Around the World in 80 Dresses

India is the land of colours not least due to the wonderful saris Indian women are wearing so gracefully. I showed some of my collection in post Le Pays des Couleurs on June 26, already. One can find beautiful selections of saris not only in India but wherever Indians live. Many are living in South East Asia and in Africa.  The unusual brown one I found in Singapore. I have adorned it with the mask of king Rama's consort Sita. Images from the Ramayana, one of the two great Indian epics from the past spread all over Asia. The green sari comes for Port Louis in Mauritius. The kangas of Zanzibar and the capulanas of Mozambique are relatives of the saris. They come in two colourful pieces, one to cover the body and one as scarf for head and shoulders. The East African women are playing skilfully with these two pieces of cloth. There is a mood  for hiding and one for revealing. Some like to make a statement and put on a kanga with a ...

I celebrated my Indian Summer at the Cape of Good Hope with two simplified versions of the Punjabi salwar, the combination of scarf, kameez and baggy or tight trousers. The dark red one being an interpretation by a group of young designers for the label Hip Hop, now sadly defunct. This Indian reminiscence is not as far-fetched as you might think. Indians emigrated to the Cape since the 19th century and Cape Town owns its foundation to the thirst of the Dutch East India company VOC for South Asian and South East Asian spices. The turquoise version has its origin in Mauritius with its fascinating mix of French colonial and Indian culture. At the market in Quatre-Borne I can hardly tear myself away from the stands with heaps of fabric for saris and salwars. In the street along the market I enter a shop with more fabric and more saris in brilliant colours. A mother and daughter are selecting a wedding outfit. One gleaming silk sari with sequin embroidery after another is s...