Something else - The Sreepur Village

I'm bad at replying in time. I have an email-penpal who hasn't heard of me in so long that I am way too utterly ashamed to state how long exactly. I'm also incapable of finding the right words to start my next email with ("Hey, so, how's ....life? Do you still live in the same country as me? By the way, sorry it took so long, I was....doing everything but write to you, with no reason at all. Please still like me") and it gets worse exponentially every day.
Weeks and weeks ago, I realized that I let that annoying habit of mine slip once again, but this time, it really wasn't my fault - it was technology's! I casually browsed through my spam folder and, lacking any "ordinary" mails to read, googled one of the subject lines....and actually found it. And it wasn't something questionable or obviously weird but a real charity organization: Sreepur Village.

Basically,  Sreepur Village is a funds in the UK overseeing a non-political organisation called "Shishu Polli Plus" (that means Childrens Village Plus). It's a village in Bangladesh where destitute women and children are provided with shelter, food, clothing and an education. It was officially founded in 1989 by a British Airways stewardess named Patt Kerr who came to Bangladesh while working and developed such passion for helping out there that she devoted her life to it. I really like that story (read it in more detail here) and I really liked conversing with Emma Cole, my contact in the UK, who asked me to review some of the things that are made by those women in Sreepur Village and sold online in order to raise money for the organization. Emma was so lovely, even when the parcel with the samples got returned to her and she had to send it again, not to mention the fact that I didn't reply to her for a month after she first reached out to me (as soon as I had googled the whole thing).

Since this is my first post about something other than me (I wish I was kidding), I thought a lot about how to present the samples; I figured that I'd just show you how the products, apart from supporting an admirable cause, can be of use in your/my daily life.

This concept sounded way more complex in my head. Anyways, let's get started!

When I finally got the parcel, I was in my nightgown, so excited to unpack it on the floor that I almost forgot to take pictures, but here's my first impression:



It was so much! I hadn't expected so many different items. And would you look at the cute birthday cards - I'm still trying to figure out whom to give them to. So, to all my friends, if you get them, feel special. Oh, and the bookmark is lovely, too, because it's satin soft. I'm keeping that one myself - I must have a hundred bookmarks somewhere in my room but I can't ever find one, so I don't actually use one most of the time. This one is too pretty to lose, though, so I might as well use it!




I didn't even know what a shoe bag was until I got this sweet one - but it's really useful for carrying shoes in your suitcase without getting dirt on the clothes, for example. A way classier option than plastic bags (and better for the environment and everything).











Soo, the scarves are all hand loomed. Looming was a topic on my finals. Just throwing that out there. That's how I know they are made in plain weave, too, if you happen to be interested in that kinda thing for some fathomless reason. If you're not, just know that the scarves do not show any visible flaws, no holes or loose threats at all. They're all soft and nice on your skin, being made solely from cotton and silk, which is always a good sign, qualitywise.
















The sheer beige one

The day they came, I had a close friend over and decided to use the one that seemed more like a shawl (more square and very thin woven, with a portion of silk) as a table runner. I like to pretend I'm having a dinner party any time someone comes over and use random fake flowers I find around the house to set the table, and I think the shawl gave everything a more decorative touch. It's got a fine embroidery, too:





In the late evening, it got cool outside so we moved indoors - and of course I forgot to take my fancy tablecloth with me. I was showing the rest to my friend when it hit me, and I ran outside and grabbed it, and thankfully, it wasn't ruined. So I'll let this slide as some sort of resistance test: Even though it was a bit damp, I hung it up over a chair and it's as good as new to this day. It's also my mom's favorite item, if you've been wondering.





The classic black and white checked one                                                                   

 I like the sixties-diner-vibe that comes with this one. It goes great with denim and muted colors and adds a touch of playfulness to a simple outfit like this with its pattern, as do the tights. I never thought that a scarf and a leather jacket would make for a cool combo, but I must say that I felt pretty cute in it!

The Cream One 






































This is my personal favorite piece! Cream is such a universal color that this would probably go with anything, especially with darker coats, but I wanted to stress that it has evening wear qualities: Perfect for fall, as it is that time of the year when you (I) desperately deny the fact that it's already freezing because you want to go bare-legged forever. A scarf may not warm your legs (except for when you drape it over them as a duvet) but your neck and shoulders and arms....and it looks really pretty, too.



The Bluish-Purpleish check























I definitely underestimated this one; I thought it would be hard to combine with my clothes, but I realized that it is actually a great fit for my new and adored duster coat. Furthermore, I'm sure it could also be worn by men - as a matter of fact, I know a guy who loves to wear scarves who would probably love this, too. Together with the beige and purple, it turned out très picturesque:



I'm sorry for the weird text/picture arrangments - Blogger has a mind of its own and I haven't figured it out yet. Anyways, I had so much fun with these items, especially the scarves. See, buying items from charity shops seems to often be seen less of a shopping experience than buying from "normal" shops, but would you look at these ones: They're totally incorporable into fashionable outfits, they're authentic, nice quality and come in versatile designs - what's not to love about that? The cream one and the black and white check one are already available in the Sreepur Village online shop under http://www.sreepurvillage.org/sreepur-shop.html for 10 pounds and 7 pounds respectively. The other ones will be available there soon for 7 pounds each. The cards, the bookmark and the shoe bag can be found in the online shop as well, ranging from 2 pounds to 5 pounds. See, they're all bargains!

To end this adequatly, there's a quote by Emma Watson going kinda like "I want to  look good, I want to feel good, I want to do good - and that, for me, is real luxury".

On that note, lovelies, I encourage y'all to check out The Sreepur Village's website, story and shop - you might find a little something you like.

Love,

Rosy Smith