Zara - The Seventh Sphinx

I like this military/tuxedo stripe, a simple detail that draws the eye. Also like the look of some black leggings I’ve seen where the stripe is in a contrasting fabric rather than color, invariably something leather-ish or shiny.

Leggings from Express (thrifted), J Crew tee, vintage Levi’s belt, Zara scarf, Zara pumps (thrifted), python cuff (eBay), Coal wide-brimmed felted wool fedora. The earrings were a gift from my friend Farrin, who happens to have an exhibit of her art up in Cambridge throughout autumn. My piece is in the show.

And oh yes. This isn’t my hair.

Looks pretty plausible, I think. Kind of weird if you know what my hair usually looks like, but not unnatural if I darken my eyebrows. Or, I don’t know. What do you think? I like it. Especially with the hat. It’s incredible how much it changes my appearance, at least to me. It’s nice, once in a while, to have a respite from looking like oneself.

I was looking for a wig for Halloween and things got out of hand. Wait ’til you see the others.

p.s. Happy Halloween! I’ll show you my costume soon…

Keshi means ‘poppy’ in Japanese, and refers to pearls grown with no nucleus. Though the term technically applies to many types of pearls, colloquially it is used for non-nucleated pearls that are irregularly shaped, often like flakes or amorphous blobs.

It’s difficult to find these to see in person but so worthwhile if you have a chance. The larger keshis can form cool, creature-like shapes (hippos, elephants), and the play of color in the nacre can be especially varied. I’ve borrowed some pieces from the Etsy shop Lilia’s Treasures, which features a great selection of funky designs using non-traditional pearls. I’ll be featuring Lema’s pieces in a few posts, so keep an eye out for more pearls in the near future.

The first piece is a statement strand of enormous keshis, which will give you an idea of the incredible strangeness of these pearls.

They seem like splashes of molten rainbow. As if they are not of our world.

I opted for a casual look but you can see how readily these would adapt to a formal context. Pearls have this flexibility, for me, that precious gemstones simply do not.

Here is a strand of keshi flakes, equally arresting.

High-waist denim leggings from Express*, Banana Republic shirt, vintage Levi’s belt, Zara pumps, antique spoon bracelet. Metallic turquoise eye liner (Urban Decay 24/7 liner in flipside), a bit scary from a distance.

*I’m not in the habit of buying pre-distressed clothing but, in the event that there is no sound, non-distressed equivalent (or not in my size), and I am happy with the fit (so rare), I will sometimes go for them.

This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own. Featured pearls are on loan from Lilia’s Treasures.

Tag: Zara

the tuxedo stripe

keshi pearls