Satya Paul printed saree

As I wrote in my previous post, I bought a number of Satya Paul printed heavy crepe sarees, when they had launched more than two decades back. Such prints, colour combinations, heavy and pure crepes were not easily available then. Today, they are more common. In between, for about a decade or so, I was wearing sarees less. Sometimes there was an urge to get this converted to suit or dress. I am glad that I resisted that urge. I would advise everyone to hold on to their sarees. Do not get them converted. They never go out of fashion and look good whenever and wherever you wear them. They withstand all the changes in fashion and stand by you very loyally. So they deserve to be loved.

There is an array of costume jewellery available today. There are a plethora of options in silver, beads, etc. Everything looks good with sarees- gold, silver, diamond, costume, etc. But what looks stunning is a simple string of pearls. Would you agree?

Satya Paul Saree

This saree is also more than two decades old. Satya Paul had just launched his printed sarees back then. These were nice and heavy pure crepes. The prints were a rage. Their colour combinations at that time were unique. I bought quite a few of these. Also goes on to prove that my love for sarees is not newfound but has been inherent. I have few addictions like sarees, tango, travel, etc. etc. 

With veteran actress Sushma Seth and Kathak exponent Vidha Lal

Phulkari saree

Hand embroideries like Phulkari have a special place in history and tradition. These are the heritage of Punjab. These days cheaper and more commercial machine embroideries are also available but they just do not look or feel the same. Phulkaris generally are made in very bright colours. So when my mom asked me to choose a gift for myself, I chose this muted and subtle colour, I found it very different from the rest. It is done on softest chiffon. It was a gift from mom. I have worn this saree here before. Phulkari literally means flower work. That is why I paired it with a floral top that I have paired with a skirt earlier here and with trousers here.

Traditionally Phulakri was done on odhni (scarf), dupatta and shawls and it was used for ceremonial occasions like weddings. Traditionally it was done on coarse hand woven cotton fabric with floss silk threads. Traditionally the family members embroidered these for their own personal use and they were not for sale. In 2011, Phulkari was awarded GI status in India.

Now some words of wisdom. I have started strongly believing in one thing- No one in this world can judge you, make you feel bad, good, guilty, etc except you and you yourself. 

So live your life exactly the way you want to, without caring for what others think about you. 

Chanderi Saree

This Gossamer Chanderi saree is more than two decades old. It belongs to the era when the saree borders, unlike today, were thinner. Chanderis were not designer and had no lotus or peacocks or bird motifs. At the most saree had small butis spread all over. Today this muted colour palette is difficult to find too. It is a beautiful silver grey or flint with a hint of blue or maybe mauve. Thankfully this Chanderi is sans any gold zari and has muted thread work woven in the border, pallu and buti. I still have its original blouse in which I fit into but I really wanted to add a different colour. 

This is a light-weight saree having the delicacy of sheer gossamer that is further combined with the qualities of both silk and cotton. 

Dig into your old collection of sarees and discover the joys of wearing vintage beauties. Do not ever discard your traditional sarees ever. They never go out of fashion. The older they are, the better they look.

Orissa cotton saree

In past few years, there has been a rave of woven sarees from Odisha. These are gorgeous sarees and I do not know a single saree aficionado who does not have even one Odisha weave in her collection. Whether it is Sambalpuri or Bomkai, or Bichitrapuri or Dongria or Khandua or Kotki or Kotpad or Nupatna or Siminoi or Passapalli or Bapta or Pattachitra (painting), I have proudly added each one of them to my collection. Do click on few links to see them. 

My favourite place to buy these sarees is Odisha state emporium in Delhi named Utkalika. Whenever I have gone there I have picked multiple sarees. They are all so pretty and the prices are very reasonable. I have bought few sarees online also but nothing beats the quality and price of the government emporium.

Here is another beauty that I picked up from Utkalika. I had gone to pick up a gift for my sister and ended up buying so many sarees for myself. I have to resist myself from going there because I will never come out without buying more Odisha sarees from there.

Chikan Saree

Handloom sarees sans any embroidery are gorgeous. Some embroideries that are exceptionally outstanding because of their work are Chikan, Kashmiri, Parsi, Phulkari, Kantha and Convent embroidery. Especially because these are hand embroideries done intricately with threads and are subtle and rich. What looks loud and garish are sequins, zari, zardozi, etc on sarees.

Some of my Chikan sarees, that I have worn previously can be seen here, here, here, here and here.

I have worn the saree shown below previously here. This is a beautiful, soft peach coloured saree with rich chikan embroidery on it. It looks and feels cool in summers. I wore it to catch up with a friend.

Hand Painted saree

This saree is hand painted by me and is about thirty-five years old. I have worn it previously here which is about 7 years back.

I had hand painted it as part of my school project. It was a whole different process- buying organdy, getting it traced with the carbon paper, buying fabric paints and painstakingly working on it, the whole summer vacations and creating something. Obviously, the memories and feelings attached to it are different and it has been kept with utmost care.

The necklace I am wearing has also been created by me from the scratch.