Sunday, March 20, 2011

Holi Folly!!

Its Holi today! For those of you not in the thick of things, it's the festival of color in India. That's why it ought to be my favourite festival too(I adore COLor). As a child in a missionary boarding school in the hills we didn't get to see the real thing but heard a rosy story of what the festival 'was' not what it's turned out to be, alas.
Coming from the sheltered hills to the real world, urban India was a bit of a shock; Holi was berserk, rowdy & wild. I stayed tucked in my shell for years on the festive day, with revellers ferreting out hiders with mounds of toxic color & pails of water.

This year, surprisingly, I'm eager to be be bang in the middle of the revelry (it's been a while) I want to get colored & I'm making my own natural dyes at home, with whatever I can find in the kitchen. Beetroot(Barbabietola) and turmeric (curcuma) will give me brilliant fuschia and yellow.

Turmeric powder
Boiled beetroot

Since my first lot of beetroot(which had aged a little) yielded a pale yellowish liquid, I did a second one. The color was cooling but Holi was already in full swing and in came the merrymakers, toxic, non-toxic, natural or not they gave a hang, if you're game you've got to get colored any which way... and so I joined in the fun!









Al fine di t-shirt bianca!
So that's how it was! :)
Holi it is.. I don't make the rules!
I hope those of you around the world who played had a great time too! 
 

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Merry Winter!

Winter has such an array of hats and other accessories .. we wrap up in all we own to keep away the shivers .. in style.
Warm head-gears range from chunky wools, felts to furs.
What's wonderful is that winter doesn't tuck away the colors for springtime; it can be a merry season livened by colors!

Felt Fiore
Merry beret!
 Neat Nero!
Chunky funk!

Little jester!
Classic Ushanka

Any winter warm stories to hear from you guys...
I'd love to know!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Head On..

Woolly head hunt!
Back with more headgear; the winter always takes me spotting woollen tuques when I go 'head' hunting. There's always a cheerful hat a slouchy tuque a chic beret or the ear-cuffed tuques in great color variations, stripes, patterns and trims too. I love woollies and knits especially since I'm from a hot city I yearn for the winter.

Tres chic!
Slouchy striped tuque!
I loved this style apart from her being wrapped up so well in her warm extended headgear the tiny badges on her coat made such an interesting detail-contrast from the bulk of her headwear.
Color coded scully & the glacial look


Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Strung Hats!

I fell upon this most delightful cluster of lamps at a vintage store in Florence, they're hats of all kinds strung from the ceiling. Thought it'd be appropriate with this post as I've been hat spotting!





Its interesting how people react to the camera or to a stranger coming up to them to ask if they could be taken a picture of.  I find it a great experience of human contact and exchange even for those few seconds. All of you people featured on my blog I've loved something about your way, for me to have you here. Siete belle e avete un stile personale e interesante.