Simplicity never goes out of style. Chicknkari Embroidery on a white saree
I don’t particularly like it when people refer to ChicknKari embroidery as just “chicken” – e.g., oh, thats a nice chicken saree!
Doesn’t evoke the right picture in your mind! Can you imagine chickens running around with white sarees on them!
It should have been called NoorJahan embroidery, or embroidery of prophets.
Traditionally Chicknkari is the white thread embroidery done on the white muslin or mulmul. The word chikan comes from the Persian word Chakeen meaning making delicate patterns on the fabric.
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. According to Megasthenes, the chikan originated in East Bengal. He mentions 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.
Anyway, back to the white chicken saree, oh, I mean, white chickankari embroidered saree.
Its hard to see how pretty the embroidery is in the pictures. The details don’t really show up well. But I do know that it can be very intricate, very luxurious, very simple and very proper.
I remember a friend of mine ( Hi T!) entered a beauty pageant a while ago and while others were busy matching the color of the blouse with the color of the jewelry, she waltz in there with a white saree with minimal make up and minimal jewelry and she looked so stunning that judges had no choice but to pick her!
As I said, simplicity never goes out of style!
Sculptures of Lepakshi – Medieval Saree Style
The temples in Lepakshi town of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh are home to some of the most beautiful paintings of Vijayanagar period available today. The Papaneshwar temple in Lepakshi was built in 1535 A.D.
saree of a reluctant princess : Raja ram verma Saree painting
Wished I knew the story behind this painting! But notice the lack of a “blouse”.
Blouse is a much more recent phenomena with a saree – sort of a Victorian influence to ensure that the top part of the woman’s body is covered.
Also notice the black and gold border on a simple white saree.
So you thought that the contrasting blouse for a saree was a new design?
Here is an illustration for 1847; a maroon saree with green blouse and saree matching thin maroon border on the blouse sleeves.
As they say, if you wait long enough, the style you abandoned will come back in fashion!
saree shop- traditional paintings
I have been neglecting Saree History and heritage it brings. Here is a start of a new series where I will periodical show paintings, mostly from 1900’s but some earlier ones, that are saree related.
And this is a great start: not just a saree, but a saree shop painting. Absolutely amazing, I’d buy that saree in a heart beat.
Also, notice the shoes on the floor – pretty nice.
Sari Patent – readymade saree , including the blouse that you wear like a dress
Yes, there is a saree patent and thankfully it has expired by now, so you don’t need to worry about it.
It goes beyond the current crop of automatic sarees, which are essentially skirts. This one is more like a dress that you slip on and it includes the blouse as a part of the readymade garment.
There is another, even older patent that was filed in 1968
This one is closer to what we have now; essentially converting a saree in to a skirt that is secured with fasters.
I wonder if there are more saree patents in India? I will check.
Tamil girls in Saree – they look like little dolls
You can see a half saree, a full saree, and various other outfits. I love this picture. look at the proud and sweet smiles on each of them.
Traditional Southern White saree.
Absolutely gorgeous!
The women looks as elegant and pretty as with any Satya Paul saree.
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.