Rajasthani chic!

Good morning guys!!

Another day in paradise! Or so I want to believe :) 

I told you I would share pictures from my recent visit to India. Here's what I wore on Diwali, celebrating the festival of lights with my family.

This is a 'Gota-Patti' embroidered sari from Jaipur, Rajasthan. Small pieces of 'zari' ribbon are applied onto the fabric with the edges sewn down to create elaborate patterns. A lovely bright yellow, I fell in love with it during a shopping trip to Jaipur years back.

I have paired the sari with a dull gold jacquard blouse. I would have loved to pair this with a lovely fuschia pink velvet blouse instead, for a vibrant contrasting look as my sister did! Am going to do that the next time!

Being my first Diwali in India after my marriage, I had to look the part-so I added some gold jewellery to complete my look. The gold bangles and ring are traditional Manipuri jewellery. My nails just happened to be grey which I realized after I looked at the pictures 2 days later! Sigh!!

And about the shoes....That's why I used to travel with a separate suitcase only for my shoes when I was a single gal. International travel and going back home after ages(the gifts take up all the space!) have left me with no choice but to go light on the shoes!!!! (Sad face)..

Anyway, I improvised with Old navy glitter flats which after all didn't turn out so bad did it now?

:) 

Stay tuned for more!! Have a fabulous day!! Muaaahhh!!

Gota Patti sari-From Jaipur, India; Shoes-Old navy glitter flats; Jewellery-Tanishq and from Manipur, India

Shop the look!

Gota Patti Saris
Indian Jewellery
Glitter flats

♥le grá

hauteinterpreter

The Half-Sari

The Half-sari is a lesser known way of dressing up, specific to Manipur in India.The half-sari was created by working women in Manipur- a practical and manageable way of wearing the traditional outfit.
As I have mentioned before, the Manipuri traditional outfit is a combination of the phanek(wrap) and a phi(stole). Instead of wrapping it around as usually a stole is, one end of the stole is pleated and tucked into the phanek and the other end worn across one shoulder as the sari is worn. Instead of pleating it and pinning it to my shoulder(as working women do), I'm leaving it open here. The delicate silk stole with floral motifs and the striped 'Mapan naiba' phanek (wrap) compliment each other. Mixing of prints- tried and tested, and interpreted here yet again! The outfit is accented with vintage Manipuri design jewellery. These designs have still not been incorporated into mainstream Indian jewellery and are are still limited to Manipur and only available in the region. Hope they are soon!

Silk stole, silk striped wrap(Mapan Naiba), puff sleeved blouse-From Manipur, India;Vintage Manipuri design gold necklace and studded gold bangle-Manikumar jewellers, Sagolband Manipur, India;  Strappy heels-Zara; Gold studs-Tanishq

 

Inspiration-Mommy!

As little girls, my sister and I used to love watching our Mommy get dressed for parties. We would get so excited when she was finally ready, complete with her daintily embroidered vintage kerchiefs, tucked into her vintage style mommy clutch(I am first in line when Ma's ready to bequeath it ;) )and help her with the final touches of her sari,tugging on the edges to make them even, pinning the pleats to make them stay in place and ironing them out with our little hands.

I would describe her style as minimalist and elegant. She was never about being 'made up'. She always used a subtle shade of lipstick, combed her hair into a neat bun and used matching accessories and pearls. Mommy always made a statement with her dainty jewellery. She never liked anything chunky.

I fell in love with the sari thus, and wore it to work sometimes too, inspiring 'Sari Tuesdays' at my workplace. Today, I dress up with a silk temple border Manipuri sari. The sari is handmade and this particular style is Manipuri-temple border saris are common across India-you have the Bengali version and South Indian versions as well. I go minimalist, following my Ma's footsteps; accessorizing with a pair of gold earrings and a vintage Manipuri gold 'Pundon Mapan' cocktail ring(a little on the chunkier side this one; Ma has a daintier version :) ). 

Manipuri silk temple border sari-From Manipur, India; 'Pundon Mapan'Gold ring-Manikumar,Sagolband-Manipur, India;Gold Earrings-From Pune,India;Ankle strap gold heels-From Mumbai

Traditional Manipuri finery

We have a decently numbered Manipuri community here in the bay area and we got together for a feast called the 'Ningol Chakouba'. The festival is similar to 'Bhai Duj' as known in most other parts of India. Its a beautiful concept; married women are invited by their brothers for a feast. It is a time for sisters to get pampered with gifts and a lavish spread of food items. It is one of the major festivals in Manipur.

It is a time for us women to dress up in traditional finery and look our best!It is of course a big deal!Going back and meeting all your folks again is very looked forward to, and eagerly waited for all year.

For an experience away from home, I chose to wear this hand woven silk stole in golden yellow, draped in traditional style and put in place with a brooch. I think yellow suits me no?The stole(called a phee in Manipuri)(read more about it here) comes in beautiful colors and looks ethereal on women during weddings and festivals. The wrap(called a phanek-this design in particular is the mayek naiba) is also hand woven and is tied at the waist,  also a classic piece(both the phee and the phanek are made in many beautiful, bright colors)-it could take a while to wrap it right :).  I paired the outfit with jewellery , designs which are very original and unique to Manipur.

Stole and Wrap- Wangkhei Manipur, India;Jewellery-Manikumar, Manipur, India; Sandals-Jimmy Choo

Traditional Manipuri Jewellery-Manikumar Jewellers; Manipur, India

Brooch-A gift; Earrings and bangles-Manikumar Jewellers,Manipur, India

Interpreting peplum

It was a little warm last weekend and perfect weather for a skirt. I am crazy about floral prints and when I found this floral peplum skirt, I picked it up without thinking twice. I paired it with a plain yellow sleeveless top with some detailing on the neckline, a pair of fuschia pumps and gold accessories for a fun afternoon look.

Yellow knit top-Mango; Floral peplum skirt-Target; Fuschia almond toe pumps-Shoedazzle.com; chunky bangle-from Istanbul;gold ring-vintage anarkali design from Manipur; gold hoops-Pantaloons, Delhi

Manipuri couture

My February wedding was followed by a small reception. The Manipuri phi( stole) and phanek( wrap) are traditional pieces worn on most occasions in the community. Add vintage jewellery pieces and you have a complete traditional look which is very elegant!

Vintage Manipuri jewellery-Manikumar, Manipur, India; Stole-Rani silk from Manipur, India(Read more here)