Best rated Indian sarees provider: What started as India’s first seamless garment, went on to become the symbol of Indian femininity. A sari consists of an unstitched drape varying from 4.5 to 9 metres (15 to 30 feet) in length and 600 to 1,200 millimetres (24 to 47 inches) in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, partly baring the midriff. It is traditionally worn in the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. There are various styles of sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style, which originated in the Deccan region. The sari is worn with a fitted bodice commonly called a choli and a petticoat called ghagra, parkar, or ul-pavadai. In the modern Indian subcontinent, the sari is considered a cultural icon. Read more information at Shop Indian Sarees Online.
Textiles, just like with everything else, will continue to evolve as time passes. However, a ‘revival’ needs to go beyond just a trend, and instead grow organically and sustain a momentum, says Garg, whose work on the Mashru fabric (a handwoven mix of cotton and silk) over the past decade has led to a revival of the textile. A handmade sari is a testament to the skill and creative genius of the mostly rural artisanal families that make them. Techniques and expertise have been passed down in these families from generation to generation over centuries. The more intricate silk saris take many weeks to make. A weaver of Kanjeevaram saris once who told me how he passes his blessings to the wearer of the saris he creates. He wishes the bride who wears it the strength of the elephants, the grace of a gazelle and a life of abundance represented by the trees, as he weaves each of these into his creations, says Kadam.
According to Chishti, there are more than one hundred ways to drape a sari depending on region, fabric, length and width of the garment, and what the wearer might be doing that day. She created a series of videos showcasing dozens of ways to tie one on. “The younger generation wants to be able to experiment with it, to wear it in various ways,” she says. Among the techniques for wearing a sari: the ubiquitous Nivi drape (pleated, wrapped around the waist, with the pallu (the embellished end of the garment) flung over the left shoulder); and the rural Dharampur drape, which cleverly transforms a long rectangle of material into knee-length bloomers. Most sari presentations require a choli (cropped top) and slender half petticoat, the latter often helps to anchor all that textile wrapping and fabric manipulation. Some sari folds need to be held with stitches or pins, others are more free form, like fabric origami for the body.
History shows one such incident involving Jnanadanandini Debi, the wife of Satyendranath Tagore, brother of the famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was denied access to a club because of her “untamed” ways of dressing. What strikes here is an opposite scenario in Victorian Britain where women fought to liberalize themselves from the rigidity of Victorian corsets, both literally and metaphorically. The recent phenomenon of “free the nips” or “no bra club” shows how women in liberal democracies are still fighting the battle for the desexualisation of breasts. What the global north is still fighting to achieve was found inherently in the ways Indian society, especially women, used to express themselves.
Silk Petalss was born from a career Investment Professional’s love for the rich heritage of Indian handcrafted textiles and artefacts. Her admiration for the beautiful heritage weaves and products saw her travelling widely through interior villages and towns of India, interacting with the weaving community and understanding their perspective and concerns. Awareness about their issues, specifically post Covid19, the need to protect the community and our rich heritage led to Silk Petalss being created. Read extra info at https://silkpetalss.com/.
After moving to Hong Kong, I started wearing the saris that my mother had given me as a part of my wedding trousseau. Hand-woven saris from different parts of India – the brocaded Banarasi from Varanasi, the pure silk Kanjeevarams from Tamil Nadu, the Paithani from Maharashtra and so many more. The sari gives me a sense of belonging, says Bangalore-based perfumer Ahalya Matthan, who in 2016 founded The Registry of Sarees, a research and study centre for handspun and handwoven saris in India.
