She Wears Shwe shwe

Wedding Dress

We attended the very happy and lovely wedding of Helen and Tim this weekend. Two people who make me so happy to know them, and make me even happier to know them as a warm, caring, fun couple.

One of the guests at the wedding had an extraordinary she shwe dress on with  applique design on the front.    There is also  loads of delicate stitching around the square neckline and the  skirt hem that must have taken quite some time to get right.

Saliwe ( I think her name was) said that she had bought her dress ' in Town' ( i.e Johannesburg down town) as a dress for special events.  We had a quick chat about all the lovely new shops opening in town that sell shwe shwe dresses - and how fun it was to see all the dresses available in these shops.

I realise in retrospect that I should have gotten her to straighten the front of  her skirt for a clear picture of the skirt applique of a women with a head scarf.

Sells sanctuary on the street corner

I passed this street vendor earlise this week, and was intrigued by her skirt, so when I passed this way again, was stopped at a red traffic light and had my camera on ame ( a rare and serendipitous combination), I asked her if I could take a picture. She was visibly disappointed that I did not want to buy the wooden crosses she sells, but agreed to be photographed.

What caught my attention is that her skirt is made or preprinted panels, but that the panels have been printed to look like  a skirt made of panels with the reverse in the pleats of the panels.