Under paid labour and summer whites

One of my favourite blogger friends posted this the other day and I couldn't agree with her more. It expresses everything I think about global brands exploiting desperate people in poorer countries and I hope we as consumers show some sympathy for the people literally killing themselves so our tee-shirts cost five dollars less.

I know the whole issue isn't as simple as that but you know what? It kinda is. These people are asking for their monthly salaries to be a hundred dollars and their work conditions to be a bit more humane. Is that too much? And to be honest our buying habits will make these clothes producing juggernauts sit up and take notice if we choose to buy less and less of their inhumane-ly produced, over-priced must-haves!

To people who say style blogs are frivolous and one should do better things with their time I have something to say. Yes, I know that this blog isn't helping solve issues of world hunger and poverty and believe me I wish I could do something to help. But I do think in a sea of blogs that claim that the latest Phillip Lim is a must have and one's minimalistic wardrobe is incomplete without Wang, sitting in a little virtual corner with people who wear vintage and thrifted items makes the world a fun place.

I know I have a long way to go before my materialistic tendencies are fully curbed but being part of a bunch of women who have their own style identity makes me happy. So yes, I do believe sharing one's point of view is important even if the topic of discussion is frivolous according to some. And I can't wait to share more and interact with these positive women who keep re-inforcing the joys of thrifted treasures and DIY delights.

Okay mini-rant-type monologue over and on to clothes that haven't contributed to the exploitation of people. To me nothing says spring summer like white linens & cottons with splashes of colour and heaps of jewellery. Hope everyone's had a wonderful start to the week.

P.S. Please ignore the unsightly scabs on my knee, tumbling off the bike and wearing shorts don't go hand in hand in the unblemished knee department.












Shorts: Tailored in Thailand, Shirt and Bag: Thrifted, Jewellery: India

More mountain snap-shots

Dress: Sportsgirl, Flannel: Vintage, Shoes: Converse hi-tops, Beaded necklace: Sydney markets, Sweater: India

As soon as the chill creeps in I start layering wool plus flannel haphazardly till I am warm enough and just grab a beanie and am good to go. I envy people who look put together even when the weather is colder, naaa who am I kidding I love to dress to be me but I do like to look at people unlike myself.

I miss the clean mountain air and the fresh smells of the bush, can't wait to go back. Can you tell I love ferns? I find them beautiful and would like nothing better to be sitting in a forest of ferns but then the thought of creepy crawlies is scary. Shudder! On to better topics, I love this beaded necklace but somehow broke it and now think only my sister (who is bloody amazing at DIYs) can fix this. How amazing is this Ganesh bag I got at the hippie markets in the mountains and am in love with? I mean my obsession for Ganesh and elephants is well-documented here, even if the obsession is ignored the bag is perfect!

There is nothing better than running up and down mountain tracks in dirty canvas hi-tops, by running I mean happily skipping down and panting heavily on the way up. Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the week.

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Still obsessed with my DIY army bag

Dress: Anokhi, Bag: DIY, Boots: Vintage, Jacket+Jewellery: India+Sydney markets+All over

Another surprisingly sunny day, with a different block print dress from Anokhi as well as heaps of shells added to other assorted jewels and my latest favourite DIY bag plus the icing on the cake; a pretty kitty who followed us to a park and played with us all afternoon. If there is a better way to spend a day I don't know it!

Shapeless flowy cotton dresses are my favourite all year round, just add a pair of tights, thermals, a couple of jackets when its really cold and a bright beanie and its PERFECT to me. I constantly wish there were more of them in my wardrobe and then open it to see I have a tonne of them already and am still left wanting more. What can I say once I like something I decide to be loyal to it for the rest of my life. And now onto the bag, it goes with everything, there is not one thing in my closet that it looks bad with. How awesome is that? I almost hug it to sleep every night. Hope everyone's having a wonderful week. Happy Friday world!

Army bag I fell in love with and now can't stop wearing

So I've been wanting to post more about my DIY endeavours but when I have an idea I am generally too impatient to take pictures of the process and just want to get to the end result of whatever it is that I want. But for this particular DIY I was a little smarter and here is a DIY post where I am IN LOVE with the finished product.

Army surplus fabric bags are one of my most loved plus used and abused carry-alls but I don't like them looking like twenty thousand other people's, so over the years I've used patches and pins galore to make them more me. But for the past few months I've been itching to take the patchwork penchant to a whole new level of complicated embroidery. Now since I am super impatient I couldn't really do something that was very complicated, that would have taken longer, I quickly sewed all the colours I could find on a red piece of cotton fabric and then proceeded to sew the patch onto the bag. Here are a few pictures of the process, this is what I started with, a simple, non-descript fabric bag:



Hours of furious hand sewing...





Et Voila, a bag that is totally colourful, totally unlike anyone else's and totally me, I am soo happy I can't stop wearing it.

What are you favourite DIY beauties? I would like to look at some inspiration, once the DIY frenzy hits me its hard to stop but I am running out of ideas and this rainy weather is the best time to stay indoors making beautiful things.

The glorious return of oversize jacket weather

Vintage tee and jacket, Suede boots: France, Jewellery: India+Sydney markets

Its that time of the year again, the glorious trans-seasonal phase when I can wear over-size jackets and beanies with tiny skirts without tights and not freeze. Aah! bliss, if only this pesky flu season wouldn't accompany the perfect temperatures. Wore this today to eat some yummies and go to the local Indian shop to stock up on desi goodies plus heaps of bindis.

Lately I haven't been able to take off my various shell neck-laces, bindis, bright woven bags and this over-size buttery leather made in NZ cozy as hell beauty. Yup summer or winter, my love for oversize band tees remains strong, just add layers till I resemble a polar bear wearing a number of fleece jackets. The neon bracelet visible in some pictures is from the GnR concert I went to on my birthday and I refuse to take it off! Happy start of the week everyone.

Rainbow Shiva

Shorts: Insight, Tee-shirt: Janpath: Delhi, Boots: NineWest, back-pack: Vintage

The city council has painted Taylor square crossing rainbow in order to celebrate MardiGras this year and ofcourse I like a million others couldn't resist taking photos on the funnest crossing I have ever seen. I may have ranted about the cost and the stupidity of keeping it on just for the month of March but rainbow crossing for a month is better than no rainbow crossing at all!

So I know I haven't been posting frequently and have been commenting sporadically on my favourite blogs but I've had a lot on my plate and I am still dazed and dreamy about Axl Rose singing Happy Birthday while I was in the audience ON my birthday. Basically the boy aced it by giving me one of the best birthday surprises of my life. I was quite apprehensive that Axl wouldn't turn up etc but he was right on time, sounded amazing, the band was tight and I have been listening to them non-stop ever since. And now my leather pants have come out to play, but that's stuff for another post. Now that autumn weather is starting to make its presence felt all my grand-pa cardigans are out of hibernation and the cold weather in Europe is making me excited for the onset of winter. I know I'll be complaining about the chill pretty soon but for now I am looking forward to it. Have a happy weekend!

Random photos taken over the past few months

A few photos dug out of the depths of my computer that were taken over the last few months of 2012, sometimes I take photos of things to go through later and then completely forget about them. Things that I have been looking at lately are fabric bags, army bags with patches, my army bag is going to go through some pretty heavy DIY soon, oversize vintage denim jackets (extra points if they are made in Australia), colourful middle eastern ceramics (I want to fill my house with them), ponies and a donkey we met at a street fair (I spent waaay too long trying to be friends with them) and above all ancient Indian architecture. Looking at these photos conjures up the joy that I felt in the moments they were taken. My computer will make a good competition for tumblr with the amount of photos that are floating about in various folders. Hopefully I can post more of them here for anyone who'd like to look. Happy Tuesday all!

Easy, breezy, short-all Sunday

Denim short-alls+woven bag+boots+tee-shirt: Vintage, Jewellery: Sydney markets+India

Two night outs in a row has a resulted in a very lazy me, who couldn't be bothered doing anything complicated today. Wore my new (to me) cut-off denim over-alls to get a milk-shake and walk around the neighbourhood till I got tired of being blown about by the wind. All I can think about for today is to relax, maybe watch a movie, eat ice-cream and be lazy in preparation for the hectic-ness that tomorrow will bring. Have a happy Sunday world!

In which I put no thought into what I am wearing

Vintage leather backpack, Jewellery and Silk scarf: Sydney markets+India, Plaid Shirt: Minkpink, Cotton dress: Topshop, Suede boots: Wittner

The day that most people equate with over-priced flowers, expensive jewellery and cheesy cards was also the day that women (and a few men) all around the world danced for awareness as well as to demand an end to violance against women. Ofcourse I couldn't stay away from an event like that and joined the crowd of juggling, dancing women and kids at a park close to home and then promptly stalked the cutest puppies in the park. I am not even joking, we went and sat where most doggies were playing till they came over to say hello and proceeded to give them cuddles plus belly rubs. Absolutely the best way to spend an absolutely commercialized sham of a day.

Here's what I wore for comfort and to stay cool. I know I look like something a cat dragged in but that's the way I like to be, sans make-up, wearing what I feel like, keeping the hair off my face with whatever comes first to my hand and generally turning my nose up at spending hours primping and grooming. I'd rather spend hours playing with my clothes, colourful objects, jewellery and running wild in the bush. Speaking of jewellery this is one of my favourite necklaces, I mean its paisley, doesn't that say it all? I love love silk scarfs turned head bands, just messily tying my hair up and hoping it will stay put. Also I am happy to report my creative funk has resulted in a couple of pages of sketched henna designs as well as elephants (I dunno why I am obesessed with Ganesh and elephants) that will hopefully be replicated on tee-shirts soon. Plus I might indulge in some needle-work on this plaid shirt, I wear them shirts a lot and it wouldn't hurt to individualize them a little bit. Also I need DIY ideas for my leather backpacks, since they are suddenly in fashion again, I want to personalize mine, thoughts?

Hope you had fun whatever you did to celebrate the day of love and your loved ones made you feel warm and fuzzy!

Peace, love and mirror work

Here's me finally featuring my first 'mirror-work on vintage denim' shorts that I have been wearing quite consistently. Its been sometime since I've created something and this evening I got all angsty and sad, it took some time till I realised I have not created anything and that is making me cranky. Does that happen to anyone else? I need to do more than work, come home, eat and sleep to nourish my being. I still haven't started on my tie-dye Ganesh/ Hindu Goddess tee-shirt, also I am dying to learn to sew, knit and crochet but don't know who to ask and where to begin. So all in all I am pretty starved of creative fulfillment.

But instead of ranting about it, I've decided to stalk inspiring tumblrs in a bit to energize myself and get the creative juices flowing. Do you have any ideas for me? Back to outfit talk, this is my usual attire when the weather can't decide if it wants to be summer or pre-autumn and I love this plaid beauty to death. Another thing I love is the Bowie tank I've worn here, its perfect, its soft and it has David Bowie on it, what more could I want? As you can tell, I am one to repeat my items of clothing again and again, you've seen the Bowie tank here and the plaid shirt here. Hope you're having a wonderful mid-week and are preparing to spoil your loved ones today. I am going to be dancing for womens' rights and can't think of a better way to celebrate love. Sending out good vibes to the universe.

Vintage Levi's plaid and DIY shorts, Vintage leather bucket bag