In time for fall(almost!)

Hello lovelies!!

I have abandoned you guys for a while and I have no excuses this time! But always 'better late than never right? :) Some of you guys have been motivating me to keep posting and have given me heartwarming feedback that makes me want to be more disciplined and committed to what I have created here!

So, without further ado, here's an outfit my sister clicked me in-she got behind me to finally 'dress up' during my visit to India and took all the shots herself!A Manipuri ensemble of a skirt, top and a stole taken wrapped around. I have paired a Manipuri silk stole and olive striped wrap skirt or 'phanek' with an Indian Gujarati blouse. Gujarati blouses are famous for their vibrant and colorful embroidered designs sometimes with mirror-work. I borrowed the blouse from my sister since I loved it immediately and don't have one of my own! (On my ethnic next -list!)

Manipuri formal outfits worn like this are usually paired with traditional gold jewellery however most young Meitei women now mix and match with all kinds of jewelry from all over the country whether its the Kundan-Polki styles, traditional South Indian jewelry, costume jewelry etc.. Just hit me-I am yet to try a look with pearls-on the cards! :)

I have chosen to go bare on the neck but wore thin colorful metal bangles I picked up from Janpath in Delhi-another street shopping haven in Delhi. I am yet to share pictures of women dressed up during a wedding in these thin translucent stoles-put them all together and they're a vision, all angelic and dressed up as if fairies had descended on Earth for a kitty party!

The beauty of these silk stoles is how delicately the fabric is woven with pretty flowers and motifs and the gorgeous colors these stoles come in! I want to wear these stoles more often but being a doggie-mom, well you know!

So here's looking at me! :) Enjoy and be in touch!

Silk stole and silk wrap skirt -From Manipur, India;Blouse-(Gujarati)Borrowed from my sister;Bangles-Lokai and Janpath, Delhi; Peep toe pumps-Aldo; Earrings-Swarovski;Me-still going strong :)

Shop the look!

Earrings(same)

Pumps(On sale)

Note: Manipuri fabrics and apparel are still not available online! I wish I can make it happen!

♥le grá

  hauteinterpreter

Phanek + Blazer

Good morning!

I am being a good girl today!I have been up since early morning working on a blog post-high time ain't it? :)

Hope you're having a great middle of the week!It's perfect spring time with just that right amount of breeze and sunshine!
It's been a while since I put up a traditional Manipuri outfit so here's one! :)

I have paired a cognac and black woolen tribal phanek(wrap/sarong) with a rust top, a black blazer and some accessories. It's the wool that's bulky-not me ;) Blame it on the wool eh? lol.. I have yet to master the art of wrapping the wrap!:) Women in the North East go about their day-household chores, going to college, cycling even playing badminton in their phaneks!And trust me most of them do not wear belts or tie their phaneks/sarongs with string of any kind! One end is just neatly tucked in. Sigh!

For now I am just belting it!Hey, but i climbed a hill last summer wearing the phanek...without a belt!!And i survived, phanek in place, scaling the hilltop..I can't complain can I?? :)  I have been out of touch -that's what it is..hmmm..anyway!So here it is my tribal outfit!

Black blazer-Elizabeth Donatien;Rust knit top-Anthropologie; Cognac and black wrap/sarong-From Manipur, India;Bracelet-From Leh, India; Necklace-Zara; Ankle strap pumps-DSW

Get the look!

Black blazer
Rust top(sold out) similar
Zara necklace(same)
Bracelet(similar)
Ankle strap pumps

 ♥le grá

hauteinterpreter

 

The Mayek Naiba

Khurumjari!
(That's how we formally say hello or greet each other in Manipuri!)

Today I am wearing the traditional Manipuri 'Mayek Naiba' [I think we also call it the 'Mapan Naiba'-please hep me with this my Manipuri country cousins!! :) ] with a leather jacket(faux) and booties!The 'Mapan Naiba' is a phanek(sarong/wrap) with the trademark stripes and embroidered border. This style of the sarong comes in gorgeous vibrant colors and is traditionally worn with the 'rani phi' or silk stoles(see here). I am putting a little twist to it and wearing it as a maxi wrap! :)

This phanek is made of silk and is worn on special occasions or even everyday to work by working women in Manipur. For work, its worn as a half-saree(see here) and for festive/event settings, it is worn with the stole like I mentioned before wrapped around, with a blouse.

I love experimenting with the phanek as you know by now!;)  Check out these outfits here and here!I think it has a lot of potential as a fabric and garment. The booties and jacket give it a modern and edgy look-what do you think? :)

Chain trim Faux leather jacket-Forever 21; Phanek(Sarong/Wrap)-From Manipur, India; Booties-Mango; Earring hoops-Forever New

Image source-Google

Have an amazing day beauties!!

♥le grá

hauteinterpreter

Tribal skirt

It's been a while since I sported something from my little state in its little nook in Eastern India!Here's a tribal sarong/wrap/phanek which I have folded into half and worn as a knee-length skirt.Remember how I wore it in the traditional way as a sarong?(See here)
Now this is a more modern take on the humble tribal sarong/phanek. Did I mention-the sarong/phanek is hand-woven?I had a little blue bracelet from Ladakh that complimented the phanek fabulously! I wish I could open up a little boutique of my own to showcase these fabrics and clothes from my part of the country!
Until then, Robert De Niro(I love him-he also looks just like one of my dearest uncles!:) ) is being an ambassador(in a way) for a particular traditional scarf called the 'Leiroom'! :) The Leiroom is a hand woven scarf. It is used during ceremonial occasions across Manipur. It is an essential item of presentation during weddings, to receive guest in house and at formal functions .

:)

Robert De Niro wearing the Manipuri 'Leiroom'

Turtleneck-'W' India;Tribal sarong/phanek-From Manipur; Boots-Corso Como;Bracelet-From Leh, Ladakh-India;Earrings-Forever 21;Necklace-Forever New;Belt-Mango

♥le grá

hauteinterpreter

Paite chic

This cute pic of two pretty niña's belongs to my adorable little cousins(I am old enough to be their aunt!! :) ). They're dressed in the traditional costume of the 'Paite' tribe of Manipur and Mizoram in India. Aren't they little munchkins!!
The Paite are constituting tribes of the Zomi tribe(major tribe found in various parts of South and South East Asia).


The latest fall trend of the windowpane/checked prints can be interpreted in this fabric. How I would love to own one of these pieces! I am definitely getting a jacket and skirt stitched out of this fabric during my next trip to Manipur! It can be worn in numerous ways-that's the beauty of tribal fabrics-you can tailor it to your tastes and likes! The indigenous tribes wear it as a sarong/wrap and as smart jackets like these beauties are wearing! Imagine an outfit with tall boots or cobalt pumps!!Drooolll!!..Can't wait till I get my very own outfit!
Aren't these inspiring little chicas totally rocking the look with their smiles and adorable personalities?!! <3

The little ones in the 'Paite' costume ©Hauteinterpreter

Statement Parasol

I love summer- its the season of chiffon,florals, dresses and maxis and all things flowy! And of course not to forget accessories! The sunglasses,jewellery, silk and chiffon scarves, parasols and sunscreen!

Today I have paired a floral chiffon maxi skirt with a colorful ethnic mirror-work parasol from Jaipur, Rajasthan in India. These are small, light and so pretty!I took half an hour to decide which color to get when I was traveling in India recently. They were all so beautiful and charming.
It's the perfect accessory to beat the heat or when lounging on the beach!

Have a great weekend you all!Muaaaaahhhh!

Red tank top-Mango; Floral Maxi skirt-From a boutique in  Delhi; T-strap sandals- Joanne Mercer, Canberra ;Necklace-Dilli Haat, Delhi;Mirror-work Parasol-From Jaipur, India; Ring-Odel, Sri Lanka

Shop the look!

More Sam Edelman...

The Phanek Pareo!

Hey!

I am so excited to share this outfit with you!Like you know, I love to dress up and try out new ways to wear clothes. I was wearing this red phanek(read about the phanek here) at home when I started experimenting ways I could tie it instead of simple wrapping it around my waist. Being beach season, I thought, why not tie it as a sarong? So I pulled out two ends of the phanek(wrap skirt) tied the two ends together mid way and played around it a bit, tying it like a Hawaiian pareo! I love draped dresses and this kinda created a new silhouette too with the temple borders! I especially love the little flap it creates. Being silk and starched, it worked keeping the silhouette in shape! Sigh!! If only I could stitch!

Feedback welcome gals!!

A little note about the ring now! It is actually a vintage scrapbook sticker (from Michaels!) which I stuck to a plain ring to create this beauty!How did I do :) ?

Silk Temple border phanek(wrap)-From Manipur, India; Polka dot D'orsay pumps-Lucy's Manipur, India;Shrug-From a boutique in Mumbai; Earrings-From Jaipur, India;Ring-Michaels; Bow belt-Forever 21

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