MarketPlace: Handwork of India

The other day I was contacted by a company called MarketPlace: Handwork of India with the offer to review one of their products.  I had never heard of this company so I did a little research and they’re pretty amazing.  They are a nonprofit Alternative Trade and Development Organization that works with 480 women artisans around Mumbai, India, to produce clothing and home décor items showcasing authentic techniques such as hand batik, ikat and hand embroidery.

The women work in supportive, non-exploitative work environments in the form of 14 cooperatives around Mumbai, which the women organize and manage.  And, addition to the much needed employment, MarketPlace works in conjunction with another nonprofit organization in Mumbai, SHARE, to provide social programs to the artisans.  And the women in turn use their own social program, Social Action, to get involved in their communities, tackling everything from garbage collection to domestic abuse.  

So, yeah, pretty amazing.

And so are the items they produce.  Like the Majuli Tunic:

Here is a close-up of the hand printed pattern and the hand embroidery at the yoke:

I don’t wear a lot of purple, but I love the dusty plum of the tunic.  And I love that the embroidery inspired me to pair the tunic with a mustard scarf:

Really, what's not to love about a company that empowers women and inspires the wearing of mustard?!  That's right, nothing.

To share in the love and learn more about MarketPlace: Handwork of India, please visit them here.

And have a Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

How It Works

My sister looked at today’s outfit and said “I don’t get it”:

I said, “What is there to get?  They’re both plaid.”

She responded with, “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

I responded by laughing really loudly and saying “That’s exactly how it works.”

The thing is, I honestly do think this outfit makes perfect sense.  I’ve had the skirt for a while but the sweater vest is a recent thrifted acquisition.  But, when I tried the vest on, my immediate* thought was that I would wear it with this skirt.  

For me, a plaid with a plaid is nothing but good, especially when the other rules of pattern mixing are followed; these pieces have a similar scale and they share a predominant color.

Vest: thrifted vintage   Skirt: thrifted vintage  Tights: Spanx  Belt: Gap, similar  Shoes: Naya "Jada", similar

Okay, so I guess both pieces being plaid isn’t what makes these pieces work together, but I still maintain that they do work.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

*Okay, that’s not entirely true.  My actual immediate thought when trying this vest on was “holy side-boob!” as it’s open basically to the waist.  But, my second thought was to pair it with this skirt.  I swear.

Brights for Fall

For some reason super-saturated bright colors feel like fall to me.  Most people tend to start pulling out their browns, tans and rusts but I start pulling out brightly colored pieces like this dress:

 Hmm.  It looks a bit muted in those pictures, but it really is quite bright:

 
See?  Lovely and bright.

I found it last weekend on a quick jaunt through Goodwill and couldn't wait to wear it.  Happily it's warm enough to do so without having to layer so I paired it with my Born riding boots and added a belt (thrifted) and hot pink studs (Kate Spade New York).

Also, for those of you who felt like you were being watched as you read this, I think it might be my boobs:

I didn't realize it until we took the photos, but that particular design element makes it appear as though my boobs have eyes.  And that they are watching you.

You're welcome?

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Pretty Dress, Awkward Photos

My dress is pretty.  My photos are awkward:

In my defense, it started to rain when we were taking these which made me sort of hunch-y, but damn, yeah, that's awkward.

The dress really is pretty though, see?

 

 I love a bold floral and the bits of orange in this one make me very happy indeed.

Also making me happy?  The fact that aside from the bracelet (Nordstrom), everything in this outfit was thrifted (dress, shoes, belt) or gifted (necklace).

Happy Friday, All!

Gracey

Pink Stripes, Floral Pin

I wear my pink striped dress a lot during the summers.  And I usually pair it with equally summery shoes and accessories.  Today, however, I went a slightly darker route:

Dress: thrifted vintage  Belt: Gap  Sandals: thrifted

All so I could wear my black, lacquered floral pin:

Vintage, handpainted black lacquer brooch

Because, sometimes, all a girl wants is to wear pink stripes and a floral pin.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Hats, Flowers & Rabbit Deer Creatures

I don't like wearing hats.  I never know how to wear them or what to do with my hair.  And because my head is kind of small for a giant, they often don't fit me right and tend to blow off.  Even when it's not windy.  So, no.  Not a fan of hats.  But, I'm even less of a fan of sun damage.  So, I'm always looking for a sun hat that fits my wee head and protects my face.

Enter the roll-up visor from the Dorfman Pacific Scala Collection*:

This thing is brilliant.  First of all, it rolls up for slipping into a beach bag with ease, and because it's paper braid, it does so without wrinkling.  Speaking of wrinkling, I firmly believe the 5-inch peak, which offers the equivalent of SPF 50 protection, will help keep me from doing so as well.  And, it's adjustable, so it fits my tiny head perfectly.  The best part though?  I can wear a bun or a pony tail with it, because it's a visor, not a hat:

No more having to wear my hair down and getting all sweaty and angry.  And, it's perfect for laying in the sun (with sunscreen, of course) as well, because it doesn't continue all the way around.  It's just seriously altogether brilliant.  And reasonably priced as well; it retails for about $25.00.  You can find them, in multiple colors, from brights to neutrals, here.

This past weekend was beautiful here in Oregon, so I took my visor out on a test run to the farmer's market.  And it was perfect; it stayed put, even with the strong breeze, and I don't appear to be any more wrinkled.

Also perfect?  The market:

Purple Dutch iris

Blue Dutch Iris

Cascade Baking Company Bread

A red sedum for my nephew's collection.

The center of this thunder egg kind of looks like a leaping rabbit-deer-creature.  Kind of.

Dutch iris in zinc pails.

Potatoes.  I don't know.  I just like them.

So, in summary, this visor is awesome.  Farmer's markets are awesome.  They are awesome together.

Happy Tuesday, All!  Don't forget to enter my Shabby Apple Giveaway!

Gracey


*This sunhat was sent to me courtesy of Dorfman Pacific.  However, all of the opinions voiced in my review of the hat are mine and mine alone.

Watercolor and White

This weekend I received a gorgeous watercolor-print scarf from FRAAS:

It is the Mystical Waters scarf, in turquoise, and it’s great.  It’s actually pretty big (40 x 72 inches) and can be used as a wrap, but isn’t too bulky when tied as a scarf, which is how I wore it today:

I wanted to keep the focus on the scarf, so I kept the rest of the outfit neutral, pairing it with a gray tee (Target), trouser jeans (Banana Republic) and a white blazer (Banana Republic).  I also added a clear belt (v. old, Old Navy) and platform booties (Nine West via TJ Maxx).

I think the scarf adds just the right amount of color, texture and interest to the look.  It’s definitely a piece I can see myself wearing all spring and summer. 

If you’d like a FRAAS scarf of your own for the upcoming season, this particular scarf (Style 623949) can be ordered by calling 212-575-0191.  And other scarves are available at fraas.com and amazon.com.

Happy Tuesday, All!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Similar trouser jeans (available in Tall)

Gray Target tee

Similar white blazer (available in Tall)

Similar clear belt

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

 

What Really Goes On

Most of my readers are used to seeing me look like this in photos:

I’m usually smiling, because I like smiling, but also because I think blogging is fun.  I’m usually front to camera because I like to clearly show the outfit I’m wearing.  And I usually have my arms at my sides or have a hand on a hip because I can’t ever figure out what else to do with my hands.  (Moment of clarity: I bet that’s why bloggers carry clutches.  Now I get it.) 

But, I think I owe it to you, Dearest Reader Friends, to show you what the other 40 pictures that I don’tpost look like.  To show you what really goes on.  Which, more often than not, is stuff like this:

I am pretty much always talking and often gesticulating.  In the above photo I’m demonstrating how it was so cold this morning that I had to break the ice on my horse’s trough.  I don’t have a horse.

And this:

And, in that photo I am expressing confusion over my friend, Ferge’s, confusion about today’s color combination. 

I think flame cords (Target) and a lavender button-down (Gap via Goodwill) make perfect sense.  Ferge does not.  At least she didn’t criticize the houndstooth shoes (Old Navy via Goodwill) though.  But, really, who would criticize houndstooth shoes?  They so very clearly go with everything.

ETA: Although I don't consider my pants confusing, I'll admit that they're bright, so I've linked up to Visible Monday over at Not Dead Yet Style, hosted, as always, by the lovely Patti.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Shop the Look:

Exact Target cords

Similar lavender shirt

Similar houndstooth flats (now on sale)  

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.

Tight and Moody

This look is both tighter and moodier than I usually go:

Although, I think it really only seems tight to me because my boobs are in one of their bigger iterations right now and the shirt is both high-necked and stripe-y.  Also, I ate some donuts before I took these photos.  Note to self, tight stripes and donuts are not your friend. 

As for the color palette, it is moody, maybe a little grungy even, but I like the mix of the purple striped tee (Rebecca Beeson via bluefly) and the leopard skinnies (Old Navy Rock Star).  I also added a black cardigan (Old Navy) and charcoal boots (Gap) because when your outfit is feeling moody, it’s best to just go with it. 

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Gracey

Gracey Wins Again

I don’t wear this sweater dress/tunic/thingy very often because it’s quite difficult for me to style.  But, this morning, I thought if a shar pei can look cute covered in loose folds, so can I:

Okay, so maybe that's not the best logic I’ve ever applied to an outfit, but I kind of feel like this works.  Probably because I also wore a turtleneck and they make everything better.  In addition to the sweater thing (???) and the turtleneck (Gap), I also wore a knit pencil skirt (Elementz via Macy’s) and herringbone tights (Hue).  I finished the look with a belt (thrifted), cuffed boots (Gap) and a fringe necklace (Jessica Simpson via Macys).

In all honesty, I think it’s probably the belt that saved this look, not the turtleneck; although I think we can all agree that the turtleneck played a strong supporting role.  The problem is that no matter how carefully I arrange the folds of this sweater, it has a tendency to accentuate my tummy.  By belting it with a contrasting belt at the smallest part of my waist (also known as my ribs), I fool the eye into thinking my waist is smaller than it is.  Yeah, take that, foolish eyes; Gracey wins again! Muah ha ha ha ha.

Happy Thursday, All!

Gracey

Shop The Look

Similar sweaterdress

Similar pencil skirt (I looked for my actual skirt, which I got just last weekend on clearance at Macy's, but couldn't find it online.  They had a lot left in the store though.)

Similar herringbone tights

Similar cuffed boots

Similar necklace

Similar turtleneck

 

 

** Disclosure: Actions taken from the hyperlinks in this blog post may yield commission/compensation for the writer. Please see the Disclosure tab for more details.