Shawl Shenanigans

Every winter I get completely enamoured with a shawl or few and have one of them (or many) wrapped around myself for the entire season all day every day. More often than not they are bright colours with embroidery, mirrors, tassels definitely pure wool and hand loomed to perfection. This year the two obsession includes this one from Bhuj and another Patola shawl :)

This one is Bandhani with mirror work, hand loomed as well as hand dyed worn with a brocade mini in a rain-forest. I don't think there is a more perfect way to wear things other than exploring deep in the foliage surrounded by mossy, slippery rocks, waterfalls and ferns. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

Urban Jungle

Top: Anokhi, Jewellery: All over India and Bag: Kutch

This is one of my favourite ways to wear oversize tops/ kurtis; with shorts, boots, a bright hand-crafted bag and heaps of jewellery bought during various trips. I love little islands of green in urban settings, this place is one such isle, so lush but literally in the middle of a bustling city. I can't get enough of enchanting oases and creative use of indoor and outdoor spaces= that result in picturesque corners like this one.

I've been trying to get creative with my balconies, investing time and money into better pots etc and can't begin to make a little vertical garden but it's been busy the past few months. One of my friends has given me a few plants that I've been wanting to grow for ages, thanks Bee and I really want to create one of these magical jungles in my home.

Do you have a green thumb? If you do please let me know your tips for fabulous indoor and outdoor greenery. Hope your weekend has been fun and relaxing. Have a great week.

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.

Summers are for Mini-Anarkali/ Kediyu

Post Dusshera prancing about on the balcony garden after I got a hose and sprayed water on every leaf, the things that make me happy are really simple! I have a bunch of these mini-anaarkali/ kediyu that I wear all summer round with shorts, in winter I wear them with jeans like you've seen here.

It's one week to our adventure, the house cleaning has begun, I don't even know what to pack but I've bought my travel diary ofcourse and already started drawing in it. In the meantime I obviously don't have time to take outfit photos but then it's not like I wear anything other than everyday wear in outfit posts. So here I am in another one of my Ajrakh staples just after watering my plants with greasy hair :)

Spring, I've missed you

Spring is here and I can't wait for my mini-garden to start blooming again, wearing lighter layers and in eight weeks going home for a visit. I have waited over a year for this visit, planning things down to the last tiniest details, dreaming about the moment I will re-unite with my family, celebrate festivals like they're meant to be celebrated, make rangolis all over the house with my sister and generally just forget the nastiness in the world.

In the meantime I am going to wear as many layers of jewellery, more block print, excessive amounts of batik, embroidered bits and bobs while frolicking on isolated coasts sunning by rock pools. What are your spring plans?

The colours of winter

People like minimalistic outfits, tend to go the tried and tested route in the winter, I am NOT one of those people. Bright bags bought during various travels and market expeditions, traditional scarves, colourful beanies and floor length woollens with comfy jeans help me get excited to leave the house and explore during winters. I refuse to become a grey, black or dark blue blob for the colder months and colour plus jewellery helps me brighten dull and chilly days.

There is something great about travelling in winter, the fresh cold air lends a touch of magic to the entire experience. Like I said I am not one for sticking to neutrals instead reaching for the brightest sacks, wraps, beanies and oversize blankets masquerading as cardigans to wrap myself in. Massive totes handmade in far off corners of the planet in eye searing brights, block print or bandhani dupattas in saturated hues, statement necklaces, heaps of silver jewellery and embellishments galore; all this is a bit more like me. I like clothes and accessories that are functional but have character, don't stop me from running down a mountain side but definitely don't blend in. And I like to wear things again and again and then some, this beanie has featured on my blog for years as have the boots and I am not ashamed to say I don't go out and buy the latest winter must haves every season. Although it doesn't look like it to people who know me and my house is being taken over by shoes and bags; I do want to buy less and less. How do you battle the winter blues?

My goodie bag from home and what I wore to go get it

So the other day my Mother and Sister sent me a goodie bag with someone who was travelling to Sydney. They had a couple of hours notice and they amassed this much loot in literally minutes and had it delivered to the person who was flying into Sydney for work.

I got a beautiful ombre silk Bandhani saree, heaps of jewellery, bindis, liquid bindi in little rainbow containers to make my own designs, crochet shrug, 100% cotton yummies, a rainbow thread wrapped necklace/bracelet, all the jewellery came packed in this green silk Tibetan wallet that is my new money purse and it was beautifully packed into this Jute bag that says "Jute is Cute". I feel like the richest girl in the world!

Thank you so much Mummy and Dingy. More than the goodies it was so nice to smell and feel a little piece of home, the saree had been ironed and there were two pages of a Gujarati newspaper in it from the laundry and somehow it was so nice to see that.

I wore a camel leather embroidered hand-bag my sister gave me last year to go collect everything and just for fun there is also a picture of Sydney late last night. I am decked from head to toe in my goodies and know I look ridiculous but I don't care. HAPPY FRIDAY WORLD!

Warning: This is a picture heavy post.

Disclaimer: I am in no way bragging here, I am just happy to get something from home and I understand I am extremely lucky especially in the light of what's happening in Uttarkhand right now.