Indian Summer; or Yes to Anokhi

When I was an undergraduate in Ottawa, I took my second year off and went to work for a local designer. Her boutique, Sarah Clothes, sold clothing, linens, and unparalleled silver jewelry.

Sarah designed the clothes and collaborated on the hand-blocked prints with Anokhi in Jaipur, India. The results were simply stunning fabrics.

In fact, I met my husband (some six years later) the evening I was wearing a blue/green hand-block printed sundress. (I’m probably going to make it into a couple of quilts or somesuch for my daughters one day.)

Although I’ve thought of the Ottawa boutique from time to time, Anokhi had completely slipped my mind until yesterday, when I was browsing through the July/August issue of Selvedge, the gorgeous textile magazine. (It’s light on text, heavy on textiles.)

The theme of the issue was “Indian Summer,” and one photo spread highlighted the Anokhi company, which is now run by the founder’s son and his London-born, fashion-designer trained wife.

Anokhi makes beautiful bedspreads and scarves, as well as bohemian dresses and jackets. Here’s a sampling from East Clothing's Web site:

Casual and easy boho pieces for summer.