♫  Raindrops are Fallin’ on my Head  ♪♫

By Penny & Pound

It’s the last few drops of the monsoons this year, and we know we’re shamefully late (or pretty early for next year!!), but we thought we’d share with you our top monsoon do’s and don’ts, and hope you find them useful for whatever’s left of the rainy season! J

[And hey, we only started the blog in late July this year, we’re allowed to be a bit late!]

Monsoon Do’s:

1.       Do use Dollops of Colour: Since the skies are grey and dreary now, the onus is on us to provide the much-needed colour by way of our clothes and accessories. Bright pinks & fuchsias, cheery yellows and greens, and electric blues are our favourites for this season. Co-ordinate these colours well, and be careful not to overdo the look. Just a dash of colour in the form of a colourful tee, a bag, or shoes can do the trick as well. Store your earthy beiges, maroons and browns far, far away!

2.      Do Flip and Flop about: We know that our lovely leather footwear suffer the most during the rains. And while we know that you must miss them as much as we do, look at the brighter side and embrace the fact that you can wear flip-flops out and even go crazy with them! We love the colourful chappals with varied prints, the high-heeled flip-flops and who can miss out crocs?

It’s tip-time again: Be careful with puddles when wearing flip-flops….they’re notorious for splashing slush on your lowers and give you a really tough time washing the stains out.

3.      Do have Cool Raingear: Make your umbrella your style statement this season. We’ve seen some really cool ones in Mumbai this year – cute frill bordered ones by schoolgirls, nice graphic ones by college-goers, the rainbow ones are back with a bang, and for some strange reason, a lot of umbrellas with milk bottles on top! Ones that really caught our eyes were polka dots in pastel shades, on a plain white background.

And while Penny doesn’t agree to this, Pound loves statement raincoats – nice neon coloured patent-effect windcheaters or long coats with funky zips. But you gotta make sure you carry them off well!

Whatever be the case, give the good ol’ black umbrellas a rest, and let your personality shine with the choice of your rain protecting gear!

     4.      Do Flaunt your Legs in Capris: Monsoons are the best reason (or excuse, as the case may be!) for wearing capris, leggings and pedal-pushers. They are the best lowers for jumping over (or into!) puddles, with no harm done except for getting your feet wet. They also complement flip-flops really well, and look good in peppy colours. More importantly, they are mighty comfy and the ideal casual wear this season.

5.      Do go Feminine with Chiffons: So while we’ve dealt with casual wear, for a little more formal or ethnic wear we suggest you trade in your cottons for chiffons or crepes or georgette. Now this is also very practical advice, we all know cotton isn’t the easiest fabric to dry off. These fabrics look good in the form of longer dresses and maxis (in bright floral prints, especially) and also as salwar kameez suits in pastel shades. Moreover, monsoons are the best time for these as temperatures are lower and they do not get too uncomfortable to wear .

ABSOLUTE Monsoon Don’ts:

1.       Do Not (in any case) go Overboard with Makeup: Make sure you avoid putting on war paint while going out which then runs all over and makes you look like a tribal chief. Avoid heavy foundation – it makes you look oily and shiny in the monsoons due to the humidity; also avoid heavy kajal and mascara which run down your eyes (due to rain or sweat) and look like dark circles!

Try to wear minimal makeup, maybe just a hint of light moisturiser, a bright lipstick, some eye colour if you must and you should be done! Go for the fresh dewy look rather than the clogged drain one…we know that it’s good for the skin and good for the eyes (of others of course!) as well.J

2.      Do not Wear White: Never ever commit the sin of wearing pristine whites in the monsoons.

This is for two reasons mostly –

a.       You may have the rotten luck of someone splash gooey mud all over you and your whites resulting in nasty stains that may not go off…and might look awful if you are due for an important meeting in 2 hours!

b.      You might get soaked in an unexpected shower and be stranded wet for a while with your innerwear on display!

3.      Do not Flaunt the Best from your Wardrobe: Wait for the rains to go away before you get your leather bags and boots, lace and satins out since these are relatively sensitive fabrics and tend to get spoiled soon. Leather, for one, picks up moisture and tends to become a base for moulds to grow while fabrics like lace and satin might not be able to take the load of regular washing and cleaning in case they get dirty. Make sure you do keep these stored somewhere nicely away from the wet and moulds with napthalene balls or silica gel, till the sun shines and you can finally get a chance to show them off. In the meantime, just follow the do's above, and you'll still have a good, colourful time in the monsoons!