlock Holmes … doesn’t he ?

While styling the Male look, I kept in mind the shoes and was lucky to find the perfect ankle length boots …  and lastly decided to with the yellow long stole to add color and character to complete the look ! …  And the toughest part of the contest was over – I spent 1 and half hours out of the 2 hours trying to get the male look to perfection.

Binny’s look was inspired by the English style of dressing ! … I love the way British women dress up – Head to Toe – To absolute perfection and class ! … It’s a delight to observe them while waiting at the stations in UK and having coffee.  Having said this  … I love the way Anne Hathaway was styled and dressed for the movie Devils wear the Prada.  My all time favorite movie – A bible of style, attitude, grace, charm, elegance, beauty, poise … have watched the movie a million times ! – A source of my inspiration. And lastly, a look purely inspired by my personal style of dressing … I would love the carry this outfit for any semi-formal occasion or a lunch / dinner with my bunch of girls friends.

I barely had time to do the women look … with a little more experience in hand …  went pillar to post, running from one end of the mall to the other – Only to the stores I love the most … collected the stuff I like … piled them all together and down to the last-minute elimination to the final selection. The look had to be with a smart formal skirt  … so  we chose a black textured pleated skirt from Promod along with a sequenced grayish white jumper. Totally in love with fur … got a fur muffler and black fur gloves to add that dash of style to the outfit also from Promod  …  Ankle length black boots & a black boxed shaped bag  from Charles & Keith … my only and most favorite shoe & handbag brand. Beige color Trench Coat from Marks and Spencer { I have similar trench coats from the last season in beige and black} and the snow-white cap from Forever New.  The task finally done just in the nick of time !

On the ramp ! … The look that we created  !

The final look ♥  … Barely any time left for hair and makeup – we still managed it through { The art of making friends at work helped me here ! #salestechnique 😀  } … I chose soft curls Binny’s really long hair. For the make up – it had to be smokey eyes and along with burgundy lip color to suit her complexion.

This is not it Stylistas … Hold your breathe in here – The biggest moment of it all ! Sunshine Stylista won the 1st runners -up to the title of the ‘Most Stylist Blogger’ at the DLF Promenade Fashion Bloggers Meet 2013 … A day to remember for a lifetime ♥♥  … Still can’t believe that we won !!! 😀 😀 😀  … and now you know why this post titled as ” Living a Dream”  The moment when they actually called my name  … it was truly unbelievable ! It actually left like if I had won a Miss Universe Contest and had the famous Sushmita Sen’s “O” look on my face ! … Totally surprised, shivering and nervous ! … { Read on to know what happened on stage, off stage , the running around, the madness and the questions I was asked }

Here are some of the Winning Moments 😀

A beautiful learning experience !! Thanks a super million for this opportunity of being a part of the fashion world ! … Truly delighted with this experience and looking forward for many many more   … A big big thank you to DLF Promenade, Ms. Anupama Dayal, Ms. Bhumika Pant and Crosschairs Communication India

Being judged by the most stylish judges ever ! #awesomelearning ♥♥

The Styling Elements ♥  

The sequenced jumper from Promod …. Love it 😀

The fur gloves and muffler we love ! … They are a wardrobe essential and add the additional bit of class to your outfit ♥

The classic all time favorite – Grey trench coat ! ♥

Remember I said that I love Anne Hathaway in the movie Devils wears the Prada. Here are some of my favorite looks which  inspired me !

This is an all time favorite classy formal winter look ! Pearls Love ♥

Doesn’t she look amazing ?? ! Love the green color Trench Coat ! ♥

Now, for some of the backstage / offstage moments and other moments from the event  :

The finally event kicks off ! The rules are out – The look on my face – in deep thought ! { Honest confession – Only thought – I want to win this ! #selfaspiration #conditonedtowin #bestthebest #giveyourbest #bestatwork #salesconditioning #goalsetting #No1}

The off stage running around, madness, shopping, selecting ! …. nerve wrecking and a lot of fun !

The other blogger looks we really liked ! … It was awesome to interact other extremely talented Fashion Bloggers 😀

The on stage Q & A  session ! Apart from talking about the entire look which I created and explaining the look, the detailing, the hair, the makeup … The concept of layering … what inspired me to create this look etc … I was asked the following questions :

Questions by the stylish fashion designer Ms. Anupama Dayal :

• You said that shoes for a man is very important. Why is that so?
• The look which you have created is very Global and well very coordinated …  but why you don’t we see the Indian women wearing the Trench Coats very often ?

Questions by Ms. Bhumika Pant, Boutique Director Christian Dior.

• The look that you have created is for petite women – how about the women who are not petite ? How will you create the layering effect for them ?
• Will you wear this look to work ?
• What is your advice to women who shy away from experimenting with their looks?

My rock solid support system! … I have to say this and is a fact … the entire show couldn’t have happened without my 2 besties … Ritu and Kanika helping me back stage and offstage.  I take this opportunity to thank them both from the bottom of my heart and this is will be a memory we will cherish for the rest of our lives ! #bestfriendsforever ♥

Sunshine Stylista on stage ♥ …  The smile says it all #happiesmiles !

Sunshine Stylista backstage ♥ … #happiesmiles !

The super stylish and talented bloggers and models !

With the gorgeous fashion designer – Ms. Anupama Dayal – Thank you so much Ma’am:D ! It was an incredible experience to finally meet you in person & an honor being judged by you!

Thank you so very much for the appreciation, the inspirational words and for all the encouragement and motivation. It means the world to me ! Another dream come true ♥

The bright and colorful collection we love ! … Hope we get to do a blog post Anupama Dayal collection some day ! #dreamswelove ♥
Delighted to win this bright and colorful scarf by Anupama Dayal ! Absolutely love the designs, bright colours, collection and finally own one ♥

#dancinginourhead #designerswelove#prizedpossession #prettytassels #blue #yellow #pink#bloggersmeet2013 #dlfpromenade #moststylist#Sunshinestylista

Feels like we have conquered the world ! ♥ #picturescapturemoments

And we end with the The Crowing Glory ! ♥

Hope you liked our journey of Style and Fashion ! …. Our journey of Living a Dream ! … Thank you for reading. Please do write in to us with your suggestions, comments and feedback. We really want to know what you think about us  – will cherish your suggestions and feedback now and forever ! ♥ … Keep following Sunshine Stylista for your daily style feed !

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday and a super stylish week ahead !

Merry Christmas Stylistas ♥♥

SS*LOVE*