New avatars for some old Kashmiri shawls
If you are an Indian woman, chances are, a few expensive Kashmiri shawls have somehow found their way into your wardrobes.
Well, in my case, I wasn’t completely clueless about their arrival since I (now vaguely) remember being married and my mom, mom-in-law and some random aunties ensuring I have enough supply of shawls to see me through to my grandchildren's weddings.
My mom, especially, had always been extremely keen about collecting shawls with her excuse being they made great additions to the trousseau. All of this, was of course, without paying any attention to my general idea of style, which is many miles away from the typical shawl-saree combo.
So now, here I was, after five years of marriage, with a great collection of expensive fabric, none of which I ever wore.
So, here were my simple, yet determined, steps to address the issue:
Slowly slipping in the idea of using old items to make new outfits
Reinforcing the plan with some image references for my mom
Finding a good tailor, who won't let me down
Figuring out how I can reuse my shawls to fit my styling
Making R click some lovely pics to prove my point
Mission accomplished!
Here are some of my Kashmiri shawls reborn as a top, shrug and a kaftan dress. Yes, they are this winter’s happiest fashion finds.
The eye behind the lens: The images are clicked by Rahul Rout, a strong-headed, tantrum-throwing man-child, who is also the most reliable person when it comes to taking my pictures. We fight every time there is a shoot but I like how he turns up for the next one, all fresh and kicking. When he's not clicking my pics, he's writing codes or playing the keyboard. He also occasionally plays the guitar and sings songs that he randomly makes up from life situations. He whips up the best tea in the world and is a closet electrician and plumber. Oh, and since I thought this one is a total catch, I married him a few years back. It's been great ever since (gulp)!
