The Free BoBo

Illusion of Work

2012-03-15T02:05:00.000-07:00

A preview from a Jewelry shoot at the Haven last week. Just another day at work. I love that a part of my job is lounging in gorgeous places in gorgeous pools.

Quint Short Flick

2012-03-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

I'M BACK!

It's been quite a while since the last blog update. Major developments in my life took me away from my this wonderful space. This public diary of mine.

In news, this year has been about building my career in film. It's been full of peaks and troughs, but with everything it has grown and grown along with me! Here is a sample of a collaboration from summertime!

It was great working with the crew!

Katie Stone: Modeling & Interview for Stencil Artist Quint from katherine stone on Vimeo.

Stay tuned for much more TV appearances and hosting!

Gloss: Morning After by K. Stone

2011-11-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

The Death of Glamour

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

Glamour is dead. Incessantly clichéd meanings have been cheaply tacked on. Over the years Glamour has been repeatedly besmirched and misrepresented by interns and wannabes all over the world who prop up the ‘dream factory’. Glamour now hangs shamefully like a limp old discarded plaything. I don’t like the idea of Glamour as it appears now. It feels tacky. As unauthentic as glossy vinyl. Over- dramatized, over-commercialized, overused in too many femme magazines in an effort to systematically tell women they don’t know how to glamorize themselves, how they should and what they have buy to do so. Then this unfortunate system of “what’s hot” regurgitates what is glamorous by the fashion industry’s dictate in order to cauterize the wound of just not being hot enough. Ultimately, Glamour as visualized via the lens of pop culture can be broken down into the elements of class division, commoditization and desire. Of course, it seems like I’ve painted a whole industry with the same brush stroke, when in truth, they’ve done it themselves. That’s the laughable bit.

When we think of glamour, the images that spring to mind are generally of times past. The good old days when smoking was in sync with elegance and dinner party’s listed 12 course meals, when letters arrived hand written and with a sincerity that now seems amiss, when men were gentle and women’s breasts were supple, lips were always blood red and adornment was in the form of ruby’s, sapphires and diamonds.

Through this spectral reflection, like a foggy, distorted, perfect memory this traditional, old world glamour is what bubbles to the surface. I think of Paris and the Lost Generation. Back then people breathed Paris, creating art and living their art, Gertrude Stein, Anaiis Nin, Picasso, Henry Miller, Hemingway. They left behind society and expectation and said fuck off to the world, delving into an untapped universe full of mystery and intrigue in a place and time that nurtured creative revolution. ‘Glamour’ originates from a welsh word meaning ‘the right place at the right time’. How do we know what is glamorous? History shows it. No really, it literally tells us it was glamorous because the time that came and went was so good, so utterly yummy, savory, romantic, glorious…that it cannot be replicated…it can be no more. The past is our authority on glamour. It is only in retrospect that we see something as beautiful and our imagination, through a glorified vision, transforms it into something vogue.

There were these liberated beings living passionately. Living as hedonists, pursuing pleasure for the sake of it. Are we any different? Because what are we doing here if not for gratification and indulgence of the senses. Oh I wish it were still so. My wistful thoughts are only interrupted by a creeping doubt that my nostalgia is, simply, for nothing. Though I still feel it strongly and painfully as I do about anything that is unachievable but desperately desired.

Is it all just some illusion in an attempt to escape our sickness of futility and diseased thoughts?

I believe we are living some form of it still. Though, our lack of hindsight blinds us to the moment. We are too busy living in the past and living for the future that we cant be in the present. And thus we, society, are miserable. The great romantics and icons of gloss and glamour were all, for the most part, miserably depressed. If they were to come back from the dead they would be popping E pills and snorting coke off the toilet in the club. Chemical dependency is part of the allure of the past. Our imagination has modified what has been to fit our mentality of, “Now, that was a truly splendid era”.

Perhaps, we are all in the wrong place, but at the right time. Who would have thought that a little island in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago would be a hub for visionaries? It’s a bit of a battle of the extremes. In the western frame of mind I volley in between being totally off the grid insane or I’m deemed the cleverest of them all for taking the chance and leaving the world that I know, everything I know, behind me. And for what? The unknown.

Glamour. Fashioned to delude future generations of saps and wimps. Built within a time and place that supported the endeavors of the social renegades…the deserters of the mainstream. The pioneers, if you will, of attitude and style that were simply an object of interests, either posthumously or not, of people who had not the courage nor the will the venture beyond their banal compulsions, trite defenses, and geographical constrictions. Placing all their lust towards an imagined ambition to progress beyond what they already knew. Living vicariously through the few whose yearnings transported them. We’ve all at one point or another imagined ourselves sipping Pernod, smoking dunhills in the arms of a handsome stranger on the streets of St Germain des Pres, getting lost in the jungles and cocaine fields of Bolivia or in a drum circle under the stars in the Egyptian desert.

What has stayed glamorous over the last 30 years despite time’s re-dubbing? Globe-trotting, the continental people, the well-traveled. I suppose they are also synonyms for ‘moneyed’. Regardless, the pursuit of adventure has always been glamorous and remains so.

What we are doing here in Bali is a part of our journey to distant lands. We are in a place that attracts the most adventurous and unusual of people. We are surrounded by accessibility to everything we could possibly want. We are part of a wave of Troppo Glam. Living as neo colonialists in the tropics of the Global South.

Glamour is reinvented. I am in a constant state of reinvention. The critic of my mind needs to be silenced by fantasy. And fantasies are the easiest thing to reinvent. Decade after decade we find ourselves with new impressions and interpretations of glamour. Previously glamour was TOLD to us. As a Vogue editor put it, “ To be glamorous, a thing has to be in part inaccessible, difficult to possess - whether through rarity or expense." But glamour is something we recreate in our own minds to entertain the illusion of life.

But few people actually attain true glamour. Its only for the seekers of something truly evasive...genuine experience. Something that brings you back into the moment. To seek something that is continually changing is romantic and brings us into now.

This is fucking glam. We aren’t living on an island in the middle of the South Pacific because we don’t feel something. We felt it when we got here and we all, for one reason or another, felt compelled to follow our intuition. Whether we are opening ourselves up to the possibility being a player on the world’s stage, publishing our stories, surfing the day away, or searching for shipwrecked treasure. Our lives are glamorous because they are different than most peoples. We’ve wandered off the beaten track...and yet…somehow a new track is being beaten by us. How did that happen? Glam is no longer about being ‘in’ its about being ‘out’! That’s always been the way it is. We have accidentally happened upon glamorousness. Bali is the only place you can trip and fall into the stars.

Serendipity and Glamour are one in the same. Being in the right place at the right time. Lets face it. We live in a world where life just seems to come too easily. We are riding our motorcycles into the sunset. Here we are residing in a quintessential Troppo Glam paradise. We don’t live out of obligation, we live for originality. We are doing it first. Right here right now. Coming from the West that seems to want to stamp us out…We’ve fled and this is as glamorous as it gets.

25 Years

2011-11-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Had a fantastic 25th Birthday on the cliffs of Uluwatu, some beautiful sunset, a road trip with good friends...and being in paradise definitely helps the vibe.

It. Was. Awesome.

HippiChic Inside All of Us.

2011-09-22T02:04:00.000-07:00

A finished product from an incredibly fun shoot, totally let go and made some magic.

Label at HippiChic London

Future Vintage On Scene

2011-09-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

Check out these sweet duds and garb from a fairly new label, Future Vintage

My favorite is the Persian trench for chicks and the holster bag, perfect for stylishly motorbiking around the island with your macbook in hand.

Sexy Persian Trench for us girls!

Future Vintage is full of funky prints, including a new spin on the Hawaiian sloucher shirt

Gotta love 80's throwback leather jacket with some rockstar funk. The model looks damn good in this jacket. And so will you.

More Quint

2011-09-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

A new stencil spray paint of myself from a real photograph in Jakarta :)

Juglo Jungles

2011-09-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Just another gorgeous day shooting in an fab juglo in Bali.

HippiChic London...in Bali

2011-08-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

We are all Hippie Chicks at heart.

Quint.Essential

2011-08-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm back. Apologies for the leave of absence. I've been busy building my empire.

This weekend, I did casting for an art project with a stencil sketch artist from Jakarta, Quint. He was going to take one of my poses and sketch it on a wall in Seminyak. Compare him to other sketch street artists (ahem, Banksy perhaps...but different)

His whole viewpoint is taking a look at women's sensuality and the mystery of all of us....ladies :)

They needed the muse to do an on camera interview and be comfortable enough to express truth about herself and her take on the world. Ever-opinionated that I am and having become much more comfortable on camera...I was chosen.

I've now been immortalized on Jalan Pettitenget, probably in the middle of the night in a highly illegal act.

Until they knock down this wall...I will remain...in all of my enigmatic glory.

The Vintage Store - Seminyak

2011-06-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Shelley just opened her cute little vintage store in Seminyak, styled with retro designs and finishings down the last detail from hangers to suitcases and bags. Its full of magical bits of vintage textiles warped into trendy stylista clothing called EverAfter Vintage that is so lovable. The vibe is great and wishing her every bit of success on her new boutique!

Marho x

2011-06-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

Here is my friend Sarah's new Tribal Luxe bag for bohemians line. I modeled her incredible deluxe and delicious Boho bags and wallets...perfect for the NYC girl or the island hopping chick. They hang on the back the motorbike perfectly. These bags are a necessity. Just some of my favorites from her LookBook. Contact Facebook

The Classic Fringe Bag with a twist. The detailing is exquisite.

I can picture this for a day at the farmers market or traipsing around Greenwich village in some blueish grey suede knee boots (yes...i'm making these soon!)

My favorite wallets of all time. Can act as the perfect clutch as well. Love dual-use!

The Dark Side.

2011-06-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

Driving along Umalas, this gorgeous stretch of road through the rice fields. One minute you're in the hustle and bustle of town and the next you are eyes locked into the scenic explosion of a Walter Speis painting.

A man slowly tending to his harvest in the late afternoon sun.

A far too drunk foreigner lost it into the rice fields one early morning coming back from a wild night in Kuta....very likely. Imagine a local balinese at 5 am waking up to say the daily prayers and to leave offerings for a new day and in swerves some idiot....whose dranken too much Bintang...into their rice field. The local told me that the mabuk bule (drunk foreigner) actually got out of the car still holding his beer. Charming.

New Cozy Top.

2011-05-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my new sample top. I would love to hear feedback...

Loving the coziness of the off-the shoulder Anna Top

Wearing New Top by AnekkaKate

I-Magazine Magic

2011-05-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

My I-Mag spread on Image VS Budget. GLAM BAM. Hats off to the makeup artists of the world. I really loved the goth image...black lipstick, black eyeshadow, black eyeliner. Definitely a new look for me. It screams Dominatrix.

Pasar Pasar

2011-05-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

A quiet little market in northern Bali.

WEARING Red Peasant Dress (To be included in my range!) and Indian Scarf

Monkey Business

2011-05-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

In our local neighborhood, we were monkeying around in a bar up the street and ran into a fellow primate, an 11 week old babygirl orphan monkey with a hot pink mohawk... swinging her legs around, jumping at me like a flying squirrel, playing with my hair and teething on my fingers.

After two years of living in Asia, this was the first tame monkey I have ever met. Thats saying a lot. Normally, I stay AWAY from the monkey beaches, the monkey islands, the monkey forests, the monkey temples, any tourist gathering with monkey attached to it. Generally, not going to be great company, or lovable pets. In fact, the opposite, they will be beasts. They will bear their teeth, sport very long, frizzy, grey, and rather unseemly looking beards for a monkey. They will be ugly, gross and smell like month-old durians in the jungle. They will steal your shit and throw their shit at you.

This is my little monkey fairytale. Can I take her home?

\

WEARING Anekka Kate Hippie Head Band/Necklace & Boho Flow Dress

Behind the Scenes: I-MAG

2011-05-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

Whoever says modeling is easy....

This shoot was full editorial for I-Magazine here in Bali. The idea was to portray Budget versus Luxury: Can you tell?

Everything was to be in movement and in heels. Ok. Now Freeze. In that perfect position. I think I sweated out a few kilos of water. But, So worth it. the pictures looked pretty damn cool. Stay tuned for the publication!

What everyone forgets to mention is the clean up after the shoot. 1 Bottle of conditioner, 3 combs, 1 hour later...I was finally ready to fall into dreamland after a rigorous day.

WEARING Yaz's Crystal Weave Necklace & Anekka Kate's Hippie HeadBand as a necklace

Navajo Girl

2011-04-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

The beautiful and wondrous, Yasmin Shima...who began her travels 5 months ago and has never looked back. Living with intention, creating her own her path, and finding peace and purpose traveling around the world. Like when spring brings in the smells of summer...revitalized through introductions to foreign people, exotic lands, and finding home amidst the comings and goings.

Yaz's Crystal Weave Necklaces....I wear everyday.

Through broken foots, lost loves, holi festivals, temple chanting keeping us up all night, playing with the children, camel rides, learning handicrafts from Goan locals, crazy train rides into the desert, tough times, wild times, experiences we will live with forever...

This is her journey.

Yazzy's Online Shop

Navajo Girl

& BLOG

Free Love

2011-04-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

Free Love Market turned out some of the more interesting Bali crowd, the creatives, designers, musicians, Goan-style New-ageies, the Bali 'social-ites', culture-ites, party-ites, traveler-ites. All the people living in and around the island life.

It was a titillating evening with lots of sweet music vibrations and a outdoor cinema screen on the Seminyak Square lawn playing the documentary Bali Is My Life. The film was full of heart. This beautiful island we are LUCKY enough to live on...we need to preserve its magic.

Most of all, I was excited to try and peruse other designers GORG Handmade pieces!

WEARING So Clothes Chiffon Dress & Somedays Luvin Hippie White Coverup Dress, Yaz's Crystal Weave Necklace

Rainbows. 'Kinis.

2011-04-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

My Shop Launch!

2011-04-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

After a long wait, I've finally launched my online SHOP , meaning you can actually buy via credit card, debit card, or pay pal and I can mail it to you anywhere in the world.

Through a little Gillies adventure I found some GORGEOUS backdrops to do a bit of photography for the pieces you haven't seen in motion. (I left out all the feather earrings. Too dangerous to bring those dainty little things on a boat all the way out to an isolated little island)

I was getting soaked by the waves as Kristen was shooting and it was about 100 degrees in tropical heat. The atmosphere made it all the more magical as we watched a tropical monsoon inch towards us, sneaking over the volcano Rinjani in the distance (see below)

WEARING Peacock Feather Earring and Vintage Tibetan Ring

WEARING JOBO MOON PENDANT in Amethyst

The Earrings are made by a friend I met in India, Swedish Sara. Yasmin and I, our first night in the market, went out in search of the Perfect Feathered Earring. Sara's pieces were gorgeous, they were the one. SO we began talking and sharing stories. Sara was unique, her style, her personality was very outgoing and warm, extremely passionate and descriptive in her english language, body covered in piercings, wearing a very stylized jungle nymph outfit, tattoos and henna everywhere. I liked her instantly.

Sara's story began when she'd been traveling around Brazil with her boyfriend, She found a small town in Brazil, which was famous for something called Capim Dourado or 'golden grass', which only can grow in this region of Tocantins. A Brazilian woman had taught her how to make these mandalas so she could take them to India to sell (highly illegal to take raw, unmade golden grass out of Brazil). So, she began making these 'golden grass' mandalas, which she brought to India to adorn with her own stones and baubles and unique multicolored Ara Feathers from South America. Thats how she travels around the world....selling her works of art in the markets in Goa, and being beautifully & utterly Boheme.

Gillies Guilt

2011-04-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't have taken off the last 3 days. I'm starting a business, on top of which I have 3 separate jobs that turn off and on - modeling, teaching, writing! I'm a busy girl.

However, My best, closest and oldest friend since childhood has been visiting me in Bali. It would have been wrong and morally apprehensible to not accompany her on (at least!) a part of her discovery of new lands. After a year in Indonesia I finally found my way to the Gilli Islands, the northern most tip off Lombok, an island of Indonesia. What did I find? Clear blue waters, rainbow fish, wild tropical, volcanic mountain ranges amidst turquoise oceans, isolated island huts, and a few panoramic sights that have been mentally photographed!

All I have to do close my eyes and relive a few precious moments of peace and tranquility.

Just another day on the other side of the world. :)

WEARING My Rainbow Crochet Kini, which was about all I wore the whole 3 days!

(Email inquiries about Crochet Bikinis, Now Taking Private Orders).

Safety First!

2011-04-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

Always wear a helmet :)

HOW...do we do it?

2011-04-08T00:36:00.000-07:00

Preview of the very new and very cool Marho Hippie Luxe Leather Bags (still waiting for site and facebook page) photoshoot this morning in Canggu, Bali amidst the rolling rice fields! I loved the Native American look, its simply wild.

Wearing Grey Zucchini Singlet and Marho Softest Leather Handbag

Blonde. Zombie.

2011-04-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

A long week in Jakarta surrounded by high rises and city streets will do this to me...cause exhaustion. I needed to get back to Bali island. SO I did..however had a shoot the very next morning. A 6 am makeup call isn't that pleasant for anyone, on top of being ill. Although, we had fun with it. I swear I wore about 40 dresses that day, amongst them cocktail dresses, bridesmaid dresses, wedding dresses, head pieces. It was all quite glamorous and it was absolutely clockwork. I had 3 beautiful Balinese ladies helping me into a dress, shoo me in front of the camera, shoo me off, undress me and re-dress me. This went on for a full 12 hours. Enjoy!

Wearing Dinda Rella

Chasing Rabbits to Bohemia

2011-04-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

For Sale on AnekkaKate Shop: Navajo Indian Headress, Pictured Above

Big History

2011-04-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, Meg and I lived in another fairyland in Paris, filled with vin, fromage, baguette, trance dance parties down the Champs-Élysées, day trips to Amsterdam, weekends flying to Prague and Budapest, endless cafe o'lait, Bierre Blanche, smoking limitless Dunhills and Gauloises ciggies trapped in ancient marble and stone apartments, staring out our so french double door windows onto the bustling streets of the 7th arrodissment...and of course opting for our philosophical discussions rather than attending class in the dreariness of a lecture hall. An ode to Paris, because it was the first time I heard Meg sing.

We were nearly drowned with the puzzlements and uncertainties of life of which only cigarette smoke could cure. It was a beautiful time in my life and I know for certain she carries the same sentiment.

Here she is now with her band Big History..singing her beautiful soul to the world.

Big History- All At Once from Bret Bohnet on Vimeo.

Heres Some Press:

Art Official

Gambit

Check out the Free Downloads

Little Green Cafe

2011-03-30T02:27:00.000-07:00

A little afternoon break Tom and I went to check out the vegan/veg salad bar. It only serves about 4-5 dishes a day, but its like 'eating flowers', freshest of the fresh flowers. We've found another little gem of Bali. I had an extended lunch. Hey, it's Bali. It's all about 'taking it easy'. It's amazing how many hours you can kill riding around on the bike, checking waves, seeking out coconut sellers, and luxuriating in little hidden cafes. I LOVE BALI.

WEARING TOP Forever 21, Fabric BRA by LILY JEAN, Yasmin's Crystal Weave Necklace

Bali Returns

2011-03-30T01:20:00.001-07:00

Back to Bali. This time I came home to a beautiful canopy bed, hot bath, roses, a beautiful veranda, a whole new house in the middle of the bustle of Seminyak. New beginnings? It seems so.

All the familiar Bali-ness is back. All the creative people, all the relaxing and surfing, the tropical rainfalls after a blistering hot day, the narrow stone and cobble alleyways that block out the sun, the Balinese ceremonies that close down roads for long processions honoring the gods, the internet cafes that I call my office, running into a hundred people a day you have to catch up with (greatest downfall of working in internet cafes). Where do I find the time to work? I'm back to the funkiness, the bands playing here, the spirit festival there, the waking up at 7 am to surf the blue waters outside my house. Its just too good to be true.

I'm in love with this new chapter. Every morning waking up to a crisp blue sky, waking up to the smell of incense, clove cigarettes that waft over from the temple next to us, the smell which lingers until the warm tropical breeze washes it away with that fresh salt water smell. Again, too good to be true. But it is.

I went surfing early this morning to get some exercise in, back into the routine already. The waters were blue, the sun was shining, and the motorbike parkir was still there waving us through because, hey, we're (almost) the locals. I think I broke a barrier down with the waves...and had the BEST time. Having a surfer teacher as a boyfriend is a huge perk. Energized and fresh I went about my daily business, getting my store launched is taking quite a bit of time to get all the pieces of the puzzle together and I have so much to get back to. My friends, my students, the people I work with and who help me make creative imaginings become something material. That is what Bali is all about for me. And my heart still resides in Bali.

My Maxim Spread

2011-03-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

One day on a beach on the island of Bali, one of the magical islands of the archipelago country of Indonesia...I shot for Maxim.

Goanites. Goa Nights.

2011-03-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

We fully transformed from tourist to Bohemian Goa-Dweller after 2 months hanging around the beach paradise that is Arambol, Goa in India. A respite from the insanity that is the rest of India. Everyone has their own style. I like to call the fashion...Jungle Nymph.

Some of our shots from our very last photoshoot in Goa.

Three Goan Princesses!

BYE GOA

WEARING an assortment of Indian Jewels, Churri's Crochet 'Kinis, Amilita Green Crop Top, Golden Grass Teardrop Earring, JoBo Moon Pendant, Hippie Head Band, Peacock Earring, and lastly, Navaho Headress, soon-to-be FOR SALE on AnekkaKate Store

Bali Returns

2011-03-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Bejeweled.

2011-03-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Pushkar and Jaipur was a place to seek out silver and stones...and wow..did we find some PIECES!

Vivai BillBoard Shot

2011-03-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours hosted us all for a photoshoot that included an 4-hour open bar. Bring on the sparkling rose champagnes! You can imagine the state we were all in by the time they actually got the picture right.

WEARING Pink Chiffon Magali Pascal Cocktail Dress

Bittersweet Goodbyes to India.

2011-03-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

After two months of travel, work, holiday….I’m finally leaving India. What was supposed to be a two week trip, turned into a two month journey. As usual, this is how things go with me. One thing is certain. You don’t get all the way to India, give it a view, and then leave…it needs time, it needs patience, and above all, appreciation.
I think I’ve changed over the past two months….I look at it as if I’ve grown my world. …now my world includes India.
I watched the sun set clearly into the Arabian sea tonight as I got into my taxi and left Colaba for the airport….I’m not sure when I’ll see that sunset in Bombay again. Something in my heart tells me I will.

I’m about to take off to Malay… I realize I’ve been traveling for 3 days straight…nonstop. 2 days on the train, I arrived at 6:30am this morning into Bandra, Mumbai, hanging out the train door, proper Bombay style…desperate for the fresh air to wake me up after getting very little sleep...again. I don’t even know what’s real anymore. One day I’m in the middle of the desert in Pushkar riding camels, watching sadhus pass me by bathing in the holy ghats of lake waters for India’s Holi festival, the next I’m on a 36 hour train ride going through the barren, sandy mountain ranges of Rajasthan, talking love and Indian social dynamics to a couple who have been married 25 years via arranged marriage ….and now I’m taking off the tarmac to complete the journey in Kuala…things change so fast. I’ve got whiplash.

This was the whole point of leaving home…to be with all the world. It’s like Joseph Campbell wrote, you go out in search of yourself…, you find yourself at the center of your own existence. I have always had that feeling, when I enter a new place…that stupefied feeling, where you feel alone…and so aware…getting moved by all the sensations, smells, sounds. It was that when I left for India. Now, that I've spent time there, lived it. Its not foreign to me anymore…That’s been the most surprising of this whole trip. That at the very end, I was waiting to feel that last sensation of confusion..seeing India through the eyes of an onlooker in some way, the feelings that approach you by being in someone else’s world. I found at the end of today, that it’s my world too, that is India. I don’t feel like a stranger anymore. And I don’t think I can ever adequately convey the feeling in words, because it’s beyond it.

What I’ve learned about India….don’t get turned off by the stares, in many cases, they are genuinely shocked to see a blonde hair girl in their midst. Many of them never had any concept of western dress, even if we are all dressed conservative, or our flippant and free attitudes…until, perhaps, they took a trip to Goa and realized what was actually in fashion was not turbans and wool saris, but retro tees and tight jeans. My camel man, Dharma, actually told me about his own experience making a transition into his own style. Not one that was handed down through generations. Another important social guide I have tried to keep…accept every offer. You never know what surprises it might bring you. Be ready to talk and talk and talk. Be ready to drink chai, chai and more chai…Be ready to listen and listen and listen for hours. Indians LOVE to talk, and about everything under the sun. That’s the beauty of this country. Whether a Mumbai slum dweller, a Rajasthani gyspy, a camel man, a Goan beach rat, they will love to socialize late into the evening. 3 words: Chai, Chapatti. Charras. Lastly, be sincerely gracious of the hospitality that is offered. They will know even if you never show it adequately.

Most importantly than anything, I’ve made deep relationships with three beautiful ladies who will always be in heart when I think of India. My soul sisters on their own separate journeys, who each in their own right, have a power, charisma, and beauty of the soul that cannot be described. And I’ve feel like I am going to miss them all deeply.

I’ve seen things that have shocked me, saddened me, annoyed me, some things that I can only laugh uncontrollably at. From our opera singing in the shower frenchie, Pierre in Goa, to watching Yaz get headbutted by a cow, to our Bollywood lifestyle in Bombay, to the the Indians who always came to our rescue or totally screwed us over in the north…We experienced the gamut. This experience in particular has been one of the richest of my life. I'll miss the palaces and the paupers, the proud babas, and the dignified mamas, the dirty little babies and their families, and just about everything we found in between. And I already feel like I am missing something.

But to be honest….im just tired. The moving from one place to the other. I’m ready to be in one place again and get my business launched and design and create, surf in the afternoons, hang with my friends I haven’t seen in months…because at the end of the day, I go back to paradise…and you can’t beat that. Life is, really and truly, GOOD.

Take a last journey through India...

The yummiest fruit salad I have ever or will ever have.

I love this man. He fixed my Havianas.

We Are Deserted. Not Fashion.

2011-03-11T01:04:00.000-08:00

Pushkar is one of those places, where its in the middle of the desert, surrounded by mountains but everyone comes there, from Holy Men, Sadhus, to tourists, who are not looking for Agra and the Taj, but just to chill out a bit and get into the vibe. Thats the kind of place it is. To come and chill out. The sweetness is that it still seems like the place is 50 years in the past. And you can get totally lost in it.

It's a special place where rooftops are the secrets you can't see from the ground, where you are surrounded by palaces and ancient architecture and where a full live band of prayer music will, at 3 am, begin to wake you out of your slumber. Some of the most hilarious experiences listening to Shiva Shiva Shiva...I guess Sadhus don't sleep.

The shots we've taken below are all at the guesthouse we stayed at, it would close its doors at 11:30 at night, we didn't realize until we came back late and had to stand outside of it for a half hour waiting for our knocks to wake the caretaker up.

The shopping was brilliant. The most unique pieces I have not found anywhere else. Especially Leather Bags to Vests. And everything was under $10. So, what do we do when we are just hanging out on the rooftop? Have a ama-photoshoot for our peasant/hippie chic style.

WEARING an assortment of Vintage pieces from Pushka, Chiffon Indian-patterned scarf around my rib cage, AK Basics Top Tied into a knot, Anekka Kate brown Maxi dress turned skirt, Peasant Top, spandex, Digna's Biker Chick Sandals.

Camel Wear.

2011-03-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

And so we went to the desert with our devilishly handsome Camel Man, Dharma, who brought us to his friends, the gypsies...there we watched the sun set into the sand and saw through a peephole into desert Rajasthani life.

All the children gather round to watch the snake charming...

This old woman was chatting on the cell phone about her daughter in law's ineptitudes at milking the cows. It gave Dharma and me a little chuckle. Some things never change.

WEARING $3 Pushka-sourced tweed vest with Top Shop Floral Blouse, $6 Vintage belt, taupe spandex by TART - Camel Wear

PUSHKA-fied in Suede

2011-03-05T07:41:00.000-08:00

Pushka is this small Holy City in the middle of the desert of Rajasthan surrounded by a holy lake and the mountains. We literally got dropped off on the outskirts next to a hut. We were entirely confused until we realized that Pushka is quite condensed, somewhat like Venice Italy..small alleyways and secret doorways. Here I have found some of the best little fashion pieces. Leather and suede is what to buy when you're here. It's like nothing I've ever seen. Veer away from Goa for shopping and wait till Pushy Push. TRUST ME. This place is MAGIC.

Where we were dropped off..hmm?

CLOTHES UPON CLOTHES

This A-mazing black suede bag for $10! Found in random shop owned by a Kashmiri guy.

On A Magic Carpet Ride...

2011-03-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

The Darjeeling UNlimited

2011-03-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Leaving for Bombay Central Train Station. BYE BOMBAY!

SO, I was vocal about the 12 hour sleeper bus trip being slightly hectic, there was no comparison to the train journey. It was 20 hours up to Rajasthan, Jaipur in northern India. It. Was. Ridiculous. Goes without saying, a once in a lifetime experience. Emphasis on the ONCE.

Yaz's 'distress' face. It wasn't exactly what we expected, but we needed to get up north and fast. No more availability! TIP: BOOK WAY AHEAD.

Being surrounded by the Joonta, the local people, and no foreign travelers or backpackers, in a cramped, prison cell-like train car, we were able to see the way people live, really live. Got the see the underside of Indian life. As for the conditions...well, windows were open all night, dust and dirt flying in, the train was traveling at varying speeds of 'extremely fast', which made it impossible to sleep due to the wind and the cold. Chai wallahs, shimmying through the passageways at odd hours of the night (2 am, 3 am, 4 am, 5 am) literally YELLING "Chaiiiiiiii", repeatedly at the top of their lungs. Of course, when I did find it was time to wake up, those adorable chai wallahs were nowhere in sight. Some guy seriously tried selling me a toothbrush at 3 am. Sleep was not had. Being aware of my bags at all times also made it impossible.

Yet another 5 AM wake up call had Yaz and I in stitches of laughter.

The utilities consisted of a hole in the floor of the train which went direct onto the tracks, and a sink where at least 5 Indian men were simultaneously washing their face in the morning. I just tried not to touch anything. I actually got excited when I saw a western toilet yesterday. The surroundings on the train car could be described as minimal...at best. The experience, so so much more than that.

It's very hard to explain the kind of culture shock upon first entering the train station where people were running and converging upon the train doors like wild people. You can feel the frantic energy all around you. Then came the train car. Literally sleeping with 100 people in a car. No curtains, no blankets, no pillows, no frills...just pure spirit for being on the road moved us through that journey. I remembered what I read in Shantaram...about Indian people needing to fight for survival, whilst being the most hospitable on earth. How could they live amongst so many (1 billion) without a very powerful, however subtle, kind of care for people around them? I've come across that very beautiful aspect of Indian culture more than once over the past two months, and it was very much present on the journey north. There was always someone to help us. We must have looked pretty desperate at times. However, it must be said that train travel in India has given me some of my most beautiful and treasured memories of this country.

A little boy who performs something of a circus act on the train to support his mother. I think he is 3 years old at most.

A beautiful people, a beautiful soul, slightly crazy, but so much to love about India....Oh India!

Back IN Time

2011-03-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

Bombay was full of beautiful people, beautiful food, beautiful nights out....but then it was back to the road...or rather the tracks...Some shots snapped in Mumbai.

WEARING Tibetan Brass and Turq. Ring, amongst Saris and other things bought in India..

Look Of The Day: 1

2011-02-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

What you can do with a very limited wardrobe and the right accessories!

Wearing Anekka Kate Maxi Flow Dress turned into a skirt :), Basics Top, JoBo Feather Head Band/Necklace

BACK.TO.BOM.BAY.

2011-02-26T05:15:00.000-08:00

Well, taking the nightbus was an adventure. It was actually the worst experience out of many that I've ever had. The bumpiest, smallest little capshule, almost falling off the top bunk at one point.

When we finally arrived in Bombay. A Indian man woke us up by taking a nightstick and sliding it down the rows of metal ladders, shouting something in Marathi...felt a bit like what a prison wake up call would be like. Yaz and I fell back asleep, woke up and there were no more Indians on the bus, but we were still driving. We kept asking the same question, Is this Bombay? We got head nods, 'Yes, Bombay'. We continued trying to communicate, 'No, are we IN Mumbai?', 'Yes, Bombay' and some more unhelpful head nodding. This went on for a good 10 minutes. Fully feeling like I had a hangover, courtesy of the sleeping pill Yaz and I had taken and totally disoriented from being shook for 12 hours straight and without any food or water for nearly 15 hours, we were unceremoniously birthed onto the side of the highway, being hawked at by tuk tuks. We got help from a guy who can literally be referred to as The Siberian Panther Tamer, who apparently lived close by in the jungle of Bombay and had lived in India for 15 years, and had the language, dress, and gestures down. He was the White Siberian Indian Man. I've never met anyone from Siberia before...

He helped us find a taxi on the side of the highway at 7 am. Nice guy. Many Thankyous were expressed and we were on the way to Lisa's in Colaba.

After a morning of making organic homemade body scrubs, catching up with Lisa and taking a very detail oriented shower we went to the Four Seasons and experienced LUXE massages (I think I actually moaned during one part of it) and Peppermint Steam Rooms and Vitality baths. I think it was the best massage I've ever had. Then we indulged at a beautiful restaurant in a fully pampered meal of oysters, fish, poached salmon salads, moist and delish carrot cupcakes and homemade rockyroad ice cream.

We came back to Colaba, totally revitalized, and fell asleep for a couple hours, woke up and Lisa's cook, Parsu, had made the most amazing meal I have ever had in India: Chicken Bryani, Raita, Dhal, Spicy Chicken Kebabs with spicy mint sauce and Papadums topped off with glasses of white wine, while listneing to Gayatri Mantra.

It was like going from Hell to Heaven in a matter of hours. And we were literally levitating, in states of nothingness, out of body. INCREDIBLE.

Hippys are Forever

2011-02-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine red dust, clay earth, blue skies, tallllll palm trees stretching to the stratospheres, smells of Indian spices and kurmas wafting from shack kitchens, cows moo'ing in their beach pastures, beaches for miles and miles...fire dancers, hoola hoopers, musicians...smells of musty incense, darkness, walking in the night by candle light, long and frequent blackouts and power outages, since 5 minutes ago....living in fantasy and creating reality....seeing all the beauty one place could hold....Now imagine..

Now leaving Arambol, Goa....departing THIS India and and on my way to discover another India. Feels like lifetimes have passed.

WEARING Anekka Kate Boho Flow Dress and Indo Maxi Tye Dye Dress with Anekka Kate for JoBo Moon Pendant

Wandering Endless Beaches...

2011-02-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

After attending to my morning errands, I took the Sunday off to chill out and get back to the important things...halfway to the beach I was stopped by our friend, Fernandra because he wanted to have me taste his Lebanese home pizza recipe, basically chapatti, raw zatar spread (YUM, look it up...everyone should try), pickled olives and chillies, tomatoes...a lebanese bit of goodness...

I walked through the straw beach huts and, of course, got stopped again by Juan...though I narrowly escaped a much too "far out there" bit of conversation. Not today Juan. So, off I went through the little worlds happening around me to the beach café, Buddha Village, to get my astrological chart read by a wild Croatian lady whose spent the last 30 years in Venezia, Italy...and out of the goodness of her magical heart...she hands out wisdom to those who seek it. Needless to say, I became soaked up in the conversation all afternoon and just infused in the vortex of the crowd...watching the sun set into the sea.

Ended up listening to this really vibey live band, Kundalini Airports and got a lift to another dimension by this southern French musician named Paco and the Indian drummer…his voice echoing like on the verge of mahanirvana and his fingers in a rapid rhythm...I'm living on another planet..

We sat at Babas table, Yaz and I call him the GodBaba with the long white beard, he’s a Dutch Indian who comes back to Goa to smoke chillums all day and take court with all of his friends from over the many years. Hes been here so long he actually spent his 16th birthday on this beach.

I watched how they smoked the chillum with care...for those who don't know, the chillum is the first bong...probably. Its a wooden cone shaped pipe about half a foot long…it is packed with charras and smoked with intent and ritual. Before taking one deep inhale, the smoker takes the chillum with both hands to his forehead in blessing, takes a neverending hit, then brings the chillum to his forehead again. It's kind of intense to watch...

There are some characters on this beach..and this is just to name a few.

Always wandering endless beaches.

WEARING green crop silk Amalita Top, Indian Leather Hat, and tons of Indian Bangles, My new gold grass earrings

Drum Circles

2011-02-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

This is where all the incredible Hippy-ness comes out. Where young and old all come together to dance and move their bodies to drum beats as the sun sets on the day..its full of good vibes, one of the best drum circles I've ever been to...so magical...

Check out the mini hippy chick below...I think we have all fallen in love with the bohemian babies out here. They look pretty adorable in long hair and harem pants with a slight coating on red dust and sand all over them at all times. They are just cruising amongst the most chilled out people on earth.

Wearing $3 Vintage Flower Dress and Vintage Belt

TomTom Surfs Big Waves.

2011-02-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

My beau going deep into Indonesian waves...Tom is so One with the ocean.

Girl Crush

2011-02-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

Sitting in Umbrella Cafe getting some work done, in walked this absolutely stunning woman from Kazakhstan, Indira. She was beautiful with Chinese features and freckles. Gorgeous. Speaks Russian. Plus, shes an uber fabulous mix of biker goth and hippie chick who is a fashion photographer traveling back and forth to Milan and Paris and Tokyo for Fashion Weeks. Making it happen. I had to snap her inspo biker gloves!

Must have these gloves! Linda FourtyFour

Live Churris!

2011-02-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we shot all day in the hot Goan sun all of our crochet bikinis and other tid bits of our fashion collection here in India. We have all been swapping and sharing clothing since we each brought about a backpacks worth of clothing...sharing is caring in this jungle town!

Here are some behind the scenes of our shoot, we were all stylists, art directors and photographers. This time we had an amazing woman, Victoria, from the Ukraine, shoot for us. So talented! Here are some of my edits.

This shoot was especially fun, though exhausting. From our last shoot, which was urban with tagged concrete walls, uber somber and intense. This was pretty, paradise, lush. We used all these amazing backgrounds to our advantage, with shipwrecks and little straw huts everywhere, it was an atmospheric dream to be here. We also shot at this little Oasis, Sweet Lake, where the therapeutic mud is said to healing properties capable of total transformation....hmmm..

Wearing Churris Bikinis, Hippy Wear Head Band and Peacock Feather Earrings by Anekka Kate, lots of bangles and pieces of jewelry from indie shops in Goa, and our own collections of fashionista goodies :)

Villa Disco Zebra and the Lionesses

2011-02-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

After 6 weeks together in Goa without any personal space whatsoever, living 3 in a room fit for 1, these beautiful ladies I have been traveling with and I haven't ended up killing each other. On the contrary we have all become closer as women and friends. Soul Mates. Spreading the Fairy Dust..

Yesterday, after a full on day with Akira packing up to leave for Paradise Beach running back and forth to Magic Park, Yazzy hanging out in a little store hut learning out to make macrame and crystal necklaces, and myself going to listen to talks on clarity and living in the moment at a commune in the bush and running around getting my flights out of India for 3 weeks from now! We ended up hanging out in the hammock, chilling out, listening to our roomie Pierre sing operatic arias at the top of his lungs! I love it and his jovial boyishness. See below the one and only Pierro!

After so much time together, its all coming to end...these things I always embrace as well as step tenderly, remembering every moment and living in it.

After Akira's last night it was Frenchie Pierre, Naz our landlord, and Yaz and I. Here are some of the goodies of the Lionesses together...

WEARING Anekka Kate, Crystal Necklace by Kaleidoscope of Beauty

Coconuts and Cappuccinos

2011-02-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

Every morning our friend Nazareth climbs up our coconut tree starting from our rooftop veranda. He gets his feet into these little nooks, climbs up, and twists them out! Fresh coconuts and cappuccinos every morning.

And They Wore Flowers in Their Hair..

2011-02-16T01:42:00.000-08:00

The Indian Women walk around giving out flower necklaces symbolizing friendship and good luck...This is the end of our photoshoot yesterday by Sweet Lake

Wearing Amalita Top

Fashion Passion

2011-02-16T01:09:00.000-08:00

Walkin' On A Dream...

2011-02-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

Goa Magic...

Hippy Wear

2011-02-12T20:58:00.000-08:00

Hanging out in Pajis on Arambol beach the other day while Jo did Yazzys amaaaazing hair wrap...She was showing me her new pieces and here there are! Hippy Wear Head Bands, I wear them as a necklace to layer with others and as a head piece... I'm obsessed.

Shanti..Allow me my moment.

2011-02-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

Some days my life feels like a dream...I spent years questioning and wondering how to make this dream a reality. A friend of mine during my time in Paris told me that what he wanted out of life was to be free. I remember feeling envy. Since that point I feel like my purpose has been to make these crazy, wildly spontaneous decisions about my life, and vibe and seek out only the most gorgeous, marvelous things in the world. What my work is has finally grown, like from a womb, into this organic creation. Its magical. And its all mine. My own organic marketplace of creativity and pleasure and beauty.

Wearing Anekka Kate's Tibetan Turquoise & Brass Oval Ring

I find moments of tranquility where I can remember being really young, confused, unsure, misdirected. Now, I find myself on this beach, with years of history where people found some resolution, the gift after all of the work it took to get here, the disconnects and thoughtful reflections on our inner self, that is now all tied up in some sort of beautiful bow. All these inner hippys, after traipsing around the world, found what they were in search of....whether it was some charras and chillums, a 10 hour trance party, or just a small group of close friends to sit on the beach with and watch the sun set...they are all in shanti.

Wearing Anekka Kate for JoBo Moon Pendant, and Churris Crochet B'Kinis

I am infusing in all of their positive vibes and good energy and perfect state of being detached from the tribulations of life, they pass through like ripples in a wave, they float in and float out!

Bikinis For Brunch Too!

2011-02-08T22:51:00.000-08:00

Check out our Photo Shoot for the Crochet Kini LookBook for our Churris B'Kinis Collection.

Take a Peek! We are shipping from India, with full bindi set inside direct from Southern India as our free gift! It makes the perfect gift in prep for summer fun in the sun!

If you have any inquiries email me at Katherine.Stone1@gmail.com or comment below. Our LookBook with FlatLay Photos for Styles and Colors Upon Request!

Wearing Churris B'Kinis, Indian Bangles and Necklaces, & Very Little Sleep

Bikinis for Breakfast

2011-02-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

Lounging on a Goan Beach in Arambol in the early morning. A special deserted paradise.

Wearing my own B'Kini design for Anekka Kate

Fairy'ing Happiness

2011-02-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

In our little world...smelling chocolate fudge melting, salty waftings from the Arabian Sea, beedies smoking and twirling.

Wearing A&K Basic Tee, smelly 1-month old electric pink cast, HUGE SMILES.

Anais. Dans le Erotica.

2011-02-07T23:21:00.000-08:00

"...and the day came when the risk it took to remain in the bud became more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Feeling the inspiration of one of my favorite women in literature..one of the pioneers of true style in attitude, in expression of emotion, in intellect, in lifestyle. Anais Nin.

"I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger than reason. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me.
Anything I cannot transform into marvelous I let go. Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another, no more walls." - Anais

I love love.

After I recommended "Henry and June" to a friend of mine, unable to control or convey the feeling that her writings shower me in...they wrote back so beautifully...

"She is able to write about emotions I would not dare to speak about. She
thereby liberates me as I do not feel alone or mislead with my most private
desires any longer."

Wearing MoonPendant Necklace by JoBo, Hair Wrap by JoBo, RayBan Glasses, and Anekka Kate Gold B'Kini Top.

GO GOA.

2011-02-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

After the longest weekend of my life, with ups and downs, chaos and sleepless nights, nightbus disorientation and parasite sickness (seriously have lost kilos...)...a real retreat day was called for in Goa. Celebrating the life we have and how lucky we are. As well as Akira and my reunion with Yaz! This is just a bit of the place we love here India. Free Love in the Bubble Land.

One of the most amazing things about Goa is the amount of free space, space to twirl fire, space to do somersaults, space to play, laugh, dance, be. There still exists an untapped bit of worldly goodness tucked away inside India.

I woke YazCat up at 6:30 am when I got off the nightbus and we just laughed our all the way to the Laughing Buddha for some Brekky...I've been living with Australians for too long...:) But actually I love it. And I love them. Akira and Yaz are my Fairying Soulmates.

Back in the drum circle full of artists, Indians, hippies, gypsys, westerners, drummers, rastas, people people people all with their own individuality and oddities!

Magical Sunsets

Taste the Madness.

2011-02-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

Coming out of the markets in Mapsa and trying to find out where the 2-hour long local bus back to Arambol was located amongst it all. Absolute Chaos.

Daisies for Days

2011-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Back in Arambol again. Wonderful relief. Back in the love bubble, the bliss bubble, the Arambubble

Irezz Revolution Photoshoot.

2011-02-06T00:45:00.000-08:00

This was one of my first photo shoots, after a 12 hour day we finished with a pool shot..absolutely freezing!

Imagine...

2011-02-04T23:17:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm in my own version of Shataram, After 10 hours on a sleeper night bus with 40 Indian men, shouting in Marathi everywhere, Akira and I having been tossed around our little capsule whilst traveling through the South India countryside...we made it to Pune. I'll leave out some finer details of nightbus travel as its only fair that if any of you come to experience the beauty of India you should find out all the memorable bits for yourself. After an abrupt wake up call, we got into a rickshaw wallahs tuktuk at 5:30 this morning in a dazed state, flew through the city streets, and came to the house we are staying at with an Iranian couple. After a early morning chai with the Nicket and his wife, we fell into a deep slumber....and my dreams were filled with...

Hair Wraps Are My Joy.

2011-02-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

I'm traveling up to Pune, one of the notably ancient cities of India, north of Bombay for a couple days to do a modeling job through a new agent I found in Mumbai. Excited to be in a new city for a couple days. There is a world famous Osho Ashram up there that I've been meaning to check out.

However, I am going to miss Goa...the drum circles at sunset on the beach, our home in Woodstock village, Magic Park, Laughing Buddha, all the live music and didgeridoo players on the beach, jaunts on over to sweet lake over the hill for a little inspiration, mid afternoon Chai breaks, getting pulled off the street randomly because its meant to be that we listen to a 'talk' on living freely and in the moment, morning ritual Ashtanga yoga, thrice-daily swims out my front door and into the ocean, and the general rustic nature that Goa IS.

Below, my friend Jo did an amazzzing hair wrap for me the other day, its basically leave-in jewelry. I'm having her teach me her skills. :)

Wearing Hair Wrap by JoBo, RayBan Glasses, + Golden B'Kini by Anekka Kate

MAPUSA

2011-02-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

After a busy few days, we still needed to get items to fluff up our stall and make it look beautiful. We traveled down to Mapusa by local bus. I had eaten something that wasn't sitting right. So, drivng down on the local bus, literally flying out of the seat over bumps, and trying not to puke from motion sickness, stopping all the traffic in the road because rubbish on top of the bus had flown off.....then we finally arrived.

Not feeling well on the bumpy bus

Dirt road stalls

Indian Spices smell incredible

The Flower Market

Akira wearing our flower basket on her head. We got laughed at for this. Apparently, it looks really strange and awkward when a foreigner does it. Also of course, this act is reserved for a lower caste.

Going to be sick

Nearing the end of the day

Getting Bindi-fied

Flowery Pants.

2011-02-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of in love with my new flower print harem pants. They work.

Here are some photos of me when the internet has gone out for the 10th time that day. Om Shanty Om.

Jewelry. Rocks.

2011-01-31T20:32:00.000-08:00

Making just one piece takes about 3 hours to place each tiny bead on 6 different strands of thin elastic. It is tedious, but I think it has potential. This is my Beaded Montage Cuff.

Wayan, my assistant, helped me source almost everything. She knows all the specialty stores.

SneakPeek: Crochet Kini LookBook

2011-01-31T02:38:00.000-08:00

On our current temporary home we have a really cool roof with awesome paintwork on the walls. A photographers dream with amazing backdrops and lighting.

Selling Chaos.

2011-01-31T02:09:00.000-08:00

After having done a night market prior to the day market I thought I knew what I was in for. I didn’t. It lets you know you’re alive. I cant even express the insanity that overwhelmed me. Carrying 20 kilos and wandering through rough terrain, with Indians on all sides hounding me at every turn of the head….I was never so relieved at finally arriving at our little dirt stall.

Shown are Chakra Panties by Anekka Kate and Boho Anklet-Toe Rings by Anekka Kate

It was like being a part of the secret clubhouse being in the Indian market. At first everyone was slightly curious and confused of the 2 little blonde girls setting up their very pink and fluffy tent, hanging headresses, underwear and bikinis everywhere. Surely enough, they all welcomed us in to their little community…giving us tips on how to set up the stall, how to sell better, where to find the best and cheapest Indian chapatti and dhal. We took breaks and drank chai on the little bamboo mats in the dirt, listened to some homegrown music and commiserated on our sales for the day. Turns out our experience in the day market has only fueled us to change our game plan and keep evolving our business. We decided to do a photoshoot with the bikinis and then send/sell them through to Akiras contacts in Aus. Just as we were discussing an early morning Saturday photoshoot for a LookBook, a Ukranian chick rocked up and just loved our Navaho Headpieces so much that she wanted to use them in a shoot and asked us if we could work out a deal for her book. MAGIC.

Leaving the market was a totally different story. Back to CHAOS. We both had parasites, Akira lost her shoes, hands full of our stuff, and then we were trying to get out of the market before it got dark, otherwise you can’t see your feet in front of you. There was a mad rush. But, we were fluttering!

Heading back through the markets with a cooley (baggage carrier) this time around, there were taxis holding down the horn, people shouting in Hindi, a wild sunset happening. Walking barefoot in the dirty, dusty, clay earth, all flowed out and bangled up…I’ve never felt so alive and simultaneously about to crack.

What calms me down and keeps me going is the knowledge that every moment of every day is a test leading up to a point where the real challenges lie.

Om Shanty Om.

"Her World" Published Photos

2011-01-29T20:52:00.000-08:00

Oka Diputra
House of Irsan

Ali Charisma

Dinda Rella

Animale Accesories

Biasa Bali

Make up: Tanty Lay

Model: Katherine Stone (M.Model Management)

Stylist: Josephine Milka

Assistant to Stylist: Bony M Rompas

Location: St. Regis Bali

Some days last forever.

2011-01-28T04:04:00.001-08:00

Ungu Video. Globe Imaginarium Photoshoot

2011-01-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

This is a video that I and 10 other models did in June for TransWorld Surf with Pro Surfers CJ HobGood, Nate Tyler, Dion Agius, and Taj Burrow. Globe won the cover of Transworld Surf with this shoot. The music and art direction is uber amazing. It was all filmed and shot by Director Joe G, really cool guy, on Yehgangga Beach, West Coast Bali

Trancing and Grooving

2011-01-27T12:33:00.001-08:00

Just got home from a trance party on the beach, just full on Ibiza style Dj, ing with crazy shaved heads, pixies and hippies everywhere, letting their bodies move and groove to the music.
It was Costa’s birthday, a guy whose lived and loved Goa for 15 years. We are all hanging out in his garden terrace hanging out on cushions with the ambiance of fairy lights around us. The lights and electricity in the village just shut off, the trance music ended but the drumming circles pick up instantly… surrounded by candlelight and friends, all we can see above us is the illuminated sky of billions of stars and canopies of palm trees. Life is perfection. And the people here are beautiful.

I got a ride home from my French friend, Pierre, who costume designs for opera houses in Italy and is just a darling, precious heart in every way. As we are walking through little alleyways, past little beach huts, and pigs trifling through rubbish piles, he shines a light on my path, warning me to watch over for the cow dung. He repeats, in the most absurdly hilarious French accent, “At once you feel warm and comfortable, the next second you realize your mistake”. HAHA
I love Cocks Town, the name of the beach hub that was going off tonight. I would have stayed longer in my flowy backless dress. But I am always brimming with work that needs to be done, sourcing that needs to happen and all the inspiration that I need to materialize one day at a time. Starting tomorrow.
In the morning, ill do my laundry, all handwash and hung dry on our rooftop. Its all filled with dust. We’ll rent a car and head down to Candellin where we are meeting a Boutique owner who wants to buy some of our bikinis and Indian Headressess. Hopefully we can get our stock moving through him!
AHHH till tomorrow

day 5. goa. Back to the drawing board.

2011-01-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Didn't sleep at all last night (its not even light out yet) even with my new Nepalese wool blanket. No one told me it was FRIGID cold at night in Goa. But its all good, got to thinking all night, and came up with a few new design ideas. And I've decided to do a Cosmetics and Body line. Its pretty relaxing to do homemade salt and sugar scrubs with almond and apricot oil. And they smell sooo good. Going back to the spa when I get home to Bali to start putting together samples! YAY! So fun!

I was also learning a bit about the charcoal eyeliner they use in India, they mix it with almond oil to really bring out a shine in the eyes. I just bought a little one, going to test it out. Would anyone be interested in buying traditional Indian eyeliner if I placed it in my store? The same goes for Face and Body Paint and Henna. Doing a whole Cosmetics and Costume line...hm.

Finished a raw silk bra design. Looking for fabric dyes at the market today. I'm wanting to make my own colors like I did with my Chakra Panties line. See AnekkaKate.bigcartel.com. Women are going to go crazy for these bras, they are soo FEM! Take pics soon to post!

I bought some amazing accent fabrics, a lot of lace and hand knitted and woven designs for my soon to be lingerie line. It was all from Gujarat in Rajasthan. I will definitely be heading there and Pushka for fabrics.

Heres a little bit of nice lighting and composition for you :)

Wearing a Vintage Neglige of silk and lace in a ONE-zie

Sometimes you should just get some hipster love

Lets talk about bliss

South of France

Bangles and Bindis. I LOVE Arambol

2011-01-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

After a beautiful Goan morning of fruit on tin plates and a little morning sunrise, Akira and I drove through the jungle up to Arambol, northern Goa, to look for our new home. It was a minimal little honeypot in the middle of the jungle, 2 minutes from the beach. Arambol is the total hippie den of Goa. Everywhere is really. But Arambol is special, with small alcoves and secret spots and a small community and very cheap lodging, it was perfection.

Our friend Pishtu told us the history of Bindis. Women’s place has always been inside the home and men’s has been outside. At night, when they join together for dinner and meditation, wearing the Bindi has traditionally been a way of expressing a desire for oneness and unity with each other as husband and wife. The Bangles, making charming chiming during fulfillment of the housework, making dinner, making love…remind her of the intimacy they share.

Chai by candlelight

Our new friend, Pishtu

WEARING RayBan Bring Back The Nerd Glasses, full prescription lenses out of Mumbai. Brilliant! Best purchase of the trip.

Anjuna. The Markets.

2011-01-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

Back with the Airy Fairys.

Driving through cashew trees I finally arrived at this broken down Portugese house in the middle of a field. It was made with clay and the doors were locked together only with two giant padlocks. I threw my backpack on the ground and with the rest of our beautiful things to sell in the Tuk Tuk, we left with Pintu for the markets. As we arrived 3 young Indian children grabbed our many bags, with my 30 kilo bag on one’s head. And we trudged, Yazzy trying to follow on crutches! SO funny. Poor dear.

It was total chaos. It was beautiful chaos. You can’t imagine how open and creative an environment it was. Everyone was wearing their artistry in a way that was so natural. We had the most amazing vibe at our stall right next to the trance bar, which was literally just a mat in the dust, and we had to improvise from there. Akira somehow managed to get us a booth. The process was basically one woman who chose out of the crowd of 60 people. And she chose 6. Us included! Haha! Fated! We did success in our first night at the markets, we made about 100 USD, but there was such a buzz around us, people were asking if we were going to be there next week. SO, we’ll have to start the process all over again next Wednesday and Saturday (the market is 2 days a week).

Wearing TopShop blouse and Gold Teardrop Earrings, soon to be available on AnekkaKate.bigcartel.com

We had a couple join us for awhile, we are collaborating on selling together to give a more rounded out feel to our little stall. We were trying all sorts of Ayurvedic medicines, and Amazonian tonics. Smoking little beedies and enjoying everyone around us. I met one man who lived with the Indonesian on Flores for four months and went on their small boat to fish for sperm whales. Everyone has a story here. There is no lack of the extraordinary and never any boredom.

Akira and I packed up at the market around 2 am. Came back home had freezing cold showers in our barren little Portugese hut and just were alight with inspiration.
I really think I’ve found a place I could live for half the year. So different from Bali, a bit more down to the earth. I’ve found another Heaven.

Our magical Chai Baba

I’ve met a swede, Sarah, who does the most beautiful earrings. They are big and bold, feathery, light, fairy. All sorts. But they are total PIECES. Things every girl, woman must have. She makes them by hand out of this Brazilian grass that only grows in one particular city. It looks like a very thin gold. We are meeting tomorrow to have some curry and chapatti to discuss doing some business!

Love love love Back to the Airy Fairys!

Bombay

2011-01-21T07:41:00.001-08:00

Real Indian Paan

Gateway of India

oceans sunset

Gorgeous Saris

Colaba

SO MANY BANGLES

Child Play off the shore of Mumbai

The one, the only....Leopolds

This was my first cab ride into Bombay. Despite my efforts to make conversation...this was a quiet ride into Colaba. My head was turning in 30 directions at once

The first meal, made by the amazing Parsu, he fed me as soon as I got in with traditional dhal, rice, spicy curry veggies, and a cucumber salad. Accompanied with a hot cup of chai. yum. :)

Colaba

2011-01-21T00:26:00.000-08:00

Going off for a wander through the city streets. After one full day in Mumbai, I still am not entirely sure how to describe it. Intense. my friend Lisa mentioned, as a blonde I'm attracting more attention than normal. And the word, "No", just doesn't seem to exist in their vocabulary. Persistence in the name of the game here, provoked by survival. Still getting my bearings in this totally foreign place.

So far, everything is full on. Promise to post pics later. :)

A little tradition - a little modern

2011-01-21T00:17:00.000-08:00

This was a shoot I did right before I left for India for a hotel's website. They are trying to relaunch the image. It was one of the most pampered jobs I've had, which was quite nice. I think the ones of me dressed in traditional Balinese wedding dress are hysterical. They actually had to have people come in from Denpasar to get the dress exactly right. It took about an hour or more to put it all together. And about 6 different layers. Now I know how Happy felt on her wedding day. Stiff!

Eating some incredible japanese at the Hotel Patra in Bali

Snapshots

2011-01-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

Shadow me in BKK

Me and Nate on my last night in Thong Lo

Bangkok

Bangkok Anti-Vibrant

Kuala Lumpur...Ampang

Saying Goodbye to Southeast Asia

My Amateur Hippie Photoshoot!

2011-01-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my designs and other pieces I've sourced. I've decided to finally put out there. Thanks to Anna my stunning spanish model and my gorgeous and sexy swedish friend Sofia! All of these pieces I've mentioned in the captions will be available to buy on my store AnekkaKate.bigcartel.com , once I get back from India. :)

After spending a full week editing all of the photos and re-learning photoshoot, I'm so happy with how it came out!!

Anna loves Anekka Kate, wearing my yellow panties

This is my Bali Boho Flow Dress in Taupe, Inspired by Nadia! SO COZY!

Amazing crocheted crop top in dark taupe and my Boho Vintage Skirt

Rainbow Crochet Bikini Top

It was a heavy day and we all needed a break...

Sofia in my Jungle Green Panties Line

Amazing Headress with my Gold Bikini top design

Action shot!

My Sunshine Yellow Panties

Goofing around with the one piece crochet swimsuit...hehe

Anna UNEDITED Meowww

Sofia, the hippie swede in the Rainbow crochet kini!

My Boho Flow Skirt

Wearing my green panties - Gorgeous

Back of the one piece yellow crochet swimsuit

Psychedelic Sofia

My Yellow undies again....:) helloooo Maxim!

Turquoise Undies!!!

Our Final Shot- To all of you three that helped me do this the day before I left on my journey to India! Hope you like this scrapbook! You are all gorgeous! SO Thankyou!

Photographer - Tom
Stylist - Me
Models - Sofia and Anna

BYE BANGKOK, HELLO MUMBAI

2011-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

Its slightly difficult for me to explain the presence all around me, I feel this looming with such an adventure ahead of me. I'v romanced, glorified, narrated, envisioned my first glimpses off the plane, the first hysterical greeting of 20 taxi drivers grabbing my bags without any nudge. Efforts to hustle me towards the bustle of Mumbai. Fresh off 9 days of traveling and waiting and checking in and out of airports, and hours of public transportation to save money, sleeping on couches, and grimy hostels....basically doing a 9 day full run through of my first year and half in Asia... I'll have finally made it.

I can't imagine a better life. How did I get so lucky?

I'm living the life I've always imagined. And so can you.

Me in Marseille during my time abroad at University in Paris.

Recent picture in Bali

Burning Man, middle of the desert in Nevada

Bingin, the Last Paradise

2011-01-18T04:30:00.000-08:00

Hanging in Bingin, down the in the Bukit.

Falling asleep to the waves crash, we get a little bungalow overlooking lagoons

Apothecary

2011-01-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

After a very long 12 hour photoshoot I came back home to make my girl Autumn some shampoo, conditioner and body wash before she flew back to LA. It was my first job when I arrived in Bali: to make spa products. In these shots I am missing my funnel, so we did it with a hole in the bottom of a cup. Worked anyway!

Smells delish!

Funky Shoot

2011-01-12T23:28:00.000-08:00

This was my shoot with the French Photographer Vilo.

Thai Records

2011-01-12T23:06:00.000-08:00

I found these incredibly old school thai music records from the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

The imagery is vaguely similar.

Bangkok. TukTuk Madness.

2011-01-12T23:01:00.000-08:00

In BKK I found myself surrounded by all the familiar smells, sounds and bustle of a city I once called home. At least for a little while. I have done nothing except devour everything I can find in terms of street food. I know I wont get it again for awhile.

A few more days here waiting for my visa and then I am off to Mumbai :) Thai words I had forgotten are just now coming back to me. Just in time to leave again. :) of course.

Im off to wander the streets in search of something to eat...

It could have happened to anyone...right? - From K.L.

2011-01-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

So, guess what happened after a full week of non-stop work and preparation for this trip and in my haste to get to India as fast as possible. I get to malay with 30 kilos (round about 70 pounds for the Americans out there)of stock for selling in the markets in Goa in a duffel bag. I head straight for the Indian Consulate, I get taken to the wrong one on the opposite side of town. I finally get to the right one and the admin lady tells me I cant get a Indian visa in Malay, because I'm a tourist!! She says, only other place Bangkok. I say, WHAT!??

SO. Detour. To. Bangkok. End. of. Story. BC. NO. OTHER. CHOICE.

Thank god I have friends in every country in Southeast Asia.

AM I EVER GETTING TO INDIA!!

This might change your life...

2011-01-07T05:14:00.001-08:00

Bali

2011-01-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

MUSE

2011-01-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

a little drawing in my downtime

"Her World" PhotoShoot: Behind The Scenes

2011-01-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

This was a photoshoot I did at the St. Regis in Nusa Dua, Bali for "Her World" Magazine in Indonesia. It's by far one of the most extreme fashion shoots I've done. ! It was all so intense and wild! They took my eyebrows off. I'm glad they only shaded them in. I've heard some horror stories about makeup artists taking a little too much creative control.

All together it was a total of 8 outfits in 13 hours. One of the longest shoots I've done so far. But we had a 5 star suite and lots of lovely people around us. It was an out of this world experience and I hope to work with them again! Amazing! There are more pictures to come. The issue comes out this month!

They kept telling me to eat the coffee table treats. And I was kind of hungry. They should have told me to pretend eat. That was more accurate of what they wanted.

Nusa Dua St. Regis. Gorgeous!

Audrey Hepburn-esque

The floor was covered in flowers carefully placed in hundreds of neat rows.

Ocean View!

Getting ready for the shot took longer than taking the actual photo and getting it right.

I've come undone

No Turning Back

2011-01-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

I'm making all of my plans for India this week. This includes sourcing and gathering all of the best and most unusual things in Bali to sell them in the markets in Goa. I am flying into Mumbai after 5 days in Malaysia to get my Indian Visa. A big UGH to that lengthy stay. However, I plan on making the most of it. Maybe finding a few secret gems in Kuala Lumpur that I didn't find the first time. Cant wait to get back on the road and travel again. Needing a little taste of exploration. I've been hooked up with a few people in India who will be able to clue me in on everything in the manufacturing world. Would love to start manufacturing in India. Hopefully, the girls and I will make some money there and get some new ideas!

But, from what I hear the markets in Goa are EPIC. Cannot wait to find amazing bohemian pieces there. I'll be selling them on the online store. Sorry to everyone: I am going to wait till after India (first week of February) to let the Anekka Kate Shop go live. I need to be back in my base and be able to EMS ship all items out of Indonesia.

1 LOVE

No Turning Back Now.

Debus Trance

2011-01-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

After enchanting the mantra “I forbid you to touch my skin, I forbid you to drink my blood, I forbid you to consume my flesh, strains strong as led, bones as strong as steel, skins of metal, out of my mother’s I was born. I testify that there’s no other God beside Allah!”. At the same time, he pierced a long dagger on to his arms, stomach, thigh, and other parts of his body. He even grabbed a small child and slashed his neck without leaving any scar that could endanger the child’s life.

The attraction is known as Debus. It was said that the ancient art originated from a certain region called al Madad. The art evolved as time passed and developed throughout the area of Banten as a form of entertainment. The art of Debus focused on making a persons body unaffected to the attack of sharp objects.

It is believed that practitioners of Debus force their spirit out of their body and welcome another spirit back into their "shell". This allows them to pierce their bodies without pain. As soon as the spirit leaves their body they faint, as empty bodies. I saw this take place in Jakarta as a man was being viciously whipped without any effect or reaction. Suddenly, his body fell to the ground and the rest of the Debus men huddled around him and carried his body off towards the women of the group.

Other more outrageous kinds of self-inflictions are the piercing a person’s stomach using sharp objects or a spear, Slicing a person’s body using a long dagger with or without leaving any scar, literally eating a flaming firewood, piercing long needles through skin, tongue, and between cheeks without staining any blood. More over they slice certain parts of their body until they bleed, but instantaneously heal. They also “bathe” themselves with acid leaving their clothes deteriorate, but their skin and body aren’t damaged at all. Sometimes they chomp pieces of glasses and equally horrible razor-sharp objects.

It is said that practitioners must have a strong faith in Islam teaching. There are several forbidden things for them in order to safely perform Debus. They are not to drink liquors of any kind, not to gamble, not to submit to a lust for women, and not to steal. Practitioners are to act without hesitation. Any form of dishonouring the terms and conditions could bring their life at stake.

Take from this what you will. But I've seen in happen. And its some sort of strange phenomenon. If there is one thing I've learned about this part of the world is that their faith is strong and it seemingly wills other forces into existence. Altogether it is strange and unexplainable.

Art Tagging

2010-12-31T20:21:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we had two amazingly talented tattoo artists come over to our house and give tattoos! They also spray tagged our ping pong room, which was blank white. It really needed some color!

It really is a fabulous place to have a live DJ, feels like you're in some grunge club in Eastern Europe somewhere :)

The Thailand Back-Story

2010-12-31T01:16:00.000-08:00

I thought I should give everyone the link to my old wordpress blog to be able to follow the story from where it really began, in Thailand.

katherinebobo.wordpress.com/

This was a little girl in Chiang Mai dressed in traditional northern Thai dress in the temple

He was a young monk, maybe 14 years old, looking at me through the window grates at the temple atop the mountain overlooking Chiang Mai.

This was my last sunset of 2009, taken on New Years Eve, on a boat off of Krabi.

On the island of Kho Phi Phi

India Calling

2010-12-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be going to India sometime in the next 10 days! It's about time. It's been a miracle in the making just waiting for the right moment. I'll be going out of my way to fly to Bombay to take in a bit of the soul of the country...Shantaram style. I'm looking at this trip as an total adventure...but also an opportunity for searching out Indian designers with unique styles, all of which I'll be placing in my online store, Anekka Kate (Link To Be Posted Soon!). I am also planning on this trip to be a fruitful expedition for textiles. I have been dreaming of a lingerie line for many months now, and it's in the hatching stages: the designs and the materials are there, I just need the right silk and lace fabrics to piece it all together.

Once in India I'll be meeting my girlfriend, Akira, who crashed with me for the few days she was in Bali before flying out for India. A friend of hers has a booth in the massive market in Goa. There is a huge opportunity to sell unique items brought from Bali. I am just waiting for the word on what sale pieces to bring to Goa! I'll probably have a lot of luggage. :)

Akira in India. I'll be meeting her there soon!

The colorful sari's are stunning against the backdrop of the vibrant and multi-layered city of Mumbai