Ace & Jig Travelogue: Shopping in India

4:00 PM, January 3 2012

By Biba Milioto

Ace & Jig designers Jenna Wilson and Cary Vaughan pretty much have the best jobs ever: they're best friends who work together on a super colorful clothing line (they created our very last 10th anniversary tee!) and at least once a year they travel together to India to develop new fabrics. (And shop, of course.) We asked them to indulge our Darjeeling Limited fantasies and keep a photo journal of their trip, complete with a behind-the-scenes look at their line and what inspires them while they're on the road.

Shopping for sarees is basically an excuse to try on tons of gorgeous silks in rainbow colors. We spent an afternoon in this shop in Bangalore trying to decide on which to take home with us.

Did someone say resort? It's hard not to buy 20 pairs of these amazing handmade leather sandals, some with gorgeous handpainted detail in riotous color. We should have brought more empty suitcases with us.

Talk about an arm party. Cary plows through a pile of bracelets picking out a selection for her daughter, Alice.

Our textile obsession runs rampant at the Malleswarem 8th Cross market. Here's where you see the influence of India on Ace & Jig: vibrant color, intriguing woven patterns and the softest cotton ever.

You can't leave the market without a heaping helping of spices. Color-wise, we find as much inspiration here as we do from the textile shops.

If you can't get all the way to India, check out Silver Lake's Spice Station for an insane selection of spices, Indian and otherwise.

spicestationsilverlake.com

Primping for a wedding in Goa, we pull out all the stops with sarees from our market trip, feeling very Spring 2012 with our crop tops!

Cary clearly doesnt travel light.

This is where the magic happens. Our fabrics are always intricately shaded, with lots of natural color variations. All the threads are dyed by hand. Here's how they come together to form a signature Ace & Jig fabric.

We do all of our best thinking and brainstorming poolside at our hotel.

Deciding on colors is our favorite part of putting together a new collection.

Decked out in our sarees, ready to party in Goa at a traditional Hindu wedding, complete with three days of dancing, food and lots of fun. And saree changes!