Far-Flung Fashion

After another long break away from my blog, I considered it would be best to add something about fashion for a change. For the past year or so I've admired some items of clothing a good friend of my bought at a French Market when she went to visit her brother and his family. I've had my eyes open ever since to find some of my own. Unfortunately, as I had no clue what they were called, that took some time. Ok, I appreciate I should have just asked my friend, but as she bought them in France considered she might not know their name. It wasn't until she returned to the UK, from her now retirement in Spain, that we had a discussion about them and I discovered what they were called. I'm not going to hold you in suspense any longer - though I know I'm probably quite late to this parade and am most likely being considered to be a bit of a hippy, I found Harem Trousers.

One of my favourite films as a child was "The King and I" starring Yul Brynner and I just adored the costumes worn by the people of Siam. What some of you may or may not know is that the country previously called Siam changed it's name in 1948 by a Constituent Assembly vote to Thailand. Which I discovered after years of watching the film and wondering why nothing was ever in the news about Siam.

Having discovered what these elusive trousers were called, I did an internet search and came across a site on Etsy (this is the link:- https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FunkandChill?ref=search_shop_redirect ). I took a chance, despite never having bought anything from overseas before, let alone from Thailand and bought myself a few pairs. I was lucky as there was a special offer at the time whereby if I bought four pairs I got a fifth one free of charge.

I waited patiently for my purchase to arrive, though their shipping service is quite swift considering the distance these had to travel and just over a week after ordering them I received my items. I have to say that I am now definitely a convert. These trousers are so different, comfortable and versatile (they can also be worn as a jumpsuit) as well as lightweight to wear. You might think that due to there being an elasticated waist and cuffs at the ankle, they might seem as though they are no better than your average leggings, but you couldn't be more wrong. These do indeed look quite elegant. You can either dress them up or down using tops and shoes, and they certainly do attract attention. They are so easy to wash and iron too, which is a bonus. This style is more for Spring, Summer or Autumn though, so after another search, I came across a different, but more substantial version for when the weather cools down a little. These are what I found (link to the site:- www.harempants.com)

Don't worry, if you are even remotely interested in either of these styles, though there are a vast array of others on both websites, all you have to do is click on the image you like, and you'll be taken to the page. No need to even cut and paste the web addresses.

Do I now consider myself to be somewhat of a hippy...yes, I guess I do if that is what I need to be labelled to wear my lovely Harem Trousers. I am a convert, and though I haven't specifically looked for those that resemble the more intricate ones used in my favourite film, below is a prime example, I would love to be able to. Not so sure they're going to be quite as reasonably priced as the ones I already own though...

Can you guess, despite the differences between our ages at the time I first saw this, I had quite the crush on this fine figure of a man, despite his baldness? He does have something about him though doesn't he... and look at his torso :)

Can you guess, despite the differences between our ages at the time I first saw this, I had quite the crush on this fine figure of a man, despite his baldness? He does have something about him though doesn't he... and look at his torso :)

Ok, man crush over for now, and I hope you like my blog post. If you are even remotely tempted to try these trousers, in my case at least I prefer the low crotch version, but as you will see from these two sites, there are plenty of other styles that might suit you. Happy shopping all :)