Similar color palettes

Fuchsia and purple look great together. Below are my versions of similar color palettes.

I had worn this dress here too.

Project Dress Alike

Here is Jessica Stam

and here is Me

just trying to simulate the look- fun sake.

Kiran Sawhney does a stand up comedy act imitating Canadian Punjabi accent

Parighasana or The Gate Pose

Parigha = an iron bar or beam used for locking or shutting a gate.

Benefits

• Stretches the sides of the torso and spine
• Stretches the hamstrings
• Opens the shoulders
• Stimulates abdominal organs and lungs

Contraindications and Cautions

With any serious knee injury, kneeling might be difficult or impossible. In this case, perform the pose sitting on a chair. Arrange your legs either in front of your torso, with knees at right angles, or stretch one leg out to the side, mimicking the full pose.

Notice my new and favorite haircut.

And Old (very old) T shirt. 

Kiran Sawhney in Hindustan Times today

My salsa buddy Idrees Jhon and I am in page 3 of HT City today.
It was all white party, where we were grooving.

Dress with vintage cars

I had worn this dress here before. Here I have paired it differently. Ah! seeing my older post, I realized, I featured this dress after a year.
Dress: Joss
Top: Tommy Hilfigger

Which pairing do you like better? The previous one or this one? How would you pair/wear it?

Chikan Embroidery

Here I am wearing one Chikan embroidered Sari.

Chanderi Sari

Am wearing a  Chanderi Sari 

I don't know why, but I love wearing saris. In the rapid roar of the fashion mainstream it is something uniquely elegant, captivating and incredibly comfortable to wear, something that never goes out of style and will always fit you. Nothing can and never will fit you quite like the sari fits itself to you with your own hands and experience with your own body.

The more I know, the more I learn to love so many subtleties of this textile. The delicate ornaments of each type of sari, the subtle weight and textural differences in the cloth and then there is the fine color sense of the weavers. There is more variety of color in interesting combinations to be found in this textile pallette than any other dress fashion available today.

Vintage Sari

Recently my mom gave me this pure french chiffon Sari, that has been a part of her collection for ages. It is definitely more than 30 years old. The first Sari in my collection which is vintage.

reasons why I am attracted to vintage clothing 

• Unique or almost unique: many items were custom made, and others were manufactured in small quantities only.
• Good quality: they were designed to be worn for years and passed on to other family members, so they were made of robust materials, well cut and well made, with generous seam allowances and hems which allow for alterations and custom fit.
• Fine materials: many of the unusual older fabric types are no longer manufactured, or are now prohibitively expensive.
• History: an appreciation of the past, the roles of previous generations and the skills of respected designers.
• Detailing: hand finishing, unusual buttons, hand embroidery, handmade lace, crochet, applique, beading and other techniques.
• Style: vintage clothing has traditionally been the favourite of creative personalities because it offers an enormously wide range of imaginative styles.

Different types of Indian saris

Few more different types of Saris are:

Jamavar

A jamavar is a special type of shawl made in Kashmir. Historically it was made by hand and some shawls took a couple of decades to complete. Original Jamavar shawls sell for high prices.

The jamavar design is a special floral pattern which resembles the mango fruit- Paisley. Pashmina wool is used to make these shawls. Less than a dozen Kani Jamavar shawls are manufactured every year. The primary manufacturing centre for these shawls is Kashmir while some low end.

Tie & Die / Lehriya

Tie and die is a multi colored craft of Rajasthan. A large number of colours are used because once the base colour is tied in, a lot of colours can be applied on to the fabric at different stages and then tied and detached gradually. The motifs that are used are birds, leaves, animals, creepers, and human figures in dance poses.

Dots are used to make up the designs. A different colour on either side is also practiced by the craftsmen. Lehariya has long lines in a variety of colours found all over the body of the sari or dress material. Turbans are also a good outcome. The lehariya clothes have their own names depending on the designs. Bandhanis are related to festivals, seasons and rituals for which there are particular patterns and colours.

Bandhej

Art of tie and dye is popularly known as Bandhej in the Gujarat region. Jamnagar, Anjar, and Bhuj are the main centres where artists work traditionally on First step towards the procedure is the dipping of cloth into a colour after which the cloth is folded to a quarter of its size. The designs are created with the combination of small dots and circles. The borders are broad and are worked both in matching and contrasting colours.

The tying of the border and the release of the colour is called sevo bandhavo. The colouring method involves the lightest shade being worked in first order , after which this is tied and a darker colour is introduced. An unlimited number of colour schemes are used. The quality of the bandhej can be judged by the size of the dots: the smaller and closer to the size of a pinhead the dots are, the finer is the quality of the bandhej. Red, , maroon , yellow, and golden, black are the common shades.

Madisar

The Madisar is the style in which the sari is worn by the Brahmin community in Tamil Nadu, India. In ancient days, this was the mandatory style in which the sari was supposed to be worn by a woman after her marriage, but today, to suit modern trends, yet accommodate traditions, the madisaar is worn by women on selected festive occasions and while witnessing ceremonies. Normally saris are six yards in length, but since the madisar is worn in a different style, one requires a nine-yard sari to wear it. It is a very important part of the Iyer and Iyengar culture. Both Iyer and Iyengar Brahmin wear madisars for all important occasions in their lives, starting with marriage, followed by Seemandham (form of a baby shower), all important poojas, and death ceremonies. Iyers and Iyengars wear Madisars differently. Iyers wear the Pallu (the layer of the saree which comes over one's shoulder)over the right shoulder, but Iyengars wear it over the left shoulder.

Madisars are available in a variety of materials such as silk, cotton, cotton-silk blends, polyester-cotton blends, etc.

Sarees from Asia

Pakistani Saris

In Pakistan, the wearing of saris has almost completely been replaced by the Salwar kameez for everyday wear. According to many observers, the sari has lost favour in Pakistan since it is seen as being associated with India. However, the sari is often worn by the elderly, and to formal events.

Sri Lankan Saris

Sri Lankan women wear saris in many styles. However, two ways of draping the sari are popular and tend to dominate; the Indian style (classic nivi drape) and the Kandyan style (or 'osaria' in Sinhalese). The Kandyan style is generally more popular in the hill country region of Kandy from which the style gets its name. Though local preferences play a role, most women decide on style depending on personal preference or what is perceived to be most flattering for their body.

Different types of Indian saris

Sarees from South India: 

South India is known as a Silk hub all over the world and is very popular for Kanjeevaram sarees and other exquisite silk sarees. 

1. Kanjeevaram Saree 

Kanjeevaram sarees are not only famous in India but across the world. A Kanjeevaram saree is a must have in every Indian woman’s closet. These sarees are characterized by gold dipped silver thread that is woven on the premium quality silk. Kanchipuram is actually a town in Tamil Nadu. The town has a fabulous weaving past of more than 150 years. The region is untouched by fashion fads and still maintains their traditional weaving style and techniques. These sarees are also known for their durability. The silk base is thicker than any other silk saree and this thickness makes it the most expensive silk sari in India. It is believed that “The heavier is the silk, the better is the quality”. The most common motifs found in Kanjeevaram sarees are Peacock and parrot.

2. Konrad Saree 

The Specialty item from Tamil Nadu is the Konard Sarees, also known as Temple sarees, these sarees were original woven for deities in the temple. These sarees have wide borders and are characterized motifs inspired by wedding. The motifs are like elephants and peacocks, symbolizing water, fertility and fecundity. More commonly these sarees are available in traditional colors like earth shades of browns, grays and off-whites buy now days brighter shades are also available for the North Indian buyers.

3. Others 

Other famous types of sarees from South India are Pashmina silk, kota silk, Mysore crepes, pochampallis and puttapakshi sarees. Typical wedding sarees from Kerala are the nayayanpets and bavanjipets which usually have a golden border on a cream base. Traditional colours for these sarees are earth shades of browns, greys and off-whites. However, brighter shades have been introduced for the North Indian buyer.

Most expensive sari in the world

How much can you spend on a saree? A couple of thousands? May be at the most Hundred thousand? Well now the range will stop at Rupees 40 hundred thousand or $100,000. Behold the most expensive saree in the world! You might be guessing what might have gone inside the saree to claim this gigantic price? Well a grand fabric, exquisite jewels and believe it or not paintings.

Chennai based textile house, ‘The Chennai Silk” has carefully woven a silk saree with 12 valuable metals and stones, imitating 11 renowned paintings of Raja Ravi Verma. This saree has secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s most expensive saree.” The handloom weavers of “The Chennai Silks” have replicated Ravi Verma’s highly praised painting “Lady Musicians” on the pallu which exhibits female musicians from different cultural backgrounds. The saree weighs around 8 kilograms.
Below is the original painting.

The talented artist has been given a tribute in the border of the saree as well, which flaunts another 10 paintings of Ravi Verma along with the intricate details of the ladies like curly hair, and the jewelry worn by them.

Some of the precious stones that have gone into the saree are ruby, emerald, gold, diamond sapphire, silver, cat’s eye, yellow sapphire, coral, pearl and platinum. These have been used to beautify the women attributes in the paintings which are carefully hand woven into the saree in convoluted patterns. In order to create this saree, the efforts of 4,680 man-hours and a team of 30 skilled weavers, using a double warp, for seven months were involved. The saree embraces 7,440 jacquard hooks, which are instrumental in fabricating a design and 66,794 cards that are punched to create a precise design using CAD software.

This unique saree was launched in a star-studded occasion in the presence of celebrities like Mani Ratnam, Suhasini, Shobhana and Jeeva.

The proud Director of Chennai Silks proclaims that ‘This is the first time gems and art have been (put) together to make a sari’, and interestingly this saree is up for sale. A creation, which is truly art in itself, can be worn by a bride and is not meant for only creating a record. The Director further states that many have enquired about the saree and they hope to sell it quite soon.

Different types of Indian saris

Saris from East India

1. Baluchari Sarees 

This saree from Murshidabad district of West Bengal, comes in bright colors like flame red, purple and occasionally in deep blue. These sarees are made of silk and woven on looms. These are about 200 year old. The sarees look similar to Banarasi sarees. There is only one difference between the two sarees, Baluchari sarees use only silk threads and Banarasi sarees do use zari threads. The borders of the sarees depict stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana. The field of the saree is covered with small butis and a beautiful floral design runs across the edges.

2. Tanta/Taant Cotton

The Tant sarees are another very popular types of saree not only famous in Bengal but across India. These sarees have a very unique appearance and colors. The word Taant literally means ‘Made On The Loom’. This is a traditional saree worn by Bangali Women. Taant sarees are popularly known as Bengal cotton and is hand-woven in various districts of West Bengal. These sarees come in a huge variety of colors with simple and beautiful designs. A must have for all cotton lover women.

3. Kantha Sari 

Kantha, the name is associated not with the fabric used in saree but with the embroidery. It is actually the name of the embroidery. Any saree embroidered with Kantha embroidery is a Kantha saree. The typical Kantha embroidery is the decorative motifs with running stitch. The cloth is entirely covered with running stitches and has beautiful folk, floral, animal and bird motifs. This art of Kantha is practiced by rural women in West Bengal in spare time and each Kantha sari is a result of hard work and labor.

Dhakai

A Dhakai is a type of sari (traditional cloth for women of South Asia) made with cotton. The name comes from the Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh, where this type of sari is usually made.

Patt silk (Mulberry) Mekhala Chadar from Assam

Different types of Indian saris

Sarees from North India

1. Banaras Brocade The Banarasi Brocade saree is a must for each bride. There is a huge variety in Banarasi Brocade sarees as the weavers create distinct products for customers across India. Banaras Saris have a wide range of variation. The Banaras brocades are most sought after not only in India but also entire world.

These brocade saris can be divided into several types- Opaque zari brocades or an amru, Amni brocades, tanchois, Banaras brocade, zari brocade, Kincab, tissue brocade. These days we also have Banarasi net saris. Another traditional sari from Banaras is  silk Jamdani. Kincab are heavy gilt brocades with considerably more zari visible than underlying silk. 

2. Kota Doria / Kota Jali

Kota is a place in Rajasthan and is the place famous & popular for Kota Doria Sarees. These sarees are manufactured in small villages in and around Kota City. These Kota Sarees very lightweight and transparent. The material used in creating such beautiful sarees is cotton. By far these Kota sarees are the lightest cotton sarees in India. Now days these sarees are also available in Silk, but the cotton weaves are simply outstanding. The weaves consists various yarn gauges that create a graph like patterns which is known as Khats and it looks a checkered pattern. These sarees are most suitable for summers. These sarees are very airy and drape gracefully.

3. Other Sarees from this region 

The northern region of India is also famous for producing ornate sarees such tanchois, amru brocades, shikargarh brocades and tissues. Abrawans, that literally meaning flowing water, Tissue sarees, usually woven with the finest silk thread are also very popular across India. The most classic design in Abrawans is tarbana which means woven water, with a fine silk warp with a zari weft giving an almost metallic sheen. The sarees look very shimmery and classy. Kincab or Kinkhwab sarees are the most popular in the brocade section and are full of zari patterns that the underlying silk cloth is barely visible. Another Popular type is the Jamavar sarees that originated in Uttar Pradesh. These sarees are embroidered with zari thread. The signature these in Jamavar sarees is the jacquard weave in bright colors like orange, red and green. These colors are also known as “meena” colors.

Another very popular variation that originated in Uttar Pradesh is Organza or Organdy. The material is very light and transparent. In Kanpur and Lucknow, you’ll find organza sarees with embroideries like chikan and Lukhnawi. Another type is called Kora silk sari. That too is sheer and brittle like organza.

4. Phulkari from Punjab and Kashmiri embroidered Sari from Kashmir.

These are not woven Saris but exquisitely embroidered Saris. 

These are the embroideries that I like. Specially because they are hand embroideries, done with thread and have no bling of sequins etc.

Different types of Indian saris

The wardrobe of a saree enthusiast woman has atleast one saree from different regions of India. It is their hobby and desires to own the specialties and the traditional sarees of the regions across India. Apart from these traditional sarees you’ll also find the regular wear sarees like plain sarees, synthetic sarees, Printed sarees etc. Women in India love to accessorize themselves, especially when dressed in Saree. They flaunt with jewelry, Gajara and make up. 

Each state of India has its own specialty. A unique range of gorgeous and beautiful sarees come from Gujarat, Bengal, Rajasthan, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Western Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala, Chennai and Tamilnadu. The dominant characteristic of the saree of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and Western Madhya Pradesh regions is obtained by dyeing rather than weaving techniques. In fact, the three major forms of Indian resist-dyeing – block printing, tie & dye and ikat have evolved in these regions.

A saree is a daily wear attire of thousands of women across India. It is most elegant creation that gives a sensuous and concealing look to a woman. A woman is draped in a saree from head to toe and still looks sexy and hot, that’s the charm of a saree. Saree is the favorite clothing for women across India. Saree is the oldest style of clothing that never goes out of Fashion. Always in demand and always in heart of an Indian woman. The beauty of a mystic saree lies in the way one wraps, folds and tucks and drapes this seamless piece of clothing. Be it any informal gathering or a formal one, you can never go wrong with a saree.

These wonderful sarees are available in different types of fabrics. Following are the most commonly used fabrics:

Georgette Sarees

One of the most commonly used material in making a modern saree is Georgette. The material is very lightweight but the weight of Georgette may vary depending on the work. This is the easiest fabric to carry as in the form of saree. The pleats come so well, the saree is tucked well without and hustle and bustle. You need not have to face difficulties in carrying Georgette sarees. Georgette creates an elegant saree drape. This is again ideal for the saree pleats when walking and the saree drape. On a Georgette sari you can have both lighter and heavier types of embroidery and any type of print.

Chiffon Sarees

Chiffon is also one of the lightweight materials used in making a saree. There are various patterns available in chiffon like dana chiffon, chamundi chiffon to name a few. It gives a slim look to the body and the fabric just drapes beautifully. Chiffon is a material which gives an elegant floating appearance to the Indian sari. A chiffon sari is ideal for evening wear. Chiffon can be made from silk, nylon or polyester.

Silk Sarees

The Indian silk is famous all across the world and so is the Silk sarees. Silk sarres never go out of fashion or are never out dated. They are perfect for any occasion. These sarees can also be worn as daily attire. Each woman in India owns at least one Silk Saree. The sarees look lavish and very elegant. There are so many forms of Silk sarees available in India. For example South Silk, Kanchipuram, Garwal Silk etc. Silk sarees have a natural shine which is great for showcasing traditional Indian prints.

Crepe sarees

Crepe has gained popularity as a saree material in recent years. It is a luxurious fabric that is appropriate for embroidery. It is slightly heavy material, but when draped, looks very beautiful and classic. This material has a great fall look and is a perfect evening wear.

Cotton Sarees

Cotton, once used to be a normal household fabric. Silk was unaffordable fabric of that time and because of which Cotton became common man's fabric. But today cotton is one of the most demanded fabric across the world. The cotton sarees are lightweight and easy care. Indira Gandhi always wore cotton sarees and so is her daughter-in-law, congress president, Sonia Gandhi. Cotton is now a symbol of class and elegance.