What I would like to see: Art Deco blouses

Tarun Tahiliani showed some pretty art deco T shirts a few years ago. In some situations, with the right saree, an art deco blouse would look really stunning.

This is not it, but you get the idea.

Tuesday Tops: More sari blouse designs

Click for a better view of some of the most interesting blouse designs.

Tuesday Tops: Saree Blouse Designs

Every Tuesday, we will try to highlight interesting blouse designs.

A blouse can make or break a saree, but you already know that.

Here are some creative blouse cuts and examples of interesting symmetry.

You can make love & war in a saree : Shefaliee Vasudev

From Chalo Mumbai, an interview with Shefalee Vaudev, Editor or Marie Claire.

At any given Fashion Week in India, the front row has every fashion editor worth her D&G glares, dress in the best of designer wear, most of the time, borrowed and Western.

Now, picture a Kanjeevaram-clad Shefalee seated amid the “established” dress coded, her choice of garment almost squashing every rule in the book, in effect redeeming a garment that’s inherently Indian!

“A certain section of India’s fashion fraternity doesn’t think I am fashionable, but I’d rather wear something I strongly associate with,” says the editor, who replaced the choli with a tank top, when she wore sarees in third year of college.

The 6-yard has stood by her through various jobs, as feature editor at Cosmopolitan, assistant editor at India Today, and now, editor of the Indian edition of a UK fashion magazine.

…

Why else would she not own a single “designer” saree? “They are terribly overpriced. Besides, I can’t relate to sarees trimmed with Swarovski hanging there for posterity.

I’d rather invest in a Neelambari from Benaras, or Patola from Gujarat,” says the Delhi-based editor.

I do not agree with her trepidation and complaint about the “designer saree”, I do not agree with a it a single bit but I understand it fully. One day, I will run in to her and I will explain to her the non-linear relationship between mundane, good, great, excellent and extra ordinary.

OK, a quiz for all of you saree-lovers out there:

How many sarees does Shefaliee Vasudev own?

50?

Nope, higher!

100?

Nope higher!

250?

Nope, keep going!

She owns 500 sarees!

Do you know what India needs? Saree Exchange parties! Raid the closet for saree parties.

Thaavani (Half Saree) tradition in South India

If you do not know, Thaavani is a half saree, just the front part of a saree that covers the chest and just a little that goes around the back, essentially no front pleats, compared to a full saree.

Normally it is worn by a young woman in their tweens and is an important rite of passage for many tamil girls.

Of course, not unexpectedly, the tradition of wearing a half-saree for girls is going away. But I am not concerned. It won’t be long before Thaavani is back in fashion again. As I have repeatedly said, saree is not something that you can insist that people wear, they have to discover it for their own self.

I cam across a delightful posting by Premlatha on her Kombai blog about her memories of wearing a Thaavani:

I insisted on wearing thaavani, you know, I insisted. It was not my parents, but I asked for it. It is my upbringing that is, I come from such a family of very good people, that the moment I felt the lumps (paatti told me that this is not a disease but normal lumps girls get at this age), I decided that I will wear thaavani.

…

Everyone in my class were surprised to see me in thaavani. They all commented that I am too small, not even attained major yet. That makes me feel very proud of myself. See, what a good girl I am.

Some of the writing is sarcastic, some of it is poignant but all of it is delightful and full of nostalgia. And I think Nostalgia is one of the most under-appreciated pleasures in life.

Ok, back to Half-Saree, this is not a perfect picture of a half saree, but at least it is illustrative of what is meant by half saree.

And here is a picture of a full “half-saree”

The paithani saree – a poem in silk

The Paithani saree is known the world over for its uniqueness. It is one of the most beautiful sarees in the world. Beautifully crafted, with an exquisite zari border, this saree is truly a poem in silk. The Paithani saree is chosen by brides to wear on their special day, especially in Gujarati and Maharashtrian families.

In an original Paithani saree, pure silk is used in the weaving of the body and pure gold and silver zari is used in the pallu and the border. The zari used in the preparation of the saree is specially procured from Surat in Gujarat. The process of preparation of a Paithani saree can take a time period ranging from a month to years. It is because of these reasons that this saree is rather expensive. To bring down the price of these sarees, weavers are using silver instead of gold and silk in place of silver.

Traditionally, Paithanis used to have a plain body with a heavy golden border and a large pallu. However, with the passage of time, various motifs began to be used in these sarees.

Saree Gift Box

A Saree gift box to show off the saree, generally used during the wedding ceremony.

Saree Kimono

By HasturCTS

Artist’s comments:

I wanted to do something that was ‘double-breasted’ without actually being so. Of course, I was also doing the Kimono thing.

 

This is the result.

Materials:
1 Pink/Salmon Art-Silk Sari – Rayon of a very nice quality (6 yards)
6 yards of poly/cotton blend for the lining

Time: About 8 hours

Details:
Zari borders make for a nice gold accent
Long Belt to make a contrasting obi bow
Sleeves attached with opening under the arm, so you don’t have to wear the sleeve and can move it out of the way when needed
Pleated on the shoulders for extra room
One size really does fit most