Black dress look 1: with a crochet top over it

You know that I am not a big fan of wearing black. Anyway, in this post-quake situation, though more than one month has passed, it still doesn't feel right for me to wear something too bright and colourful. And then this basic black dress becomes very helpful. I can add bright and colourful accessories to it and it will not look "too much", neither "too boring". I can wear it with different jackets, shirts, crop tops or cardi, add different shoes and jewelry and the look will be new and fresh every time. I am going to show you a few of these looks. And for the start there is a little bit dressed up variant. Yesterday we went out for lunch, first time after the quake. I am glad that some of my favourite go-out places didn't suffer any or much damage. Baber Mahal is one of such places. So, I used this lunch as a chance to dress up a little.

Strange smiles of the Ainu women

Ainu woman, 1901, photo source

I have already written about the Ainu people costume and jewelry (here). And today's post is about another interesting feature that used to distinguish this ethnic group, particularly women. I am talking about tattoo. What was so unusual about the Ainu tattoo? Well, until very recently (the last fully tattooed Ainu woman died in 1998), Ainu women had black tattoos, resembling clown smiles, around their lips. And though Ainu women were also tattooed on the backs of the hands, wrists, forearms, eyebrows and forehead as well, their tattooed smiles were the most characteristic feature, and the most striking for any newcomer I would say.

Navy blue maxi skirt: ethnic way

My first photoshoot after the earthquake. What have I been wearing these days? Nothing fancy, of course. Mostly it's been loose pants or a maxi skirt paired with a t-shirt. Or something ethnic such as kurta-salwar combination.
Today again I'm wearing my favourite navy blue maxi skirt that has been featured on this blog so many times already. Yet another way to wear it: ethnic. Add an Indian kurta (tunic) with a fancy ethnic motif, large jhumka earrings, a chunky bangle - done.

Not just a baby carrier

photo source

The women of many Dayak  tribes weave glass beads into fascinating patterns that are used to decorate the unusual baby baskets that are sometimes the most valuable piece of property that a family possesses.
This type of baby basket is called ba. Mothers use them to carry their babies around on their backs from their birth and until they are two years old. The framework for the basket is usually made of rattan, which is then decorated with a complex fabric of beads.

Peacock bra: Nepali jewelers' masterpiece

Today I want to show you how talented and imaginative Nepali jewellers are and what they are really capable of creating. This unique piece made by RB Diamond Jewellers was featured at the Jewelry Show in Kathmandu a couple of months ago. The peacock bra/blouse is made of 9-carat gold and decorated with a total of 3000 precious and semi-precious stones, including diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, kyanite and aquamarine. The blouse is held by the pearl strings which are connected at the back and attached to a gold flower. It took about a year to be completed. I have no idea how comfortable it feels wearing this thing but what I know is that it looks stunning.

Pleated labyrinth maxi skirt

I don't know whether this skirt's pattern has any particular name. It reminds me of a labyrinth and so for me this is "my labyrinth skirt". Besides having an eye-catchy pattern, another special feature of this skirt is that it is pleated. The pleating is also interesting: pleats of the upper part are narrow and then they widen at the bottom.

You never know with nature

Just a few days ago I read a scientific article that said that possibility of major earthquake (7 and higher) in Nepal in the coming week was just 0.1%. And today, when I was about to do a new post on my blog, it hit the country again, the major one, 7.3. The odds were so small and still it happened. It is really nerve-racking. People had just started to calm down and now this...
Again there is a chaos in the streets, again all the shops are closed, again everybody is scared, again there is no electricity. At least, internet and phone network still work.
Just yesterday we went to a small town on the outskirts of Kathmandu, to give some relief material to people in need. Every family in our neighbourhood as well as my husband's organisation donated some money and we bought rice, lentils, oil, sugar, salt, mattresses, blankets and zing sheets. This used to be a charming medieval town, I had visited it before one time during a local festival. And this is how it looks now. So heart breaking...

Anarkali maxi dress and post-quake wedding

On Sunday we attended a first post-quake festive event: a wedding at our neighbourhood. The party was cancelled but they decided to go ahead with the ceremony after all. Of course, there was no music and dancing, no fancy food. Everything was organised in a quiet, homely manner. I still had not felt like dressing up but for the ceremony I simply had to. And I am glad I did, it really cheered me up. And though there was still tension on the faces and in the eyes of those who came for the event, it was really nice to get together, to forget for a while about what everybody has been through recently. I think people needed it.