Hallo and Fare the Well

Well, Kinda Back and Saying So Long

Well it's  almost six months and we haven't posted a thing.  The sad part of this is we don't miss it. Don't get us wrong, we loved the idea of our blog, but the execution was a bit time consuming than  anticipated (especially if you are working on two).

So, in short we will have to fold good ol' ethnic finery, and devote more time and efforts into our other blog (which is "saree a day" in case you're curious)

It's been fun, and thank you readers for your time and interest.  It was a blast.

-The Ethnic Finery Team

We're Baaaack, But For How Long?

Kinda, Sorta Back

Well, we're back, and we are sick!?! We go on a GREAT vacation and bring back a lousy cold.  At least we had a good time.  So, we're alive, and, unfortunately, our little break has to be extended until we're better. Sigh :-(

The Men's Edition

Hey, Isn't It Tuesday?

I'm sure you're scratching your head and asking, "Why is the Men's Edition on a Tuesday?"  Easy answer, we have to be on hold. Yes, it's the dreaded H word, Hiatus, or better yet, the beloved V word, Vacation. Hey, we need to take a much needed break because there is too much going on with our lives (office moves, new school year, and a HUGE project in the works),  and we will be back August 28.

So, on with the show!

The Brogues

Yes, shoes, and what kind of shoes? Brogues. So, what makes Brogues so ethnic? Easy, they have a gaelic/celtic background, but let us not split hairs on this.  And sure, there is a woman's version, but we're not talking about women, are we? We're here to talk about Brogues+men because they are so smart looking and can go from casual to dressed in a matter of seconds.

We're sure you've seen these "pieced" shoes about, and the Ghillies looks like gladiator evening wear!  There's a lot of info out there on these shoes, so we're just going to sit back and enjoy the view.

Until August 28 or early September the latest!

Ghillies

The Men's Edition

Men In Skirts, Again!?! 

We are sure you are acutely aware of our thing for men in skirts. So don't be so surprised if we have more posts about the subject.  Sure, they're not exposing anything of value, and the majority of the designs go down to the ankles,with the exception is the kilt and a the Grecian version, and cover up a good bit.  So, what's the fascination?  We don't know, we just enjoy it!

So we digress, and come back to the mundu. What is the mundu?  Well it's in the same family as the dhoti, and sarong family; however, this bad boy come in cream and white with a line of colour in varying widths.

Big B in a mundu! The B looks good in any attire!

Photo by Thaha

Photo by Arjun Kartha from Bombay Brides

Photo by Arjun Kartha from Bombay Brides

Hint: If you search the images for a mundu, you will probably see this really goofy looking man with a mustache (yeah, looks are in the eye of the beholder) who looks like he got blasted back to the 70s and 80s, anyway, who is he? We also discovered that there is a serious lack of pics with good looking fellows in the mundu! 

All That Glitters Isn't Gold …

… it's Silver!

Silver jewelry has a special place in our hearts. To be honest we're not big fans of gold-sure gold is beautiful in itself-but everyone has gold this and that, which is fine.  However, silver jewelry, especially tribal silver is something we can't want to live without.  Silver is not pretentious, unlike gold, and there is a sturdiness and solidness about the adornments. Plus, silver comes in so many shades of grey (no reference whatsoever to the books :-P) from the palest of shimmering grey to the dark clouds of gunmetal grey.  And real gold? Well, gold is gold.

In conclusion we ask you, what is there not to love about silver? Our answer is that it has an elegance that begs for attention in a polite manner.

Thai

India

Morocco

Mexico

Native American

Tribal

Thai

The Men's Edition

Men In Skirts Two: Kilts

You already know we have a soft spot in our hearts for men in skirts. This can be traced to the first time we saw a man in a kilt. In fact, it was a Sean Connery (the best James Bond as far as we're concerned). 

Men can go for the traditional kilt, or opt for the contemporary to be worn.  We got a thing for a young man in a kilt and creepers for a thoroughly modern look, don't believe us, take a look at the third picture of the young man in black from France. Surf the web and you will be surprised how many celebrities, Gaelic and non, have donned the kilt with some looking quite smart and others a bit silly-we didn't post the silly looking ones.

Interestingly enough, kilts are not just for Scotland, they are also worn in Ireland, Wales (Prince Charles anyone?), Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Galicia in Spain, the Trás-os-Montes region in the north of Portugal, Normandy, as well as parts of England, particularly the northeast.

Sean Connery in kilt, so regal!

Kilt and Creepers a la France

Steampunk Kilt, quite appropos

21st Century Kilts

Irish Military Band in Kilts

Lennie Kravitz looks good in anything!

The McGregors 

Love this spoof on Marilyn Monroe's iconic image!

Terracotta Beads

Is This Awesome, Or What?

Sometimes, I wonder where my brain is? I know, it's in my head, but sometimes I think it's floating in the clouds, okay, I digress.  So, what am I talking about? Terracotta jewelry. Yes, terracotta-good ol' baked clay.

Sure, clay beads have been around for centuries, and, of course, you have the terracotta pots so coveted by gardeners; however, terracotta jewelry?

Why not?  The material can be shaped and painted upon to make some stunning pieces, or left in it's natural colour-which is so pretty. Of course, India offers some extraordiary examples of terracotta beadery.

My only worry is if I drop the jewelry-let's face it, I am clumsy-it would break my heart to see my jewelry shatter-and the glued together look isn't too flattering. 

Looks like it's left in it's natural 

colour and sealed

Ok, I really would love to have this piece!