Shopping antique fashion jewellery and handicraft textiles in Jodhpur, Rajasthan at a cute boutique in Ras Haveli.
I needed a break from the more simple things in my wardrobe. I was in Jodhpur. I needed to inject into my look, the colourful and cheerful vibe I saw women all around me carry. This is as far as I got :| Black with shots of colourful embroidery. You have to look up to Rajasthani women for their highly developed sense of colour and textile, they are truly an inspiration!
I did though, embrace the seasoned and stylish traveller vibe on my trip to Rajasthan. A bit of texture, a handful of fringing and smattering of embroidery – perfect for when the sun is shining. Earthy colours and rich patterns were at the core, as did mixing, matching and layering to obtain a sophisticated and well-travelled feel. Here I layer an antique spike silver bracelet from Rajasthan, Button Masala (Anuj Sharma) bracelet with an antique silver bangle from Gujarat to compliment my Kimberly Orvitz metal vest layered over a textured dress over a hand-embroidered skirt from Jaipur. Phew.. I wasn't kidding about the layering, you see :P
A first visit to any place should really be about going to all the sights, doing the quintessential thing native to that place. Ok, so I went to Rajasthan and savoured some Dal Bhati, visited a fort or two and saw a camel. But does that mean I have to shop like a tourist? No sir! Its always been a real tick of mine to really try and get 'under' the surface of a city's shopping opportunities and I think I found a bit of a off-the-beaten-track gem.   VJHOME was like rifling through someone's wardrobe in their lovely apartment except from 5 decades years ago. By 'off-the-beaten track', I meant it wasn't in an obvious shopping market (Ghanta Ghar) and rather than a traditional shop front, you walked through a renovated haveli courtyard (Ras Haveli) and found that this boutique was nestled in corner behind some plants and a cafe. It offered a selection of handpicked antique textiles reconstructed into modern dresses, jutis, antique jewellery, bags repurposed from vintage fabrics, scarves and skirts.. Needless to say, I left Jodhpur content and delighted.
PS. My travel mantra - Tourists don’t know where they have been, travelers don’t know where they are going- Paul Theroux.