In which I wear a skirt as a top

Last weekend was spent walking in the bush at Sydney Harbour National Park and spending the afternoon on this picturesque beach. This pretty spot has scenic views across Sydney's north harbour and is a great spot for a swim especially for doggie paddle swimmers like myself.

I wore my usual garb of hand block-print cotton with shorts to walk in the heat and splash about in the shallow waters. The top I am wearing here is actually a wrap around skirt that I wear as both a top and bottom. I love clothing that can be mixed and matched and is multi-functional. I wear this top, summer or winter and it is a great something to take along when traveling. I've also worn it casually on the beach or for brunch as well as dressed it up for a night out.

I find a lot of traditional Indian prints and designs incredibly versatile and think they can be worn in many different ways. IMHO sarees, kurtas, cotton dupattas and skirts are the most multi-purpose slash easy to style in myraid shapes.

The Dabu print indigo scarf I have on works as a cover-up, a beach towel, head-wrap, pillow and a cape (I like super hero capes) and much much more. I always have a bunch of these kind of cotton scarfs in traditional block prints, handlooms or bandhani handy during my mini-adventures.

What are your most multi-functional items of clothing?

Looking for isolated beaches

Spent an afternoon chasing a waterfall last weekend with amazing views of the sea. We sat by the waterfall on a comfy rock for some time drinking beers, basking in the sunlight, taking photos of the view and reading before deciding to hike down the rocky slope to the beckoning isolated beach below.

This is what lay in wait after basically skidding down the rocks and dirt in absolutely unsuitable shoes. Not even cutting my toe on the rocks could dampen my enthusiasm for this amazing spot. There was literally no one else on the beach and we waded about in the shallow waters, climbed trees, baked on rocks and scampering around like little monkeys. I obviously wore the usual hand-block print cotton top, this one is like a kediyu but open in the front and made by my favourite tailor back home. It is perfect little cover-up over bathers for lounging or running about.

The afternoon was one of the best that summers in Sydney have to offer and was spent doing fun things. Just the kind of weekend afternoons I like.

Weekend getaway from Sydney

We got slightly tired of the urbanscape and escaped to the Southern Highlands in NSW for a weekend. It was a glorious weekend of exploring tiny little country towns, eating fresh produce, walking/ driving along dirt tracks and rivers, splashing about in waterfalls, spotting wildlife, drinking the local beer, exploring markets, buying plants and generally having the most tranquil break from the hectic end of year rush.

I wore easy breathable cottons over bathers with either a pair of flip-flops or my trusty Palladiums, carrying just two pairs of shoes is an achievement for me. I used to be someone that packed a bunch of unnecessary stuff when travelling and I think I am getting better at packing stuff I actually use and not much else.

Here I am wearing my favourite hand-block print fabric shorts and men's shirt with a simple leather cross-body and my boots that I can walk/ hike for hours in. The landscape around the area was stunning and trust me the pictures don't do it justice. There were miles and miles of rolling meadows, quaint farm-houses with farm animals and wild kangaroos, stunning cliff faces with massive waterfalls dotted with myraid colours of wild birds plus the colours of the land and the greenery were straight out of a painting. Seriously beautiful stuff that is being sorely missed now that I am staring out at a construction site!

A road trip around lush tropical rain-forests, watching the sun-set behind undulating landscape and chatting with friendly locals (while cuddling their furry babies) have to be some of my top favourite things to do. And the best part was, a lot of the holiday decor was beautiful, earthy, hand crafted and lacking the tackiness of plastic baubles flooding Sydney right now. I came back refreshed, rejuvenated and with some great ideas for holiday decorations.

What are your summer weekend away favourites?

Kalamkari mini

Kalamkari hand-block print is something I cannot get enough of, this dress was a weirdly shaped maxi that did nothing for me even after alterations so I just cut it off and let the ends fray. I love the sleeves and can now wear it with cut-off or full length denims, yaaaaay!

Makes perfect weekend wear in my opinion, what are your weekend wear staples?

Another anarkali with vans on a hike

So here's one of my light 'hiking' appropriate outfit on a winter's day in Sydney; icebreaker merino baselayer, jeans, beat-up vans and a Kalamkari hand block-print anarkali to keep up with an energetic puppy in a rain-forest. I really cannot get enough of flowy block print full-length dresses, I find it appropriate for any activity. What do you wear on hikes/ bushwalks?

Hand block-print and Vintage Wool

It has gotten cold in Sydney now and I dress like a grandma who likes to be completely insulated from the cold, albeit with a bit of block-print or Bandhani thrown in. These aren't so much outfit photos as they are 'look at my favourite-st puppy and I wore hand block-print and vintage wool grand-ma cardigan to play with her'. This is what I call my put everything warm I have in layers and refuse to stay indoors look.

Calm Sights and Sounds

Ancient woodland, sunlight pouring through a canopy of trees, the gurgling of a tiny water-fall and a tranquil pond at the foot of it surrounded by mossy rocks. This was the place I spent my birthday this year, dressed in comfortable cotton block-print, carrying a fabric bag and dozing by the beautiful sounds of birds and nature.