Textile Travels

Istanbul - a city of huge contrasts, exhausting, surprising and challenging but once you scratch beneath the surface she will reveal herself bit by bit.

This is only my second visit to this great city which for many centuries has been at the very centre of trade and the exchange of culture, ideas and goods. It will take many more visits to even begin to properly unearth its secrets but for now I only have 2 days so I have decided to concentrate on the Grand Bazaar.

initially it seems that the GB is only there for the tourists - so much is it part of the folklore of Istanbul. The sheer size and opulence of the grand alleyways which you come across upon entering - the glitter and splendour of the architecture appear not to be designed for quotidien shopping. But like everything else in this extraordinary city, if you take a another turn and maybe a few more you will find all sorts of treasures in the outer reaches - in the old fondouks and upper floors you will find small workshops and cavernous rooms stuffed with silks, Suzanis, rugs and textiles from all over Central Asia.

I am on relatively unfamiliar ground here so it feels more difficult to navigate the system of buying by comparison to when I am in India but I have gradually built up some trusted dealers and have learnt a bit about some of the textiles that I am seeing.

Yahya of Palmyra Oriental is a learned Syrian who has a wonderful collection of rugs and textiles about which he is incredibly knowledgeable and I finally purchased some beautiful runners which I’m having made into Cushions. I did also find some lovely old Suzani from Uzbekistan to add to the collection. The weather in Istanbul was appalling with torrential freezing rain, lashing down virtually without stopping so being in the Grand Bazarre was a good way of avoiding it. However, we did manage to walk down to the buses and take the ferry to Kadekoy which is on the Asian side where I had never been before. This is probably worth a visit all of its own but we  did manage to visit a wonderful food market full of glorious displays of fruit and veg, fish and sweet meats.

our lovely cosy little Hotel Ibrahim Pasha was a great bolt hole with views across the Blue mosque to the Aghia Sofia. It’s very central and a great place to hold up if you’re ever in this great city.

Istanbul was only a stopping off point for me en route to India so my next stop was Delhi sadly for only a short 24 hours. I would highly recommend that if you’re ever in this great city one of my favourite haunts is the National crafts museum, which is home to an amazing permanent collection of textiles which always gives me joy when I go. It is also home to a revolving group of Artisans who sell their goods in the grounds and we spent a happy hour or so finding some  Warli  paintings and exploring some of the textiles from around India.

Sunder Gardens and the neighbouring Humayans tomb are also amongst the highlights of any trip to Delhi so I would urge you to visit both if you can. We visited the newly opened Museum at Humayans Tomb which tells the rich history of its creation along with some beautiful examples of Mughal art.

My main supplier of vintage saris agreed to visit us at our hotel and I spent a happy morning in the sunshine going through some pre-selections so it was a very efficient use of time and I found a great collection of saris to add to the collection.

And then on to Jaipur, the wonderful pink city which still continues to amaze me. This time I chose to return to the Arya Niwas Hotel which is where I first stayed when I came to Jaipur many years ago. There are no frills and very little has changed, but the vegetarian café is good and the beds are comfortable and you are likely to come across all sorts of other buyers and interesting people who stay there.

We did however go for a drink at my favourite hotel in Jaipur 47 Jobner Bagh, which is a haven of serenity and there is a marvellous shop there so it is definitely worth going to visit if you can’t stay. Early the next morning we met Nandi at Chandl Chowk right in the centre of Jaipur for a walk through the old hidden alleyways, temples and havelis. It is a long time since I have done that and it was lovely to be reminded of why I first fell in love with this city. I particularly love the interchange between domestic life lived out in old Temple courtyards which you only get to see if you search a bit behind the facade.

Abdul, my right hand man In Jaipur (and if you want his number, and need to be guided around the city do get in touch) Picked us up and we then spent the rest of the day smothered in piles of Kantha’s and Suzanis,  block print and rugs only to emerge later in the evening exhausted but happy.

The following morning Abdul returned to take us on a little road trip to the Shekhawati region  which is only about three hours north of Jaipur. This region has been little known outside India but  was first established by Marwari merchants and Shekhawat kings  during the 17th century where they stopped to build grand houses as staging posts or caravanseri and subsequently their homes along the Silk Road. Today a very high percentage of the most successful trading names in India came from this region. These havelis  were designed to display their relative wealth to others and not only to house their families but to entertain and to do business from . And today you can visit a number of these villages which are full of very beautiful examples.

Nawalgarh and Mandawa are both home to several exquisite examples and you can literally lose yourself amongst the painterly halls, courtyards, temples and ancient stepwells and forts which seem to be around every corner.  In each small town you need a guide and we had a wonderful walk around the streets of Mandawa  with a brilliant young man who was very well informed and brought it to life.

The quieter village of Mukundgargh is also worth visiting with its less well known Seraf Haveli and crumbling fort. We wandered the empty streets meeting friendly locals who were keen to show us around. 

A little further north we visited the Thakir of Narain Niwas fort who put on a delicious lunch  of unusual Rajhasthani dishes in the courtyard of the faded beauty of his fort.

We stayed in the Mandawa Koti hotel  which is often used as a setting for Bollywood films - and it is very beautiful but disappointing food.  We watched the sun set over Mandawa, amazed by the extent of this extraordinary town with its numerous stunning buildings.

There are numerous other villages which we passed through -  Fatehpur, Laxmangargh and Dundlod which are all full of more these beautiful houses but a couple of days is enough. 
Heading south we stayed the night at the wonderful Deepuragargh - an ancient fort which has been restored with immaculate restraint by the wonderful Maria Grazia Baldan.  

If you’re looking for a peaceful retreat in a what feels like a cross between a Tuscan palazzo and a Rajput castle then this is your spot.

A highlight of our stay was a walk through the forest just beyond the gates - grazing lands for the nomadic people of this region so stunning in their traditional dress and jewellery. 

A return to Jaipur over the next couple of days to wrap up and visit a few of my other haunts.

In Bagru the village  just outside Jaipur, the home to mud resist block printing, we bought bolts of delicious kalamkari which you’ll soon find in our new collection. 

And there was still time to immerse ourselves in the wonder that is Injiri - my favourite Indian designer. Her beautiful dresses adorned with intricate stitch work embody everything I love about the craft and artistry of traditional Indian textiles so I bought a once in a lifetime dress to wear at my son’s wedding.

A quick lunch at the lovely Samode Haveli which is always a real treat.

And finally a return to Nila House - a stunning evocation of contemporary Indian design whilst also celebrating artisanal skills.  You will find a wonderful collection of clothes and hand-loomed textiles there - and it is a haven of peace amidst the bustle of Jaipur.

We ended our Jaipur trip with a celebratory cocktail in the happening new hotel tucked away in the old city The Johri. A great buzz and fun for dinner but I always like to get out of the city at night.

There is so much to tell about this trip that I am going to save the Keralan odyssey for the next instalment and sign off here leaving you with these images of the vibrant cacophony of noise and colour that is Jaipur.