Best rated Bengal cotton sarees online provider: Sari might be a fashionable garment now, but it started from being a humble drape used by women thousands of years ago. The origin of the drape or a garment similar to the sari can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which came into being during 2800–1800 BC in north west India. The journey of sari began with cotton, which was first cultivated in the Indian subcontinent around the 5th millennium BC. The cultivation was followed by weaving of cotton which became big during the era, as weavers started using prevalent dyes like indigo, lac, red madder and turmeric to produce the drape used by women to hide their modesty. Find extra info at Shop Bengal Cotton Sarees Online.
The style was popularised in the 1870s by a Bengali lady – Jnanadanandini Devi … She adopted the front pleat style of wearing the sari from the Parsee women she had seen in Bombay, and wore it with a blouse and petticoat, as they did, which was different from the traditional Bengali style of wearing the sari, says Chishti, who started a Sari School in 2009 in Delhi, and conducts workshops on the sari and the different methods of tying them. The blouse is also an adaptation by the Parsees, from the Western puffed sleeve blouse they wore over the long skirt. Though they had come from Persia 700 years earlier, they adopted the sari as they sought asylum in India on the condition that they would wear the local dress, adopt the local food habits and the local language of the western state of Gujarat. The sari shows the rich diversity of Indian dyeing, printing and silk weaving.
The word “sari” means “strip of cloth” in Sanskrit. But for the Indian women—and a few men—who have been wrapping themselves in silk, cotton, or linen for millennia, these swaths of fabric are more than just simple garments. They’re symbols of national pride, ambassadors for traditional (and cutting-edge) design and craftsmanship, and a prime example of the rich differences in India’s 29 states. “The sari both as symbol and reality has filled the imagination of the subcontinent, with its appeal and its ability to conceal and reveal the personality of the person wearing it,” says Delhi-based textile historian Rta Kapur Chishti, author of Saris of India: Tradition and Beyond and co-founder of Taanbaan, a fabric company devoted to reviving and preserving traditional Indian spinning and weaving methods.
Fashion is also essentially a self-sustaining art that keeps evolving. In 2008, the French fashion label Hermès debuted their “Hermès saree” line, just in time for the Diwali festival. In 2008, Alexander McQueen’s ready-to-wear collection was shown in Paris. It was inspired by the designer’s journey to India and was a fusion of Indian and British fashion. Through the production of fusion designs, global designers are connecting to Indian culture and its exquisite customs. Foreign designers must comprehend Indian fashion aspects, personality, culture, history, and customs to “Indianize” items, which is critical for their growth and acceptance in the local market. The beauty of a saree is that it belongs to whoever wears it, irrespective of the difference in the draping styles. The saree, in its nine yards, carries the evolution that it has gone through, it embraces it in every pleat. The first mention of saree can be found in the epic of Mahabharata and therefore with Draupadi’s unending saree, the tale of saree will go on and on.
Most of our products are handcrafted and the weavers have been chosen with care in order to ensure the best quality of handwork is brought to our customers. In fact , some of our empaneled weavers have won awards at the highest national level and have been associated with this work for generations. Our products and weaves are authentic, artisanal and sourced sustainably , curated by Karigars from different parts of India like West Bengal, Varanasi, Rajasthan, Gujarat etc. Find extra info on silkpetalss.com.
Six to nine metres in length, the sari is seen on catwalks, in Bollywood movies, and on the streets of rural and urban India. Worn by women from all walks of life, it epitomises grace and timeless elegance. To Aradhana Chandra, a special needs educator and Hong Kong resident from Bijnor, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, the sari is much more than a piece of clothing. It is a repository of her family history and a reminder of who she is. My love of saris comes from my mother. It is probably the only garment that I ever saw her wear. There was a sari to sleep in, a sari for household chores, a sari to wear to the bazaar and a sari to wear to weddings, says Chandra, 52, who was inspired to create a Facebook platform called Sari Sisters Hong Kong for women in the city to share stories about the garment.