The Skorpions are coming

Comes word that you can meet the artists who created the Skorpion entry in today's Computational Couture post. FAR (Future Arts Research) at Arizona State University (Tempe) is sponsoring the event at The Icehouse on May 13 at 7:00 PM. Wine will be served.

The press release says to contact Sarah Munter at 602.258.1852 with any questions but she has yet to return my call from last Friday. Ba-dump-bump. If I were closer, I'd go. More info is below the fold.

Winter Coats for plus sizes - Puffy coats galore!

I don't know about where you live, but in NYC it is getting SERIOUSLY cold. So, I figured I'd show you some of the more stylish picks us plus girls have out there for winter coats. There is actually a pretty good selection available online and I keep running across one style I really like - puffy coats. When done correctly, puffy coats don't make the wearer look any puffier than they already are, but they do keep you nice and warm.




(L)Quilted Jacket, $65 at Fashion Bug
(R)Downlight Jacket by Eddie Bauer, $105 at Amazon.com




(L)Sunburst Down Coat by Via Spiga, $168 at Nordstrom.com
(R)Hooded Puffer Jacket by Alfani, $200 at Macys.com

Other great places to snag a puffy jacket this winter include: Avenue.com, BabyPhat.com and OldNavy.com

Ceramic Textured Vases

Add some visual texture to your coffee table with these matte-white stoneware vases from West Elm.

$9.99 ; (sale) each at West Elm.

Flower power

I have a thing for cheap Summer bags. You know the kind, big enough to carry a load of stuff, cute enough to turn heads, but inexpensive enough that when the inevitable sunscreen squirt, or errant slushie (always cherry) explosion happens you don't think twice about moving on to the next bag.

The Pout Patchwork Beachbag is just such a bag. It's a patchwork of assorted cheerful florals in varying sizes, but in the same color family. The rope handles add a nautical Summery touch, and the ties at the ends gives the bag a subtle boho flair. I am also loving that it is not a tote or backpack style, but more of a modified duffel. It looks to be the perfect size for a big towel, magazines, flops, anything you need for the beach. There is no information about inner pockets, closure, or much of anything detail wise, but the cuteness says it all...and at $26, it's worth taking the chance.

The flowery happy patchwork beach bag is available online from Victoria's Secret.

rural uttar pradesh and delhi

Comfortable private transport, unlike accommodation, is inexpensive in India, and so I hired a car with a driver for four days to explore the northern rural areas of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states, and deliver me to my final stop in Delhi. Which brings me to considering the way people travel on the roads here… I was impressed by the ingenuity and grace of women riding sidesaddle on the backs of motorcycles with babies in their arms and a second child artfully folded between father and mother. It is no news that helmets and safety precautions are only the vaguest of suggestions for drivers of all vehicles. As I people watched from the backseat of a car which was itself diving in and out of traffic with wild abandon, there were many times I just closed my eyes. Motorized pedi cabs (tuk tuks) intended to hold two adults in the back regularly hold 6 to 8 while trucks tear down the potholed roads with 30 people perched high on top of the load. India has a crazed new love affair with the car, and has produced a number of very cheap ones, most recently Tata’s Nano, which sells for about $2K. In the country, there was still room on the roads, but in Delhi, as with other cities, the roads seemed choked past capacity already, with unbearably dense air pollution, and I wonder how this country will adapt to a car revolution.

I found myself surprisingly drawn to India’s northern countryside, with its vast, flat expanses of farmlands, village paths, and huge shady trees. Here is where I came across some of the sights I found most magical. Families of wild monkeys playing by a river, a working train of a dozen camels haughtily towing massive loads, a cattle drive of hundreds of miles (led by barefoot boys) taking over roads, snake handlers, and ingenious rail thin men who ran entire shops and tailoring businesses off lovingly customized bicycles.

Cities in India were a surprise for me because I usually find many things to love in urban settings and am less in tune with countrysides. This trip, it was reversed. In cities, I found the level of harassment as a woman on the street made it difficult to discover or enjoy the beautiful aspects, and the urban overcrowding, slums and pollution for me outweighed the aesthetic pleasures. In the country, I felt relieved with the presence of open clear sky, space for people, and quiet.

On the last day in Delhi, I went to visit Raj Ghat, the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi, and spent my final hour at midnight watching the dessert wallahs ply their trade on the sidewalk. Eight hours later I flew to England and spent a gloriously peaceful two days in the quiet hills of Devon.

For more photos, please check my flickr page.

Snob Worthy Links

Bag Snob loves Kooba's Green Bag!
Tot Snob has the adorable Ruffle Butts!
Purse Blog is wild over Delcina Mother's Day promotion!
Bella Sugar helps get a flawless face for your wedding day!

Some Martin for Your Monday?

Wow. Finally, a purse that combines my three favorite things: sequins, fish scales, and dead birds.

And it's priced to move at $7,000! By that I mean, it actually might move. I don't trust those feather things for a second.

XOXO,
Martin

Fendi bag at netaporter.com, and yes, it's really seven grand (although it's on sale right now for a cool $5,000--total steal! By that I mean, steal this bag, please, don't pay money for it*).

*Daddy Likey would never really endorse stealing. The only time she ever stole was by accident in seventh grade when she wore a $2 belt out of Goodwill and, upon realizing her mistake, cried herself to sleep while waiting for the FBI to burst through her bedroom window.