Indian sarees shopping today: The garment evolved from a popular word ‘sattika’ which means women’s attire, finds its mention in early Jain and Buddhist scripts. Sattika was a three-piece ensemble comprising the Antriya – the lower garment, the Uttariya – a veil worn over the shoulder or the head and the Stanapatta which is a chest band. The three-piece set was known as Poshak, the Hindi term for costume. Antriya resembled the dhoti or the fishtail style of tying a sari. It further evolved into Bhairnivasani skirt, which went on to be known as ghagra or lehenga. Uttariya evolved into dupatta and Stanapatta evolved into the choli. Find additional information on https://silkpetalss.com/product-category/sarees/.
Each region brings forth a trunk full of saris, with a strong identity and their own traditional designs, motifs, and colours, says 73-year-old Laila Tyabji, co-founder of Dastkar, an NGO established in 1981 that supports traditional Indian craftspeople. Even from village to village, there is a different weave. Every sari has a story about the society and the people around it. It is a history book that tells you about the region, the community, the craftsmen, and the geography of the place. The famous brocades from the ancient city of Banaras, with intricate designs and detailed embroidery using gold and silver threads, take their name from the city and evolved during Mughal rule over India. To this day a Banarasi sari is a must-have in an Indian bride’s trousseau.
Tourists, locals, and bridal parties hunt for saris in the shops that seem to line every azure alley in Jodhpur or buzzing street in Mumbai. You’ll find them at grander, more expensive boutiques such as Delhi’s Ekaya Banaras, known for its handloomed silks and support of over 8,000 Banaras weavers, or Chennai’s Nalli, open since 1928, and sprawled over two floors of an Art Deco building in the T. Nagar neighborhood. Wherever they go, sari browsers find themselves overwhelmed by candy-colored stacks of neatly folded silks, cottons, and chiffons. A sari can be had for as little as $20 from a street seller or as much as $10,000 for a Banarasi beauty. “When you buy a sari, it’s usually a long process—you get the sari fabric at one store, have a blouse tailored somewhere else, and purchase a petticoat at yet another store,” says Sethi. It’s a complex dance through stores and tailors to score a sari, and not an item of clothing you throw on quickly. “But its a piece of fabric that has become iconic, and there are so many variations,” says Sethi. “Saris are so important, and certainly worthy of a celebration.”
Every once in a while, we come across a sappy wedding post that shows the bride in her grandmother’s saree, which she wore as a tribute to her well-kept saree wardrobe. Saree, a nine-yard wonder, is not just a relic of our shared history but also has roots deep in Indian society. Its existence can be traced back to the scriptures of Jain and Buddhist texts, with the sari originating from the word sattika. It is a three-piece ensemble consisting of the Antriya, the lower garment; the Uttariya, a veil worn over the shoulder or head; and the Stanapatta, which is a chest band.
Silk Petalss was born from a career Investment Professional’s love for the rich heritage of Indian handcrafted textiles and artefacts. Her admiration for the beautiful heritage weaves and products saw her travelling widely through interior villages and towns of India, interacting with the weaving community and understanding their perspective and concerns. Awareness about their issues, specifically post Covid19, the need to protect the community and our rich heritage led to Silk Petalss being created. See even more information at https://silkpetalss.com/.
It originally formed part of a three-piece costume consisting of a piece of cloth draped as a lower garment, a chest band, and another piece of cloth worn over the shoulder and used to cover the head. The sari is probably the oldest unstitched attire in existence. It is the most versatile garment and is both conventional and contemporary, says Delhi-based Sanjay Garg, the owner and designer of Raw Mango, a brand of contemporary handwoven textiles. A sari designed by Garg, 40, featured in an exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 2017 of 111 articles of clothing and accessories that have left an indelible mark on modern fashion.