The Breathing Piece of Modish Art - Saree
Influenced by a lot of ancient cultures, reinventing the Indian look and churning it up with the new code of aesthetics has been justified in Cosmopolitan India.
In the fullness of time, we can’t help but wonder how this sublime drape is on a continuous path of evolution!
With women color-washing the streets, every weave has a story about the society and the people around it.
Khadi and women: As a Nationalist movement and unified symbol of opposition to the British, Mahatma Gandhi introduced ‘Khadi’ to the nation. To encourage women to be part of the Swadeshi movement, khadi sarees were worn to endorse indigenous materials. Handlooms got popular with dynamic women like the cultural activist Pupul Jayakar who worked tirelessly to revive handlooms and handicrafts, and craft revivalist Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya insisted women wear bright kesaria sarees for their political work. In the post-Independence era, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made a powerful fashion statement as she always wore exquisite handwoven sarees from different states of India with a modest blouse that covered the midriff well.
Sarees being the Indian way of life, haven’t women just slain the look in style!
Shaping the Femininity: Sarees have been revitalized in every age of trending fashion, retaining its traditional flavor. There are more than a hundred iterations to drape a saree depending on region, fabric, length, and the width of the attire. The ubiquitous ‘nivi’ drape is the most popular one that is pleated and wrapped around the waist with the embellished pallu flung over the shoulder, introduced by the Jnanadanandini Debi, sister-in-law of Rabindranath Tagore, who took inspiration from the Parsi ladies from Bombay.
‘Koli’ drape from coastal Goa draped as a pant permits freedom of movement for fisherwoman. The ‘gobbe seere’ drape from Karnataka features a waistband to aid while working in agricultural fields. The ‘pin kossavam’ drape from Tamilnadu is worn without a petticoat and the ‘Maar kachha’ style from Kerala is wrapped around the body like a strapless dress. Also, the heavily patterned borders and pallu are not just for decoration as the weight helps keep the saree steady.
When the Modern Woman’s Cognizance exudes elegance, she glams it up like a diva!
The Sartorial magic in a frame: The saree slowly evolved as a national fashion for the modern Indian woman through mainstream Indian cinema. The fraternities of the cinema and the couture world have taken the fashion quotient on sarees a tad higher. The timeless Bollywood diva Rekha flaunting kanjivarams, the jacket saree look by Sonam Kapoor at the Cannes, printed sarees adorned by many stars for ages, and the diaphanous Chiffon sarees worn with panache for almost all Bollywood songs typically popularized by the last maharani before princely states Gayathri Devi, has helped emulate the taste and style of the Indian audience by and by.
Even with beautifully machine-printed sarees taking the center stage, is there splendor in handloom sarees?
The Cultural Semantic of Handloom Sarees: An artisan articulates his proficiency, mastery, experience, and devotion in every piece he weaves and passes on his blessings to the bearer of the saree. The pricing of a handwoven saree is not what matters, but the effort and hardship in weaving this intricately detailed piece of the fabric speak volumes. Our carefully curated collections of Kanjivarams, Banarasi, Ikkat, Gadwal, kora, and many more exquisite weaves will help flaunt your uniqueness and tastefully adorn your wardrobe like never before. Even in its post-modern fashion articulation, the luxury of a handloom saree emanates an aura of nationalistic spirit.
This heritage garment can seem daunting to drape, but no attire as incredible as a saree can make a woman feel curvaceous and elegant, even if it is a costume that requires practice to perform in.
As a child wrapping a saree is an exuberant game of dress-up, but as a woman draping a saree with pleats fanning evenly is an allegory of sentiments.
At Dakshinam Sarees, our dexterous artisans have beautifully explored their textile designing skills, encapsulating the nitty-gritty of this gift of time.