Styling the items - 1

I am actually into the last week of the challenge - and have generally had much less need to worry about shoes with being confined to home! My slippers are a bit dog-chewed so I shan't be sharing them, but do have a look at The Small Home.

I'll put up some of the 'looks' during this last week, so to start with the Nomads print shirt and Monkee Genes jeans. Nomads have recently been showing some of their looks pictured in this way - so I stole the idea from them!

Here they are matched with my red Conker shoes, which I have had for years and a 'skinny stitch belt' from Elvis and Kresse which I was chuffed to have found in a sale. The latter is made from recycled fire hose and wears really well - no sign of the surface rubbing or marking with the buckle as tends to have happened with my leather belts.

Fair Trade Fortnight - Day 11

A different company to include today: Along with People Tree black leggings and overskirt, Elvis and Kresse belt, Soul of Africa boots and an asymmetric necklace in just the right colours, I am wearing a waistcoat by Aarong, This ethical brand began in 1978 as a means to empower rural artisans to rise above poverty. Today it supports over 65,000 artisans and has 15 retail stores across Bangladesh.

Close-up of embroidery

The lovely hand embroidery is a piece of Nakshi Kantha, a traditional rural craft. While each kantha (the word for a light quilt, originally made from sewing together layers of used and worn fabric such as saris) has designs that are unique to its maker's imagination, usually there is a basic traditional pattern. Common motifs include lotus, sun, moon, tree of life, fish and animals such as elephants, tigers or peacocks.

Aarong have some beautiful embroidered silk saris on their website - but it doesn't look as though they ship as far as here, sadly, as the prices look incredibly reasonable to UK eyes.

Fair Trade Fortnight - Day 5

Back to the plum Monkee Genes cords today, with a white Bishopston shirt, red Nomads cardigan lined with print fabric, red Conker bar sandals, red Elvis and Kresse belt from recycled fire-hose, ear-rings from Covent Garden and an angel necklace from UKUnicorns.

Bishopston Trading Company closed down after 28years of working with the village of K V Kuppam in South India creating employment in weaving and sewing. However by then all of the workers children and been educated and many gone on to higher education, no longer wanting work in weaving or tailoring, Coupled with that we ethical purchasers in the UK were buying less. Fair Trade Fabric sold Bishopston cloth by the metre but fortunately have managed to find alternative suppliers so we sewers still have that ethical source of lovely cotton fabric in wonderful colours.

Conker Shoes website says: Conker Shoes has always been a small friendly business with a strong ethos of fair trade. Each pair of shoes is individually made especially for you.
While they may look pricey (they were about half this price when I bought mine) they really do last 'forever'. They will resole and repair - but mine have not needed it yet.