Yes, I'm still obsessed with Indian block prints.
Born in Amritsar in 1944, Ritu Kumar is the fashion designer credited for bringing boutique culture to India. Kumar started her fashion business from her home in Kolkata in 1969, using two small tables and traditional hand block printing techniques. Over the next two decades, she opened stores throughout metropolitan India as well as branches in London, Paris and New York.
 |
| The beautiful Ritu Kumar (SOURCE) |
Ritu Kumar is still trading today and I often visit her shops in India to swoon over her wonderful textiles. Back in the 1970s and 1980s she worked with Monsoon (read my post about the British label HERE) and produced a range of her designs for their shops and I was thrilled to find this '70s dress on eBay the other day, especially as I won it for a fraction of the price they normally command as the seller had neglected to include Ritu Kumar in the listing.
Her contemporary dresses retail at around £150, even if I'd had the cash to splash I probably wouldn't want to risk wearing such an expensive frock to the pub, unlike this one which I'm wearing today for an all-dayer in Wetherspoons.
The details: Vintage label porn, solid silver gem encrusted tribal bangle (bought in Jodhpur) and a Banjara choker, bought from the roadside in Goa.
 |
| WEARING: Anokhi dress (Mumbai), vintage Andrew Stewart mohair cape (charity shop), Reiss hat (eBay), 1960s-does-Edwardian leather & suede boots (car boot sale) |
The Anokhi dress (above) was one of this year's Indian buys and is a reissue of an original 1970s design. Take note of the label, that's current Anokhi so if you see a seller trying to pass it off as vintage, take them to task.
![]()
I bought the Kuchi tribal pendant from Jaisalmer.
I bought the Kuchi tribal pendant from Jaisalmer.
A girl can never have too many maxi length wraparound skirts (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it). I spotted this early '70s India Imports of Rhode Island on eBay the other day with an absurdly low Buy-it-Now price and not having one in purple I had to have it.
 |
| WEARING: India Imports wraparound maxi skirt, vintage Jeff Banks W1 label blouse (car boot sale), felted wool hat and 1970s Indian screen printed silk scarf (both charity shopped) |
Here's a close-up of the label (the company went on to become Adini) and the mirrored Banjara earrings I bought in Goa.
Have you seen those crazy people stockpiling food on the news? The only thing we stockpile is vintage clothes in readiness for the festival season - that's if the government don't ban outdoor gatherings and then we're well and truly stuffed.
We're trading at Glastonbury again this year - yay!!!
We're trading at Glastonbury again this year - yay!!!
 |
| Clockwise from top left: 1960s felted wool hat; 1970s St Michael dagger collar shirt; 1980s rainbow stripe suede bag; 1970s acrylic knit; 1970s Sears maxi dress; 1980s St Michael wool coat with velvet collar; 1960s Peggy's Pride cardi; 1960s Shannons of Walsall wool skirt; 1970s boucle edge-to-edge cardi; 1970s leather & suede shoulder bag by Dolcis; 1960s turquoise felted wool hat; 1970s felted wool hat; 1960s Gor-ray wool hobble skirt; 1960s St Michael swimsuit; 1950s vinyl handbag |
These are a few of the finds we've uncovered in charity shops recently. We try to be discerning shoppers and only buy what we like - not all vintage is good enough for the Kinky Melon rails - so a good 50% of the vintage gear we spot gets left behind. Just like toilet roll, hand sanitiser, and soap we never buy stuff just for the sake of it.
 |
| Clockwise from top left: 1980s Taste of West Germany wool blazer; 1960s Borg sheepskin coat, made in Canada; 1970s suede waistcoat; 1980s boiler suit; 1970s Sears leather-trimmed wool overcoat; 1970s Hawaiian shirt; 1980s leather bomber jacket, made in England; 1970s Carnaby Street jumbo cord blazer; 1970s American-made cowboy shirt; 1970s leather bomber, Danier of Canada; 1970s Western shirt |
I'll be back later this week with more of the travelogue.
See you soon!