bogged by baggage

I put together all the bags I own, inspired by lc at fops and dandies. I've always been quite a bit of a bag lady, but my love for leather bags is quite recent. At one time I was into matchy-matchy then it became contrasting and now it's more of neutral blend but I've always loved frame bags. I hope I have enough of nieces, goddaughters and other kinds of female (or male if any of these bag rocks his boat, so be it) kin to carry on the legacy. Four sizing categories.

twirl in the dark

doodle II ( there might be more to come)

doodle got carried away

slouch chic

googlyeyes

There are times when I go seriously wide-eyed when I see something I'm lusting after. This post is not about those times. It's about the times when I get googly eyed because my senses have gone off kilter due to an arrangement, combination or proportion.

Let me demonstrate.

Case number one- booties, boots, brogues.

A five star rating for heeled brogues revealing the perfect amount of ankle. My senses feel harmonious.

A four star rating for mid calf boots that meet the coat exactly.

Googly eyes when ankle boots cover an awkward amount of ankle to create an illusion of short legs, when clearly that cannot be true.

Case number two- Gold. Silver. Together.

Ouch.

Case number three- colored jeans

My rigid mind believes in staying true to the indigo roots of denim.

I've tried to cure myself. Bought myself red all stars hightops to begin with, which eventually got sized down to low-bottoms. I sometimes manage to survive wearing clothes and bags with gold and silver hardware, as long as I don't have to face too many reflective surfaces. Brrrr... but I still won't touch crayon denim. I have to climb stairs to reach home. I'd never make it with blurred eyesight.

Images used purely for illustrative purposes from style, facehunter and denimology. You need not have to agree to what I say although it would be nice to have someone second my opinions.

new muse

I know it's early still, but my inspiration for New year's- Morticia Addam on a slight trip.

handy pose ripped off my friend Mr. Z. I know he would want me to acknowledge it.

walking the line

When I started Fashion Rookies' Jar I was, in a way, looking to express what it is like to be part of fashion in India. There are a lot of misconceptions and often no opinion at all of what my country's style quotient is all about. It is very unfortunate that the Indian culture that often provides inspiration to designers, stylists, fashionistas, etc. abroad fails to find proper representation of the current fashion scene. Truth is that it is practically impossible to slot Indian fashion especially street style, mainly because there is no homogeneity in any urban community. While my peers and I may be able to recognise a lot of international fashion names, we also, shamefacedly, sometimes look down upon the Indian fashion scene for not being 'with it' enough. Similarly we face criticism and are misunderstood for 'westerners' because of our outlook and dressing sense. I'l be honest whatever I do, even if I do manage to draw that fine line between indigenous and foreign, I'l always feel like little bit of an outsider. Nonsense on stilettos was on the lookout for a blog by an Indian author in India. She happened to spot me and has featured me with much excitement on her blog. Sure, I'm thankful but it is a little discomforting to be the only one. So far.

Correction: I'm not the only one! In fact Nonsense on stilettos herself had already set the ball rolling on fashionable Indian blogs!

under uniform

I'm under house arrest for an indefinite period of time because of an allergy I've suddenly developed. Being at home has its privileges especially after being away from it for four years. But somehow I'm not very moved to push my stylish instincts when the audience consists of just my family who thinks I'm cute even if I wore a potato sack. In fact I can imagine the gushing and pinching of cheeks if I did just that. ("anything goes as long as your hair's out of your eyes." so mama says.) Worse still are the wardrobe constraints- no jewelry or metallic elements, no synthetic fabrics, no hair removal! I'm most comfortable when my elbows are covered and my knees are exposed, but slowly and steadily I'm inching towards wearing pants again as long as they are cotton. Keeping all of the above in mind some items of my cupboard have been on rotation mode catering to my fussy needs. I feel like I'm in uniform everyday, one because I see these clothes so often in a week,two it makes me feel like I'm back in school with its restrictions and three because of the structure of most these items. I figured atleast if I sort of catalogued it I might come up with a new ensemble everyday. So here goes, a week's progress!
(click to see enlarged version)

Balenciaga's bringing the bustle back?

The first farthingale was seen in the 1500's and universally acknowledged as the Spanish Farthingale or Vertingale which constituted of hoops made of wire, wood or whalebone, growing larger towards the bottom ot the skirt. Then the Elizabethan period of the 1600's saw the emergence of the French or the wheel farthingale. Shaped like the wheel with the woman standing right in the centre of it so an all round width was achieved. Then came the Italian one or also known as the bum roll farthingale wherein a sausage like roll was wrapped round the woman's waist with more cushioning at the back. This particular one had a shorter shelf life than the others because the exaggerated emphasis on the behind was considered... ahem.. vulgar. I suppose the tight corseted bosom was distraction enough! In the 1700's the hoops made a comeback only this time instead of the focus being on height, it was width that was considered the height of fashion. The basket like construction was focussed on creating a shape so wide that it was impossible for two women to walk through a door at once or share a couch. Then came on more debate on the indecency of wearing a bustle. Well, this arose largely because sitting down in a bustle would lead to the extreme see-saw like rise of a lady's petticoat. Thereafter which fashion began to take on a silhouette following the natural contours of the body.

That was until now, because the bustle/ farthingale/ hoops - whatever you may call it seems to have gotten a re-kindling by Balenciaga. For some reason it has a very avante garde feeling despite being based on strong historical elements. Probably because of the fabric, the bell pepper shape, the shorter lengths and the lesser layers of petticoats. I dont know but I wonder what happens when you sit in these?