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.

Some more Kalamkari Love

I am really a creature of habit when it comes to my clothes, I not only buy similar things over and over again, I actually buy the same exact things in many different colours. This dress for example, if you look closely you will notice it is the exact same dress as the last post, just in a different colour. I have no excuse for my hoarding tendencies, I just have never fallen out of love with hand-crafted fabrics. I did think about not posting these sets of photos one after the other and did have other options but then thought, seriously who cares if I wear the exact same dress in a different colour in two different posts?

So here you have it, one of my tried and tested combinations, kalamkari fabric worn with a colourful bandhini scarf and a bright fabric bag. I also always add a bunch of hand crafted jewellery and here I have worn a couple of Dokra necklaces. Another thing that I have too much of and like to pretend one can never have enough of is; indigo fabrics. I have indigo in every kind of hand crafted fabric, batik, bandhini, bagru, Ajrakh, Ikat, kalamkari and I still yearn for more.
What are you tried and tested combinations that you can't get enough of?

Kalamkari love

So we had an uncharacteristically warm autumn day this weekend and I promptly put a flowy Kalamkari hand-block print maxi on paired with a hand block-print scarf, beaded Kutchi belt and a carpet bag. We took these photos on a walk around the neighbourhood after eating some yummy organic fare at the closest cafe. Some of the best weekend moments are spent just doing everyday things. Hope you've all had a great weekend!

Easy breezy denim with Ikat

This is a prime example of a comfortable flu recovery outfit. Autumn is here and with it my jeans have come out to play, one of my tried and tested formulas over the colder months is; pants with bright oversize sweaters or shirts or jackets, silver jewellery from one of my travels and bright bags. This handloom-ed Ikat shirt is one of my most favourite possessions, as is the hand-woven bag from one of the Pacific Islands, this Lamani coin necklace and this vintage army jacket. Some people would say there is too much going on in terms of colours and patterns but I am a believer of more or more when it comes to hand-made goodies.

I like documenting everyday outfits in everyday locations and I am lucky enough to live in a city where clean beaches and rain-forest-y goodness are common location options. I genuinely think bright shawls, colourful bags, bush and beach walks keep me going through winter, without them I'd be lost. There is nothing that warms the soul like a walk on a secluded beach, the crisp salty air, the rock pools, the towering cliffs and spectacular views. We like to use the shorter days to ensure we spend every bit of the daylight hours outdoors on the non-rainy weekends. Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend with heaps of outdoor adventures to feed your imagination for the coming week.

Travel diaries: Post cards from Gujarat-Part I

This is not Bohemian

I've noticed outside of those who know the difference between an anarkali & kurta, angrakha and kurti, kediyu and kaftan; my style (or lack thereof) is usually called 'gy*sy' (rhymes with pixie) or 'bohemian' etc and I want to talk about the fact that these terms are actually racial slurs and not a compliment at all. Most people call themselves or others “Boho” or “Bohemian” because they have thirst to travel off the beaten track, an eclectic/Woodstock-esque/hippy style or as 'gy*sy' because they aspire to dress similar and are 'wandering souls'. This is not just incorrect it is quite awful.

Bohemians originate from a region in Czechoslovakia called Bohemia with a lot of conflict and trauma in the past. Bohemian is an ethnicity NOT a style or an aesthetic that can be put on and taken off at will. It is highly appropriative to call oneself or others Bohemian.

Also I have discovered via research and from talking to people of that ethnicity that the laid back bohemian people that people like to emulate were that way because they had a massive opium and absinth addiction problem. The word bohemian is mostly just being minimalised as a people and reduced to a fashion style which is highly inaccurate and frankly goes against a lot of cultural morals. In the nineteenth century the Bohemian people were the lower class in France with the Roma so Bohemian became a slur for poor people.

The Romani are widely known as “Gy*sies”, however to the Romani people this is an insult and a racial slur as it is has connotations of illegality and irregularity. Romani people are a traditionally nomadic ethnic group residing mostly in Europe and originate from many different countries. When referring to nomadic tribes from Rajasthan, Gujarat or anywhere else it is incorrect to use the term 'gy*sy'. Genetic as well as linguistic research does point toward the fact that the Roma people were originally from the north of India and 900-1,500 years ago they likely migrated toward Europe. But as the term has become a widely used slur for a highly persecuted minority I believe we desis should absolutely refrain from using the word. After arriving in Europe, the Romani were enslaved in many regions, put to death in others and still more countries ordered their expulsion. Even to this day in Europe they are referred to extremely negatively and face a lot of backlash. I have seen/ heard it first hand and was shocked at some of the generalizations people made.

Honestly I've known there are negative connotations to this word and that the word can be used as an insult to some groups but didn't always know that one should refrain from using the word 'gy*sy' as a synonym to nomad. However meeting with and connecting to a wider range of inspiring WoCs have ensured that I am learning things and educating myself more and more. I think especially as People of Colour we should stand in solidarity as an ally to other marginalized communities and be even more circumspect about using slurs, it is up to us to not perpetuate appropriation and vilification.

I have also used the word bohemian quite a bit to find inspiring pictures etc but have tried and refrained from using that word out of context since I have learned a bit more. You might even find the word used previously in one of my blog-posts and I don't think there is anything wrong in growing as as a person and admitting that 'hey I've done it in the past out of ignorance'. The most important thing for me is to listen when we're called-out on something, to the person who is affected by the discrimination.

Also most of the things I wear from my clothes, to scarves, to accessories, to jewellery are native to the Indian sub-continent and calling my style anything but desi is frankly quite ignorant. When you see me wearing a 'hippie dress' it is more than likely I am wearing a kediyu or anarkali, when you see me in a flowy skirt it is more than likely a gaghra and when I am wearing 'bohemian' prints it is more than likely they are traditional Indian textiles. Like I said I am learning as I go, so if you are Roma feel free to correct me if I have got any of this wrong and/ or as a person who belongs to these specific ethnicities you would like to expand on this.

Travel diaries: Post cards from Kutch

The vast open desert barren save for thorny bushes, the beautiful textiles and embroidery, the salt marshes located by the Arabian sea stretching along the Tropic of Cancer and the beautiful oasis with migratory birds from far away, Kutch is beautiful! Here are a few pictures that barely do the place justice.

Travel diaries; Navlakha Temple, Ghumli, Gujarat

The temple in the above pictures is the 'Navlakha Temple' in Ghumli, Gujarat. Built in the 10-12th century AD by the Jethwa rulers of Saurashtra/ Gujarat it is dedicated to the 'Sun God' and is the oldest Sun temple in Gujarat. In my opinion it was spectacular, just rose out of the foot-hills in it's amazing ancient glory.

It is an important archeological site and we quite enjoyed exploring it one afternoon! Some-times I think India is so vast and there is so much beauty, in my lifetime I'll not be able to explore it in it's entirety. I am going to try my hardest though, this trip was full of visits to amazing places and it has made me even more determined to see more of this world! I long to be a permanent nomad, exploring and spending extensive time in places I like. But then I remember I need to earn a living.

Clothes-wise I stuck to the tried and tested bright long-kurta with jeans combination for ease and fun. These pictures don't do justice to the beautiful temple and it's surroundings barring the fact that the rubbish dumped around sites like these by people who come to visit, makes my blood boil!