Love this saree picture from 1940′s
Beautiful chickankari work.
Here is some contemporary chickan work
Exactly the same!
The art is said to be introduced by Noorjahan the beautiful queen of Emperor Jahangir. She is said to be an expert in embroidery and inspired by the Turkish embroidery.
Another story is that the chikan originated in East Bengal. There is a mention of chikan, the florals on fine muslins in 3rd century BC. The craftsmen believe that the origin goes back to the time of Prophet. It is believed that while he was passing through a village in Uttar Pradesh, he requested a villager for water. On being offered that, he gave the art of Chikankari to the poor villager as an art that will never let him go hungry.
As old as time itself. And that is what I love about sarees – it is a bridge between You and your heritage, all rolled up in six yards.
5 Responses to “Love this saree picture from 1940′s”
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About US
Sunny is a designer in Los Angeles. He loves the fluidity and fluency of a saree and believes that when a woman wears a saree, she not only adorns her body but she also adorns her soul. His design ethos is that “simplicity never goes out of style.”
Rupa Gupta: A writer, editor and journalist, Rupa has been in the media for more than two decades. She has worked as Editor with major publications, both in India and abroad. a keen eye for fashion and current trends. Her sense of aesthetics transcends the hype and always finds the true beauty.
Liza Varma is a former Femina Miss India and well known model in Delhi. Today, she is a leading Fashion Choreographer with over 1000 shows to her credit in India and abroad. She is also a member of the Fashion Design Council of India and a Consultant with Shoot Talent Management. Her client list is the who’s who of Indian fashion industry.
Misty is a student in London and has her fingers on the pulse of London fashion industry.
Abhi is a student in San Francisco and showcases sensuous saree pictures.
Kamini is a model in Los Angeles and loves to accentuate the best a saree has to offer.
Classy and elegant! The cut of the blouse is interesting, as is the pallu-nothing new under the sun.
The fabric of the 1940s sari looks so soft and airy. Perfect for the summer. The blouse cut is nice around the neckline.
It’s interesting that she is not wearing a bindi or any bangles. The lack of wrist jewelry seems odd for that era.
Anyone know why she would be so light on the jewelry for a posed picture? I thought that maybe she is a widow, hence the simple jewelry and very light colored (possibly white), simple sari.
Interesting photo. The cut of the blouse as well as the saree look contemporary; what goes around comes around, I suppose. I doubt that she is a widow because of the bare arms and the heels. She might be an Anglo-Indian, hence the lack of jewelery a typical Indian woman – esp. Hindu woman – would wear.
Naina, after I submitted my post I then thought that maybe she is Anglo-Indian, Parsi, or something else because of the lack of jewelry and she has a rather fair complexion.
Maybe Sunny knows more and can fill us in???
She might just have been into the contemporary fashion of her day-there was certainly a trend among Maharanis (ie Indira Cooch Behar) to reduce the huge piles of jewellery from the 1920s onward-sari, earrings, a string of pearls-an elegant and understated look that is still appropriate at least imho.