Five New Outfits

Jessica, our associate and internet go-to lady, shows us what she wore to work at the store today and tries on a few looks from the pickings at our Minneapolis store.

Blisland Tunic- $88, Charcoal Leggings- $58

“This is how I came in today. It’s unusually cold and really windy for this time of year, so maybe unconsciously I’ve dressed in darker colors! I get cold easily, so I usually dress in layers. I’m wearing my favorite Mehera Shaw cotton leggings under a black tunic dress that I bought in Japan when I lived there. Over that is our Blisland printed tunic top.”

Shree Phul Jaal Tunic Dress- $89, Cherry Blossom Pink Topstitched Cropped Pants- $88, Silk Chiffon Scarf- $40

“This ensemble was actually one of a few featured in our Spring/Summer collection model shots. It looked so cute on the model that I had to try it on. I love these pants! They remind me of the 1920s. The blouse is so flow-y and comfortable, too. I tied a silk scarf around my waist for a little definition of my figure. One customer called this look “very swashbuckling” and I have to agree!”

Dusty Turquoise Top- $58, Brown Lace Skirt with Ties- $117, Handloomed Raw Silk Scarf- $50

“I really like chocolate brown and light blue together. It’s a really carefree, comfortable look that is put-together but still very relaxed. "

Golden Lotus Tank Top- $68, Black Voile Skirt with Pintuck Detail- $156, Handloomed Silk Colorblock Scarf- $60

“I’ve been dying to try this top on! The “Golden Lotus” print is my favorite at our store. One of our regular customers came in to try on this top and she looked so bright and cheerful that she made me want to try it, too! This actually came out more formal than I had expected, especially with the gorgeous scarf.”

Basil Green Wrap Dress with Printed Belt- $139, Boysenberry Blouse- $68, Indigo Cotton Scarf- $16

“I feel very jet-set in this look, like I’m about to go to Paris or Rome. I wouldn’t had thought to wear the Boysenberry top unbuttoned as a kind of cardigan, but it’s a great idea and adds even more color and sophistication to the outfit.”

Jessica, Minneapolis Store Associate, on Mehera Shaw Clothing

As a woman in her now mid-twenties, I’ve come to the point in my style life where I realize that my wardrobe is not quite professional and just on the edge of being “grown up.”
This is not especially surprising. I graduated from college only two years ago and my career has taken me from being an elementary school teacher in Japan (no place for silks and suits) to being a freelance writer and illustrator (where I can work in pajama pants and a t-shirt) to an Associate at the Mehera Shaw boutique in Minneapolis. Only now, working in the Fashion sector, is my wardrobe becoming more polished. I absolutely give the credit for this to Shari Keller’s designs for Mehera Shaw. All aspects of our clothing – the cuts, the colors, the prints, and the production ethics- inspire me immensely. I feel polished but feminine and entirely my own in my clothes from our store. More than anything, when I wear Mehera Shaw, I feel more confident and classically individual.

My personal style has come a long way since I first discovered pleated miniskirts and Doc Martens in high school, but it’s obvious that there have been two constants in my clothing history: COLOR and PRINT. My biggest style influences have always been the 1960s (with Mod London’s use of color and simple cuts to make bold statements) and the 1920s (with an increasingly internationally-inspired silhouettes and motifs and the dedication to artisan details and techniques). Mehera Shaw fits me perfectly since it takes aspects of both of these eras and incorporates them into a modern, polished look; the clothes are bright, colorful, unique, and incredibly well-made. When I look around our store, I find my favorite mod day dress re-imagined as a red paisley print shift, a prohibition-era gamine look embodied in turquoise cropped topstitched trousers, and the modern tunic as a reminder of the inspiration I draw from traditional world costume.

Like many, I’m also increasingly committed to Fair Trade practices and a have a strong preference for buying handmade goods. As a consumer, I want to send my money to the artists and artisans themselves, and I feel positive about buying at Mehera Shaw since I know that it will be fairly supporting everyone involved at our studio in Jaipur. When making a purchase at our store, I’m also supporting the farmers in India who provide the organic cotton and silk used to make our fabrics. Finally, as a former Asian Art major and all around “art geek,” I’m thrilled to be able to purchase contemporary versions of the centuries-old Indian artistic tradition of woodblock printed clothing.

Mehera Shaw has absolutely contributed to me ever-changing sense of style. I really am inspired by being surrounded by such beautiful, fun, and joyful clothing all day, and am always looking forward to what’s next for us!

Siobhan, Minneapolis Store Manager, on Mehera Shaw Clothing

Is there a way to lean back against the wall we have hit in our economy and strike an attractive pose? Might we find novel ways to look outstanding against such a grey backdrop? Let me tell you, those black and brown outfits won’t pop much against that aforementioned wall. That haute tough smirk won’t take you far this year when what we all crave is a genuine smile. What we need now is some color, some fun and delight.

In brighter times, when options and ideas were more profuse, it seemed sensible and somehow grounding to look hard-edged. In the midst of disposable incomes and trends those black outfits appeared nonchalant and stoic, a grand contrast to the hyper-stimulation of advertising and the burgeoning mass media. As the nineties crept forward through the millennium fashion embraced darker and darker cloth and attitudes that continued right through into recent years. The culmination came in skull-and-crossbones motifs in the strangest places- on baby clothes for example. Finally we started to see so much black polish and grey fabric that the nonchalance began to metamorphose into plain negativity, perhaps an uncanny prelude to the recent crash.

So the worst has happened, or so some would say. Here we are rebuilding and reframing our perceptions. Now, rather than a makeover for our home and a new wardrobe every season, we might just be able to commit to one or two new pieces of clothing every few months. Personally I want those pieces to be uplifting and graceful. I want them to be high quality, investment pieces that won’t quickly date and that justify the time I took in selecting them. Mehera Shaw offers clothing that is elegant and classic, with just enough whimsy to make the pieces feminine, and enough color to lift any black mood. The delightful variety of prints are examples of age-old traditions of printing and dyeing, making luxury and history accessible and most of all- wearable.

The tightening of purse-strings has also made many people more conscious of the Global Community and has given us a chance to pause and reflect on what we might do to be better citizens. I find, with less money to spend, I generally make far more conscious and conscientious decisions and think much more carefully about where that money goes when I sign it over. It is time well spent to find places like Mehera Shaw who are committed to Fair Trade and to ecologically sound practices. It comes as a relief to know that I am doing as little harm as possible and maybe even helping someone by considering more carefully where my dollar goes.
This is the perfect time to embrace the beauty that is ours to claim. It is a time to find charm in good company, artistry in that well-prepared dinner and pleasure in smelling the proverbial roses. In the midst of these shaky times I hope, as women, we can still find ways to celebrate and show ourselves in a new light. We need to take responsibility and be the beauty we want around us, be the happiness we still feel, and manifest these ideas not just in our attitudes but in our outer appearances as well.