Interesting Vintage Saree Draping

Found on ebay, this dramatic portrait by a female photographer from New York was listed as a Parsi woman in India.  But I have never seen anything like the saree draping – or the pose – on real Parsi women with their demurely covered heads!  Contrasting patterned borders  highlight the interesting elements of the kaccha wrap, while a belt, some jewellery and simple dark choli complete the look from the early 20th century.

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4 thoughts on “Interesting Vintage Saree Draping

  1. It doesn’t look like a Parsi embroidered saree either (I remember reading somewhere that a lot of the earlier Parsi sarees were actually decorated with embroidery imported from China, and that that’s where the style originates), and it’s different from the 9 yard ‘pants drape’ styles of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It almost looks like a dance saree. But I guess it’s hard to really know quite how diverse clothing styles were back then.

  2. Striking and gorgeous photograph.
    Such a bold and confident pose and look, and an equally lovely woman. Terrific image.

  3. She cant be a Parsi-pallu is over the “wrong” shoulder, though it could be reversed. But she looks Hindu to me. Also wearing a bindi-which I dont think Parsi women did.

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