Bell-bottom jeans with Bandhani

Bandhani is an ancient form of intricate tie-dye, evidence suggests that it was in existence as early as 4000BC and most of what I wear comes from the Saurashtra or Kutch region of Gujarat. The dots are created by meticulously tying thousands of sections of the cloth to resist the rich colours of mostly natural dye it is then dipped in, which results in intricate designs and motifs.

I can never get enough of Bandhani, here I have worn a cotton open front flowy bandhej kurta with a maxi cardigan and a pair of bell-bottoms from One teaspoon. However as much as I love Bandhani, I also like wearing it in ways that suit me, rather than wear the typical gaghra, or salwar kurta, I don't see the point of staying within the tried and tested popular parameters. I mean I will play the princess in a chiffon bandhani anarkali but not all the time and I do like to incorporate a lot of traditional desi fabrics into my everyday with my jeans. What's life if one can't play a little bit with one's clothing?

Pochampally & Kutchi embroidery

Pochampally, is a group of many many villages, in Nalgonda in the South Indian state of Telangana where skillfull weavers on traditional hand operated looms make these amazing woven fabrics. They weave stunning silk sarees and cotton fabric that I constantly dream of and ensured that I picked up a bunch of this fabric during the Hyderabad leg of the trip. This top was made from some of the Pochampally ikat fabric I fell in love with, it is a simple shirt/ kurta that I can wear with denim or churidar and dupatta or even wear to work with a skirt. I love the fact that slowly I am creating a wardrobe that includes things that I consider staples; ikat, block-print, bandhani, leheriya, shibori, traditional embroidery etc.

This bag is made by the ladies of a tribal group in Kutch and was picked up in Dhordo a tiny village in the Rann of Kutch. I am currently in love and wear it with everything. All the jewellery worn in this post is silver from various silver-smiths who cater to and specialise in designs specific to certain tribes. While I was walking around the markets one day, an older gentleman was very confused as to which tribe I was from because I was wearing jewellery from three different tribal clans. The cuff that I am wearing on my left wrist is something I haven't taken off in over a year and the jumbled bunch that is my anklets stay put all through summer. I am also wearing a hooked clasp silver key ring at the waist similar to a 'chatelaine'. It is called 'Chabi ka Challa' or 'Chabi ka Guccha' in Hindi I think. The lady of a house wears one of these with all the important keys of the house. Depending on their socio-economic status these could be of 22 carat gold with precious stones or silver with semi-precious stones.

I just don't see the point of changing things that are already perfect. Instead of trying to get my hands on what's trendy every season I try to source traditional jewellery and handicraft items that will last me for years and something that will hopefully be passed down generations. I'd rather spend my money ensuring that traditional craftmanship remains profitable.

I am wearing these with Kolhapuri leather chappals that I bought from a street stall in Colaba, they are destined to be used like crazy over the summers to come. I wish one day I am able to spend extensive time in some places with a rich textile heritage and master some of these crafts, until then I am going to live in them and hope the magic of creating beauty rubs off on me.

Winter beach walks

Sunny winter Sundays spent by the lake or ocean are the best ways to de-stress and re-examines one's priorities. And having an energetic furball just completes the picture of perfection. I have been open about my love for traditional Indian fabrics and cuts and this top or 'Kediyu' as it is called traditionally in Gujarat is one of my prized items of clothing. Last year I went to my tailor with some left over scrap of bright green 'Bandhani' fabric that was too little to be used for much and demanded a Kediyu and he made me this. I love it so much I have qualms about washing it in the machine. I cannot wait to go back this year and get more made.

This top is very commonly seen worn by men in Gujarat and elaborate versions are worn for the Navaratri festival during the fall harvest. I can't really see myself waiting for holidays to wear what I like and therefore I wear these kind of tops all year round. I mean once you've found something you love, have continued being obsessed by it for decades, there isn't much point in wearing it every once in a while.

Autumn sunsets

Ah the joys of over-size silhouettes in flowy silks and the way it drapes in the wind by the shore. I am slowly easing back into sharing my outfits in this incessantly noisy www, I hate the narcissism of the selfie obsessed world but love the fun of creativity through self-expression in the way I present myself. Most times the sheer hatred of what the blog world has become just keeps me away from it but I'll take a peek every now and then just to make sure some lovely people still exist. Does any of it make sense? I don't think so. Have a good week world!

More needle-work on denim adventures

Lately I've been thinking that just posting pictures of my outfits doesn't really define my idea of what this blog should be. I mean of course I want to post pictures of outfits that I really like but let's face it, most of them are going to involve cut-offs and ripped tees, instead of being repetitive I want to share things that I really really inpire me. One of the things that seriously makes me want to decorate my surroundings plus myself is hand-embroidery/ needle-work, there is just something about colourful sewn designs that makes me go aah! I gotta have it!

Also I got a couple of very sweet emails from some of you asking me for photos of the process and DIY needle work tips instead of just putting pictures of my completed designs. So here goes, now for this particular DIY, the idea was to stitch a patch on my denim vest but the fabric is so thick that I broke a couple of needles trying to poke it into submission. So before I did more damage a decision was taken to try my hand at a denim shirt, I have heaps lying around and they make the most wonderful layering pieces in the colder seasons. Since I am documenting this here, I wanted to challenge myself; therefore instead of just using a combination of stitches that I already know I decided to learn one online and then use it to make my shirt pretty. I will share the tutorial that best helps me learn my chosen style instead of making a repeat tutorial. My chosen art form is Kutchi embroidery.

Kutch is a part of the desert in Western India where the artisans sew intricate colourful designs on fabrics that adorn various people and objects. I have wanted to learn this method forever and I just hope I am half as good as the local artisans. It seems like an elaborate process of first making a grid and then interlacing the grid to form an absolutely beautiful design but as I found it isn't as hard as I first thought it was. Here go the pictures of the shirt in different stages of the process as well as the link to the tutorial that I used to learn the Kutchi border design. Please excuse the pencil drawings you can see on the shirt, I haven't washed it yet, scared to put it in the wash for the fear of the mirrors falling off and also I was excited to take pictures and post them. In case any of you decide to try this DIY send me pictures of your endeavours.