Treasures from India

Last week we had the INDIA EYES show in our shop, as a kind of real-life blogpost of my trip to India, complete with captions about the trip. I thought it would only make sense to turn it into an actual blogpost, especially after Anna-Grace from our Saturday team sent through these gorgeous photos.

Keyring Bling

Jaipur traffic is completely nuts, & the Pink City’s streets are full of all manner of vehicle, occasionally including a camel! Rajasthani camels are known for their elaborate tasselled reigns & other embellishments, which is what has inspired these glorious tasselled keyrings.

Trims

While I was in the tightly-packed, overheated maze of Johari Bazaar, hunting for pompoms & tassels deep inside one of the Old City blocks, there was a power cut & we were plunged into blackness. Which is why we can say these trimming treasures were brought to you thanks to my cellphone flashlight 🙂

Jamdani scarves

Jamdani is a hand loom woven cotton fabric, and is one of the most labor-intensive forms of hand loom weaving, as motifs are woven individually with additional warp threads. Traditionally woven around Dhaka in Bangladesh, Jamdani is one of the finest muslin textiles that can be found. The traditional art of weaving jamdani has been declared by UNESCO as a Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Kaftans & hats

Just before heading back to Cape Town, I had fun in a tailor’s shop one day, selecting mix-&-match block-printed cottons to have made up into a mini-range of bespoke caftans & sun hats. The tailor made up my order in record time & delivered it to Hotel Diggi Palace at 10pm on the night before I returned home. Namaste!

Brass Tigers & Owls

I spotted just one gleaming painted brass tiger amongst the touristy items near the City Palace. Phonecalls & reassurances & many, many ‘just 10 more minutes” went by, and eventually a motorbike pulled up and a man strode in, clutching his shirt, which he unbuttoned with a flourish, pouring out six more tigers onto the shop counter.

In Hindi, the word for Owl is Ulloo. I love that name, and I love these little brass owl incense holders.

Kantha Cloth

Kanthas [KAHN-taa] are made by stitching together layer upon layer of old saris and fabric scraps, creating thin throws to use as bed covers and cushions. Mine is the perfect weight for an afternoon nap.

Picnic Pillows

We gave our new Picnic Pillows a test run at the show, all made up in the Diggi Dot fabric collection (which was inspired by my first trip to Jaipur), with contrasting trim. These ones are only available in the shop right now, but we’ll be rolling them out shortly, so keep an eye out.

Thanks again to Anna Grace for these gorgeous pics! Check out her photos on instagram too, right here.