Traveller Fashion

While traveling you come across traveller clothes. The more a person has been travelling the more they acquire. You find people wearing Llama sweaters, socks, leg warmers, wool hats from Peru and hats in Ecuador. Bracelets from hippie artisans are collected in each stop along the way, they reach up your arms and on your ankles. You see travellers with the baggy MC hammer pants which are a favourite in Argentina. There are also the cropped stripped pants that tie at the bottom. I wasn’t that impressed with the clothing, although I did buy an Inca Kola t-shirt and a Llama sweater to keep warm in Cusco.
Then I came to Huanchaco, a small village to the north of Trujillo on the coast. I arrived at the Naylamp hostel very early in the morning. There was the choice of a private room, a dorm or camping. I was shown each option and knew exactly where I was going to stay when I saw a guy with the longest dreads I have ever seen immerge from his tent. Camping it was, in the garden oasis of Naylamb.
After I put up my tent, and I can proudly say I managed it all by myself,I spotted a Peruvian girl laying out a bunch of clothes, curious and a huge fan of clothing I went over to chat to her. I found out that she is friends with the owner of the hostel and is opening a shop in the front of it. Most of the clothes she brought back from India but her and her husband specialize in making clothing and sandals from leather. She also has a shop near Cusco in the Sacred Valley. I dived right into her bag of beautiful silks and leather trying on everything that I could. She told me she wanted to open up a shop because the area lacks nice clothing. The clothes the souvenir shops sell are quite awful. So I gave up on the budget I had made for myself for the remainder of my time in Peru and treated myself to two wrap around silk skirts and a silver anklet with bells.
People are more open to try new things while travelling and fashion is a part of that. You can get inspired by what you see while traveling. One of the English girls I was with previously in Arequipa and Bolivia was inspired by the artesian hippy clothes and decided to start a blog documenting the fashion she sees as she makes her way around the world on her gap year. You can check out Allegra’s blog at http://gypsyfashionista.blogspot.com . She will be studying fashion at university in England and is quite the trend setter herself. I am sure her year abroad will bring new elements to fashion in England.