Aaaand now... a fashion post!

One of the (many) things I've always loved about India is the clothes. I think I've wanted a sari since I was 11 or so. Obviously, there's no way I could spend four months in India and not get some clothes. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that most of my fashion sense revolves around what doesn't itch, but I'm having so much more fun shopping here.

First, the always fashionable salwar kameez. My three roommates and I went to an store called HyFashion on Laxmi Road. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the actual shopping process- I had thought that I did! But here's the one that I bought:

 Not the most attractive picture in the world, I know. But I love the color and it's super comfy and it cost 600 rupees, so who am I to complain? (For those keeping score at home, that's roughly 13 dollars.)

Here's a picture of all four of us hostel girls along with Satim, Swapna's son.

Then we went to a festival celebrating the first wedding anniversary of a couple- almost like an anniversary bachelorette party. There was lots of color and dancing.

Swapna and I took a spin on the floor.

...Then Deven and Jeannie:

And now, the post you've all been waiting for... SARI SHOPPING!!

We went with Swapna and her twin sister.

First, Jeannie goes up to bat.

Now Deven tries on her first. (NGL, I am so proud of this picture.)

Deven gets bindi'd.

And now... MY TURN!
Whenever we go to shop for Indian clothes, the shopkeepers always put so much effort into finding clothes particularly for me- I guess because of my coloring. There are so many that I liked, but I only tried on two.

Yeah, you can see why I'd like this one.

There's no way I couldn't resist trying this sucker on.

It was gorgeous, but I wasn't in love with it. The colors seemed a little ridiculous and it wasn't quite what I was looking for. I then asked how much it cost... and it was the most expensive material I've found to date. It cost OVER 9000 RUPEES! (Which, admittedly, is not a fortune in American money, but it's more expensive than everything I'd bought so far in India put together.) That was met with a "...I'll keep that in mind!" (Or, if you prefer, "Thank you very much for calling, sir. I'll be sure to pass your concerns along to the Congressman." *SLAM*)

This was Erin's turn. (She really doesn't like this picture, but I think it looks pretty. It's  funny how so often we notice all the flaws in pictures of ourselves in ways that others don't. So whatevs, I'm posting it. :P)

Also, I like how you can see me creepin' in the mirror.

This is the second one that Deven tried on. She'd been jonesing for a red one all night. I think this was too expensive, though. (We spent so much time trying to talk them down pricewise, and begging them to only show us less expensive things. Which they finally started to do...)

Jeannie found this one, which is one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen. AND it was only 1500 rupees! SOLD!!

And then... there's this one. I totally fell in love with it. It's great material, super detailed and two very pretty colors. Even Swapna liked it. And it was only 1850 rupees, so you know what that means...

SOLD!

Neither of these saris were ready-made, of course, so a tailor came over and took our measurements. She's making the blouses for us and they should be ready tomorrow!!

And with that, I should sign off. I've had a funky week lately. I came down with a cold a few days ago and it took me a while to shake it. I've also been super tired- I get so wiped out in the middle of the afternoon and then can't sleep by the time I go to bed, perpetuating the sleepiness. I actually did fall asleep in Contemporary India today. D: (It is, admittedly, pretty dry, but I love the professor so I felt really bad! Nothing to do with the teacher.)

G'night everybody! And a special shout-out to my folks at home gearing up for a new school year. (And my little sister, who's now a freshman in high school. D: D: HOW DID I GET SO OLD?)