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Revive Style

fashion, design and old world charm

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15th September 2016

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Oorja Makkad

Blogger | Designer
Millennial Sareephile
Indian Textile Aficionado

Musing on fashion, handicraft, sustainability narratives, cruelty-free beauty and eclectically homegrown design. Find me on Instagram @oorja.revivestyle.

#HANDCRAFTEDISBEAUTIFUL

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For all the lockdown entrepreneurs that grace my f For all the lockdown entrepreneurs that grace my feed, my collabs, my friend circle and my life 🌻
After you have exhausted what there is in business After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on — have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear — what remains? Nature remains; to bring out from their torpid recesses, the affinities of a man or woman with the open air, the trees, fields, the changes of seasons — the sun by day and the stars of heaven by night. - Walt Whitman wrote this in a piece that was about what makes life worth living, composed while he was recovering from a paralytic stroke. It's always in the times that challenge, shock and endanger you at a primal/physical level that I see people become the most awakened towards nature and it's appreciation. I think the coronavirus pandemic was not too different, was it? We lived in a very survival-based fear for so many months, jolted into our primal survival instincts so deeply at an everyday level and that too for the first time in a long time, as a human society. More of us adopted plants, spent time in nature, even retreated to WFH retreats in the woods. There was comfort in observing and honouring blooms, buds, sunrises, sunsets, silence, the chirping of birds, and so much else. Taking walks in gardens whenever I could was one of the things that kept me going during the lockdown. A respite, a safe space of relief and groundedness. Learning the joy that comes with an occasional bunch of fresh flowers in a vase was most certainly a pandemic discovery for me. Nature, flowers, gardens, the rhythms of darkness and light, the cycles of seasons, all of this deserves so much more of our attention than we've been giving it all these years🌻 Wearing handblocked anaars, a gorgeously ornate handcrafted silver kada from @store.aarna, baby's breath (locally called jhupsi) and a sadabahar flower in my little terrace garden. Quite a Persephone mood 🌷 Did the experience of this pandemic bring you closer to plants and Nature in any way? Share your experiences in comments 🌱
We seemingly have a purpose for our Instagram acco We seemingly have a purpose for our Instagram accounts, encapsulated skilfully in the limited, one-dimensional 150 characters of an Instagram bio. But, When I think of @wildflowerink.love and @the_stylewali , their influence makes me remember how I once used to feel conscious/guilty about spending money on something as unnecessary as flowers, but how I have now changed that thought to this - how beautiful it is that such a small cost paid to a local vendor brings so much joy, beauty and freshness into my home for days⠀ ⠀ When I think of @drapeastory , I am awestruck by her patience, warmth, kindness and affection to repost hundreds of posts from participants in her series and write a personalised, heartfelt note of appreciation for EACH one of them⠀ ⠀ When I think of @g3vinod , I think of how much it takes to build a warm home. Of frying vadas and beautiful South Indian food from her #lunchkuenna stories, her Yoga and her appreciation for classical music⠀ ⠀ When I think of @natty_nifty_narratives I think of how much more her Stories make me appreciate the simple pleasures of life. A home cooked Indian meal. A gin cocktail on a rainy afternoon, local savouries with a glass of wine. her ability to pause, to make the most mundane moments of everyday so beautiful ⠀ When I think of @anumerton, it's not the products that come to my mind first but how her beautiful process pictures inspire me to create more. When I think of artists like @richakashelkar and @jessillustrator, I think not of their art the very first but the inspiration I felt when they shared stories of their anxieties, their journey, and the behind-the-scenes vulnerability to becoming an artist.⠀ ⠀ It's never in our careful, skilful crafting of what we try to present to the world - our Instagram, our texts to a crush, our Stories - but in the tiny cracks through which our humanness slips. Our little favs - playlist, memes, songs, foods, books, corners of our home. This is what we're remembered by, what ties us in interconnectedness, that's our heart and our vibe. Every word you speak or picture you share, it's influencing every person that comes in contact with you so much more than you'd ever know 🌻
chikankari, mokaish, a rope of pearls, a sharara, chikankari, mokaish, a rope of pearls, a sharara, hand-embellished wedges 🌻 I'm a winter person much more so than spring/summer (I think it's a Bombay thing to feel sad about the summer's arrival), but this sunshiny outfit makes for a nice vasant ritu mood!
this week, behind the scenes, a lot more diversity this week, behind the scenes, a lot more diversity and beauty is being set up to join Revive.Style's storefront! I'm excited to reveal all the sustainable additions that are coming soon ❤️ In frame: Gansu Saree from @reenarosedass, which repurposed textile waste for that gorgeous silk appliqué. @suta_bombay's reversible choli, and more upcycled textile waste in the form of a fabric flower gajra by Pure Ghee Designs. The rings are my mother's gold! This was a super lovely slow outfit, from the archives!
Instagram keeps hitting me with a "Gift your loved Instagram keeps hitting me with a "Gift your loved ones therapy this year at 299 INR only" ad, and I feel supported and validated. I guess all the spying on my conversations has led IG also to conclude that quite a few of my loved ones, indeed, need therapy 😂 Thanks, you feel me!
just a really cool partnership I saw yesterday 🌱
of handlooms, hand embroidery and handmade silver of handlooms, hand embroidery and handmade silver 🌼 black & white: kota doria, a handwoven textile of Rajasthan identified by its signature checkered weave. When freshly starched and stiff, its stately and businesslike saree. When softened, it's wispy, delicate, feminine and summery. I think the most fascinating fact about kota dorias to learn of is how it's yarns are strengthened with onion and rice paste in the traditional process of weaving this diaphanous fabric of the western Indian desert. This one is handblocked with a Dhabu print. lavender: a handwoven khadi saree from West Bengal. Dreamily soft in the unique, instantly recognisable baby's breath way that only a Bengali cotton handloom saree could be. If you pulled one yarn out from this one, you can see the irregular slubs in the thread - since the thread is handspun - that give it that quintessential khadi texture. The streaks of white and lavender are reminiscent of rainfall rendered in miniature paintings, and this visual effect - a result of weaving with yarns that are only sparsely dyed - is frequently seen in plenty khadi textiles! blouse: a neat, defined, crisp hand embroidered appliqué - a craft practiced in Lucknow among many places and, in this blouse, hand embellished with mirrorwork. silver: handcrafted silver and threadwork neckpieces, both @store.aarna
'the mango tree bent with clusters of red sprouts 'the mango tree bent with clusters of red sprouts kindle ardent desire in women's hearts The ashoka tree that bears blossoms red like coral makes the hearts of women sorrowful The atimukta creepers whose blossoms are sucked by intoxicated bees excite the minds of lovers The kurbaka tree whose blossoms are lovely as the faces of women pain the hearts of sensitive men The kimsuka grove bent with blossoms, waved by winds, appears like a bride with red garments' - excerpt from Kalidasa's (poet) 'Ritusamharam,' which is, in the words of Harsha V Dehejia, "a poetic testimony of how intimately the moods of the human mind are tied up with the colours and sounds of the seasons in classical Sanskrit thought and art." Vasanta (spring) is not too far away 🌹 Source: 'The Flute and The Lotus: Romantic Moments in Indian Poetry & Painting' by Harsha V. Dehejia PS: I got that delicious neckpiece from a secondhand store! Ring is @sukkhi_jewellery, saree from @suta_bombay and the blouse a hand-me-down ❤️
Don't you ever tame your demons but always keep th Don't you ever tame your demons but always keep them on a leash - one among 1083637 things Hozier said that we all just... F e l t ✨ Two versions of my fav silky slip meets kashidakari shawl outfit worn in January - once understated with gold studs and vegan flats, and once fusion-esque with the handcrafted karigari of South Indian jewellery 🌚 #StyleRepeats #RepeatFashion
Decade old blazer, two decade old saree 🖤 I'm s Decade old blazer, two decade old saree 🖤 I'm so in love with shirtless blazers as a concept I'm definitely going to overdo it this month! This one was given to me as a hand-me-down from my aunt one decade ago, I'm not sure of its original age. The chikankari saree is my mom's, black with white threadwork, probably my age or a little older. A handcrafted, bohemian, intricate silver amulet pendant on a black cord from @store.aarna ties these two together like two cherries on a luscious chocolate cake! I don't think the look would've flied if it hadn't been for her beautiful jewellery. I'm always enchanted by Aarna's tasteful, sublime, precious creations! Entering @thebohobaalika's #15days15ways #tangowiththesaree in this vintage outfit, and also @sareesaatsamundarpaar's #blackforsankraant, and also @drapeastory's #RestylingWithPenaaz 🌚 Two much worn, much styled, much loved pieces come together on this special day!
the typical sUSTaiNabLE markers aren't here, its g the typical sUSTaiNabLE markers aren't here, its good ol' polyester tulle all the way. But what feels sustainable about it? 1) The make. Suits bought from traditional Indian ateliers/designers/shops/boutiques have a seriously huge margin. They aren't designed for you to quickly grow out of and then come and buy more. My mother purchased this for herself when I was in the school. She has worn it, I have worn it, my aunt has worn it, all at different occasions. A desi tailor can scale sizes on a generously margin-ed suit with his eyes closed! 2) The use. This suit is today more than a decade old, and has attended so many festivities on three different bodies! I myself have posted it on this feed multiple times, with different jewellery at different stages of my life. The classic design adhered to no fad or loud colour, it's a brocade overlaid with a tulle embroidered in dull gold. My mother, when she bought this, was smart enough to tell that this would remain timelessly stylish. The perfect sustainable garment (does it even exist? or is it just subjective?) would usually - on social media tokenism standards - be considered a sweet spot in the Venn diagram of handmade, handloom, naturally dyed, natural fabric, the levels of economics involved in its creation would all be rightly prosperous and the outfit itself would be, righteously, very expensive and out of reach for many. This is a conversation for another day, but we can't deny that truly, pedantically, wholly ethical consumption is a luxury afforded only to the very rich in today's world. But, sustainability cannot be competed upon, and participating in holier than thou sustainability is a disservice to the whole point. You do the best YOU can, and always know that it isn't just about what you're shopping and posting. It begins with how you are using what you already have, and what you're making of your means. This isn't an outfit I'd show off for sustainability, but it is one that I've used sustainably. Not every garment will please everyone, when it comes to sustainability factor. It's simply impossible. But we need to remember to make our sustainability about DOING, not just showing!
Caption this? But in Punjabi song lyrics only 🖤 Caption this? But in Punjabi song lyrics only 🖤🌚 #HappyMargashirshaToPaush
Consent to my love; let elixir pour from your face Consent to my love; let elixir pour from your face. Offer your lip's nectar to revive a dying slave, Radha. Radha, make your jewelled girdle cords echo the tone of your voice. Soothe the long torture my ears have suffered from cuckoo's shrill cries Glance at me and end my passion's despair. I recently started reading a translation of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda... And I'm losing my mind in aesthetic delight, page by page! Mellifluous style, richly painted scenes and delicately portrayed emotions. There's so many verses that are headily, passionately, lustfully romantic, but the manner in which they fall upon your mind is as light and gentle as a delicate blossom meeting the earth. I guess today's outfit quite perfectly captures that mood - @store.aarna calls this neckpiece "a young queen in the making," and quite rightly so for a dainty, crescent shaped stunner composed of freshwater pearls, rubies, gold plating and natural stones. Delicately blooming with a block printed cotton mul kurta from a designer in Udaipur 🌷
@saumya_sood clicks really nice pictures 📸🌊 @saumya_sood clicks really nice pictures 📸🌊
Comment to Book: Handcrafted, silky Ajrakh magic f Comment to Book: Handcrafted, silky Ajrakh magic for Pongal, Sankrant and merrymaking 🖤 We'll DM the deets!
touristy 🍷 touristy 🍷
Imagine: One signature outfit, everyday for the re Imagine: One signature outfit, everyday for the rest of your life. What would be yours? Mine would be a slinky bias cut silk slip, a Kashmir shawl, and little touches of delicate, handcrafted, artisanal jewelry 🌷 Ring, pendant and earrings by @store.aarna
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fashion, design and old world charm

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