Yes you can look good: what to pack for snow

At a travelblogger’s conference earlier this year I was horrified to learn that I am not a proper travel blogger. If I was, I would have written a dozen ‘packing advice’ posts by now. It’s the done thing: guaranteed to get you views. But hey I’m not fickle* and I’m not interested in packing posts. I can’t think of anything more dull to read than an article on ‘go to this shop and buy this’, just to wear once on holiday. Having that that, I did meet a lady whose sole ‘packing advice’ blog got so popular she now employs over 30 people.

So *this is not strictly a packing post, I merely added the word ‘pack’ in the title to test out if there is any ‘clickbait’ reaction. The main reason I am writing is a couple of weeks back the UK came to a standstill after ‘some’ snowfall. So I’m tying in ‘snow style tips’ with packing; this doubling up makes me feel less ashamed about writing a ‘packing post.’ (Seriously who are these hundreds and thousands of people around the world who read blogs about ‘packing’? Surely there’s none in my friendship network?)

On to the topic in question. I used to be so freaked out by snow. As a Londoner with little exposure to the white stuff I didn’t get how on earth you walk in it. One time on a ski trip in Slovenia the snow got to me so much I cried on the slopes. Much of my lack of confidence was that I just felt so uncomfortable. My hired ski suit was so un-me and I was handed big bulky boots that I’d never have chosen to wear myself. Leaving any fashion decision in someone else’s hands is a massive risk.

Last month, I faced my snow fears again by spending a few days in Iceland, only this time I was determined not to get upset by abiding by convention and wearing dull clothes. Instead I decided to pack as myself. The only addition I made to my normal wardrobe was thermals. When you’ve got thermals on under your clothes you can get away with wearing anything. Maybe that’s obvious but if it is, I’d like to know what the excuse is for there being so much blandness being worn at this time of year? (Minus the Christmas jumper which is as adventurous as most British people get.)

So here’s what I discovered about what to wear when it snows, or if you’re in a snowy place.

Hiking books? Whatever. You just need some decent crampons

I did actually look into walking and hiking boots but any that were remotely pleasing on the eye were painfully expensive. I mean I only wanted boots for a three day trip, there was no way I was going to invest is a pricey pair and justify it by telling myself I’d wear them again. So I decided on the best possible option, buy the cheapest but nicest pair I could find that would do the job then add on crampons, a portable teeth-like device you place on your shoe which aids walking on snow and ice. They’re pretty cheap and discreet and make walking in snow a breeze. For the boots themselves I bought a pair from Ebay for £10 and they totally did the trick.  I only needed the crampons on a couple of occasions when the snow walking turned to snow trekking.

Dress up

See I’m the kind of girl that wears dresses pretty much every day. I don’t own a pair of jeans and I hate trousers, I find them annoyingly restricting. So I consulted my dress collection and picked out the ones which had long sleeves and came below the knee. Then I teamed them with two layers of thermals underneath and the result was I felt happy wearing a dress and I didn’t get cold. Win.

Colour

I’ve come across a couple of travel bloggers who have declared it’s winter, so they will be wearing dark colours. Eh? Fine if you want to blend into the grey skies but there’s no law to say colour is just for sunshine. Truth is colour brightens up your mood and those around you. In a winter landscape, colour increases in vibrancy and as many would describe it, makes your photos ‘pop.’ (Yeah, I don’t know what that means either.) You don’t need to go out like a rainbow, think about a key colourful piece – like my red poncho – every time I’ve ever worn it it gets compliments. In fact it’s a travel staple. I take it everywhere, even warm destinations because it acts as an aeroplane blanket and shelter from the draft of air con.

Accessorise appropriately

To be fair, I don’t normally put the words ‘appropriate’ and ‘fashion together’ but it does alarm me when it’s snowing, people complain and they aren’t even wearing a hat, scarf or gloves. When you’re wrapped up warm for winter your jewellery like necklaces and bangles may get covered up by your layers, but those key items that will be seen are a chance to enjoy your personal style. There’s a scarf type for everyone. And hats… we lose most body heat through our heads yet still there are folk that don’t wear hats. Don’t feel self-conscious, just get one that’s warm and snug – same for gloves. Part fingerless are my favourite because they allow you to do so much more than mittens do despite the fact visually I prefer a mit.

Get cosy in your coat

Your coat is your shield. Your armour. You could be wearing all the thermals in the world but your coat is what will keep the winds out. Yes they are a pain to travel with and mine is so huge it actually took up the same space as hand luggage but lugging it around was so worth it, especially in the waterfall areas of Iceland where the conditions are literally biting cold.

So…should it snow again where you are, or if you’re off to somewhere snowy this Christmas or New Year don’t feel compelled to wrap up and look drab… snug can be stylish too.

Fancy going to Iceland. I was invited by and stayed at Hotel Ranga in Southern Iceland, which is an incredible spot in which to witness the Northern Lights as they have a policy that they give you a wake up call in your room at whatever time they come out whether that’s midnight or 4am, you won’t miss them! 

Image credits: Craft and Travel

DIY POMPOM CHARM NECKLACE TO WEAR AT GLASTONBURY (& OTHER SUMMER FESTIVALS)

With less than a week to go until Glastonbury gets the UK festival season kick-started there’s a deluge of articles about what to wear, buy and what beauty looks to create for Glastonbury across the blogosphere. Now I for one am not in a position to buy clothes every season and for every occasion, my trick is changing up my accessories to make it look like I have a never-ending wardrobe. Truth is if you make just one change like swapping a necklace or scarf, it automatically looks like you have a new outfit.

Glastonbury like many festivals has become one giant moneyfest. Once you’ve added up your ticket price, travel, food and expenses you’re looking at spending around £500 and that’s without you even starting on your wardrobe. Save a few pennies instead because you’ll need them, by making DIY accessories that look awesome and keep with the original roots of the festival which was never about commercialisation.

Pompoms & smoothie bowl

As I said it’s less that a week away so you clearly won’t have much time to spend on making, so here’s a super simple idea that doubles up as fun jewellery while being super useful and best of all, it can be knocked out in less than an hour.

POMPOM Chain necklace

You will need:

Pompom maker (I used a medium and a small one from Fabrications you’ll find in most craft shops)
Yarn
Chain
Scissors

To make pompoms
Pompom makers vary slightly so these instructions are for the most common type.

Start by opening up the pompom maker by separating the two sides.
Wrap yarn across the full surface of one side.

Ensure there are no gaps. The more you build it up, the fluffier your pompom will be.

When you get to the end, cut the yarn and repeat winding yarn on at the other end.

When you’ve done both ends, close up the pompom maker.

Take your scissors and cut through the yarn in the centre where you’ll feel a slight ridge in the pompom maker.

Cut a separate piece of yarn and tie it around the centre of the pompom maker, tying it really tightly, then wrap around and tie up a couple more times.

Pull the pompom maker apart to release the pompom and gently whack it on a table to help it fluff up into shape.

Attaching the pompoms

You’ll be left with the two ends of yarn which you tied around the centre. Feed these through the chain and tie up so that you’ve got a ‘pompom charm’ and continue all the way around tying on as many as you want – use a mirror as a reference point to ensure the balance and pompom positioning is right.

Finishing touches
Go full swing with the charm potential. The chain allows you to attach anything you want onto your necklace so as well as pompoms you could attach small charms, beads, ribbons and tassels. You can also sparkle up the pompoms by gluing gemstones and sequins directly onto the pompoms and of course during the initial pompom making stage you can also mix up colours so your pompoms are multi-tone.

You can also double it up into something super useful like dangling keys off your chain and any other small things you might need which in my case is usually lipgloss.

About the pictures…

Earlier this week I went along to Palm Vaults, the hip East London vegetarian eatery which has been named the most Instagrammable café in London (and is in the running as the pinkest!)

Design is everything inside this mint and pink themed pastel heaven so here’s a few more photos and yes the food and drinks are pink too…

If you can get to Palm Vaults in the week you’ll have a more relaxing experience, at weekends you’ll need to book ahead.

Expect yummy concoctions like lavender latte, dragon fruit breakfast bowls and pink wafer sponge cake.

I am most definitely going to be coming back here, it’s a great place to photograph crafts projects and there’s plenty more on the menu I still want to try!

Festival fashion shopping
If you are doing some festival shopping then forget the high street. Check out online store Purple Mayhem instead which specialises in handmade festival fashion…their tassel shrugs are about as perfect as festival fashion gets.

Visit Purple Mayhem. 

How To Tie A Sarong Thai Style

Travelling companions from USA, Copenhagen & Sweden 

You’ll usually only see me wearing a sarong  when I’m on holiday and I need a quick way to cover my legs to get from the swimming pool, back to my hotel room. For most Brits sarongs only come out on summer vacation, but go elsewhere in the world from Malaysia and Indonesia to Africa and Sri Lanka; sarongs are the norm.

I’m Bangladeshi and at home my dad always wore sarongs – the Bangladeshi version is called a lungi, it’s made from thin cotton and often has stripes or checked patterns on it. Comfortable, with room to breath and unisex, sarongs are simply a length or tube of fabric: it’s in the tying technique where they get transformed from being an ordinary textile into fashionable garment.

Before visiting Thailand I only knew two ways to wear a sarong; wrapped around my waist with a massive slit, or pulled across my body, tied at my neck and worn as a dress. A visit to Mantra in Nong Khai, gave me a whole new insight into how sarongs can be worn and why.

The Owner of Mantra Silk Shop opened her business on the banks of the Mekong River in North East Thailand to promote the work of local craftsworkers. She employs workers from local villages on a fair-trade basis and stocks their handicrafts in her craft boutique Mantra, part of a shopping parade along the river called The Pier Market, Nong Khai. She also promotes and sells Traditional Thai pieces which include silk clothing and fabric based items at fairs and markets. One of her personal concerns is that Thai people don’t wear sarongs as much as they used to. She’s noticed that people associate them with certain activities, such as the ‘commonness’ of wearing them to work in the rice paddy field, so she’s taken it upon herself to revive the tradition of wearing sarongs by showing her customers new ways to incorporate them, whether that’s wearing one on a glamorous night out, to go shopping, or as formal wear.

If you’re not keen on the tying, sarongs can also be worn as shawls

My travelling companions and I were shown 10 different ways to tie a sarong which we then strutted down the catwalk in, on a makeshift runway outside the store.

Sarongs, called pa kao mah, are also worn by men – you’ll typically see them on fishermen. The one worn by Kenneth was a ‘tube shape’ rather than a piece of fabric. For these ones you step into it, hold the end up to your stomach and roll over the top to create a band, this is the easiest and quickest way to wear one.

I could get used to being papped in all my outfits! 

Mantra’s sarongs feature traditional weaving and indigo dyeing techniques but I opted for the most colourful in store, bright pink and purple. One thing that surprised me was how high they come above the waist as I had expected them to sit on the hips more, this means they’d work better worn with a shorter style top or blouse.

My biggest fear about wearing a sarong is it falling off but once I had it around my waist it felt very secure, though for added confidence and style I wore mine with a metal chain belt which held it in place. Folding methods varied from concertina style, to different ways of overlapping and wrapping. Having someone else do the folding was clearly much easier, I’m still not entirely sure how well my own folding would turn out.

A few days later when we were dining together in an upmarket restaurant I spotted two women wearing formal, evening style sarongs which made me appreciate their versatility, and made me smile knowing that Mantra’s mission to get sarongs recognised as fashionable attire is working.

Momtaz Begum-Hossain Editor-in-Chief, Craft and Travel

Catwalk images: Orhan Nuri Kulahcioglu

All other images: Craft and Travel

Find out more: Mantra Nongkhai or Facebook.