Fashion

Thrift store chic

/ edebock / 4 Comments

I love shopping thrift stores. It’s not usually about looking for things I need. After all, I really don’t need more stuff filling my closets and cluttering up my life! It’s more about finding something I really like and paying almost nothing for it. That definitely appeals to my frugal nature! Thrift stores are also a great place to find cute stuff for the grandchildren.

There are two great little second hand shops in our area, the Good As New here in town and Killam Twice Nice a few miles away. Melaina and I visited both of them on Friday and found some wonderful bargains. Between us, we spent $11.10 and came home with 8 tops (four for each of us); three necklaces; a pair of earrings; a belt; a hardcover book; two Tupperware canisters; two  t-shirts, a pair of jeggings and a cute little dress for Jami-Lee; and two shirts for Drew! Amazing!

Here we are modelling a few of our finds:

 

This one's my favourite - blue and brown are my colours.

Island girl

/ edebock / 2 Comments

Following Augustine is not a fashion blog but once in awhile I have to depart from the norm and I know that at least one of my regular readers is a fashion blogger so this one’s for you, Nini.

Before Helen Ann left the island, she had to drop something off at a tiny dressmaking shop called Sea Shell Pink. One look at that cute name and the items in the window and I knew that I had to go in and look around. The first thing that caught my eye was one of the cotton skirts that are popular here. I’d already decided that I’d be interested in buying one if I found one that I liked and oh, did I like this one! When I tried it on, it fit like it had been made for me. It cost a little more than the mass produced ones that are sold in the touristy stores but the fabric and the workmanship are much better and it’s one of a kind.

 

It looks a little greyer in the photos than it really is. It’s actually more of a khaki green.

 

 

 

 

 

The flower in my hair is a plumeria. They grow on trees all over the island. The fragrant blooms last a day or two then fall to the ground. It’s quite common for a woman to pick one up and tuck it over her ear where she can enjoy it’s heavenly scent until it wilts a few hours later. There are three tiny plumeria trees alongside the driveway here and though they’re only about waist high, they have provided me with quite a few blooms.

 

 

If I really wanted to be an island girl, however, perhaps I’d have to add a couple of coconut shells to my wardrobe! I saw some of these in a shop today for only $6.95 but I think I’ll pass! They’re actually only worn by the traditional dancers.

Work for Widows

/ edebock / 2 Comments

We had a fabulous ladies retreat at the church this weekend. Our guest speaker, Jodi Faith, is in her own words “a living sign and wonder”. She has an amazing testimony and in addition to being a dynamic speaker, she’s an international recording artist. She’s also an ambassador for Work for Widows, a humanitarian organization that offers hope for a brighter future to widowed and abandoned women in Sri Lanka.

In the aftermath of the massive tsunami that devastated much of Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004, Canadian, Pamela Porodo, who was semi-retired and living in that country with her husband, Jerry, was introduced to a young woman at one of the camps for displaced people. Six months pregnant, this beautiful 21-year-old had lost her mother, father, husband and three year old child. Without hope for a future, she was taking medicine from other survivors and hoarding it so that she would have enough to kill herself. Pam managed to talk her into giving up the bag of medication. In return, she visited a local bead shop and brought her all the requirements to begin making jewelry and Work for Widows was born. Within days, there were 14 women in the program and today there are over 120. Over 350 children being raised by mothers and grandmothers are in school today because of the income it provides. $60 a month, the price of two or three pieces of jewelry, is enough to support one of these women and their children for a month! WFW has recently been asked to move into Haiti and is in the process of doing so.

If there’s one thing that most women love to do, it’s shop so we were delighted to have Jodi bring a suitcase full of jewelry to the retreat to sell! We poured over the colourful array with delight and most of us went away with at least one piece. Each necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings came with a tag carrying the name, photograph, signature and brief description of the woman who made it. After pondering several pieces and trying a few on, I finally made my selection. Unlike most of the other pieces, my beautiful necklace had two tags. When I asked Jodi why, she told me about Pieces for Peace, a special project of WFW.

I literally got goose bumps as Jodi explained that Pieces for Peace brings ladies from rival factions within Sri Lanka together to work on single pieces of jewelry. Both the Canadian High Commissioner and the Swiss Ambassador have recognized the Pieces for Peace program as a truly successful peace-building mission. One half of my necklace was made by Kanthi from Matara in southern Sri Lanka and the other by Meeramohaideen in Ampara in the north. By creating jewelry together and writing to each other on a weekly basis, these women, one Tamil and one Singalese, have learned that though civil war raged between their peoples for more than 25 years, they can work together in harmony. Kanthi uses the proceeds of her jewelry to care for her parents while Meeramohaideen, who was abandoned by her husband when she was three months pregnant, uses hers to support herself and her 13 year old daughter.

At $40, mine was one of the most expensive items on the table but it cost far less than similar items that I’ve seen shown in fashion magazines and it was a small price to pay to contribute toward the well-being of two women! I firmly believe that empowering women in a society that traditionally discriminates against them helps not only the individuals involved but also their families and their communities.

I love the tiny hand that dangles from the clasp of my necklace. It reminds me that this unique piece of jewelry was hand made. Not only will the necklace remind me of a great weekend spent with my daughter, my sister and the women of my church but each time I put it on, I’ll also remember the hands that made it and pray for Kanthi and Meeramohaideen.


Lovin’ my toe socks!

/ edebock / 2 Comments

In keeping with my desire to try all things Japanese, it was essential that I buy a pair of toe socks. These are very popular here and I’d been assured by my kids, who were introduced to them when Matt and Robin lived in Japan, that they are very comfortable. I recently found a cute pair in the 100 yen department of one of our local stores and decided that that was a good opportunity to give them a try. If I didn’t like them, I’d only be out a dollar. After wearing them for the past several hours, I can only say that I’ll be shopping for more! They are indeed comfortable as well as warm which will be especially nice as the days get cooler.

I assume that the style is an adaptation of the traditional tabi, ankle socks with a separation between the big toe and the other toes that are worn with the thonged footwear that both men and women wear with kimono and other traditional clothing.

In addition to both types of split toe socks, we often see jika-tabi which are heavy duty rubber soled shoes with a separation between the big toe and the other toes. These are most commonly navy blue and are usually worn by workmen but Matthew was able to buy a colourful designer pair on his recent trip to Japan.