Innovative Blouse Designs for Traditional Indian Handloom Sarees

One of the oldest Indian style statements, the saree is constantly undergoing a transformation and innovation every season. The reason it has survived the changing fashion trends is because of its ability to evolve in various cultures and regions at different times. With changing times if the focus once was on different kinds of drapes and fabrics, in current times it is about pairing these six-yard wonders with fusion blouses in modern cuts and silhouettes. Handloom sarees too are coming up with looks that are more identifiable with the younger generation. These even green traditional attires paired up with unconventional blouses are redefining the beauty of handloom sarees and that of modern women. Whether it’s the peplum tops or raglan sleeves or simple collared neckline, these innovative styles add a modern twist to the traditional garment. Today, we bring you few ideas of innovative blouses that you can experiment with for all those traditional handloom sarees sitting in your wardrobe to come out in style.

Tux Jackets:

The saree suit as it may be referred to, wearing a formal well-fitted tux jacket as a blouse and draping a neat khadi silk saree or a linen silk or jute silk saree over it may be a great way to wear the ‘east meets west’ look. The key to carry such a retro look is to go for a suit in a color that compliments the saree. Avoiding classics like black and white and also playing with the length of the sleeves like instead of full sleeves going with a three-forth length will surely go a long way in getting the perfect trendy look.

Peplum Tops:

Taking a break from conventional cholis and recycling an embellished peplum top into a saree blouse may be the thing to do for some effortless glamour. Plain bold colors can be clubbed with classics like colorful floral patterned chanderi silk sarees or even vivid pochampally and patola silk sarees.

 

Retro overcoats:

Add some old world charm to your saree while still making it look trendy and fashionable, with an overcoat reaching up to the knees that were fashionable back in the 40s and 50s. paired with plain silk sarees, you can bring in some festive look by going with heavily brocaded traditional banarasi overcoats. For summers, go for light breathable fabrics like Sonam Kapoor’s unconventional lace sari-embroidered jacket at the Cannes red carpet back in 2013.

Capelets:

While flowing capes was the fashion standout last year when celebrities wore them on western outfits, it’s time to incorporate them into the traditional garments this year. Shorter in length and well embellished, sheer capelets over a plain georgette or chiffon saree look stunning. In contrast, plain capelets on embroidered sarees like lucknowi chikankari sarees or kantha work sarees or hand painted vibrant sarees like kalamkari sarees or madhubani sarees are a great option.

Collared blouses:

One can team any funky collared blouse with a saree. This style is a favorite among young women and can be worn in multiple ways like a shirt, blouse or a jacket. One can add epaulettes, roll up sleeves, add a pocket on sleeve or even zippers for a formal look. These blouses generally complement one toned sarees like khadi or silk saree and are a great option for corporate women.

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Valentine’s Day Sarees – Increase your Style Quotient with Fabulous Sarees

The most romantic day of the year is here the day that marks celebration of romantic love, friendship and admiration! This is one day that is celebrated the world over by sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends. Whether you are spending the day with a special someone or getting together with friends, one thing that is on every girl’s and every woman’s mind is –how do I dress to kill?

Red is the color of the day and while there are many smart types of attire in the market in this color specially crafted for this day, nothing comes even close to the sensuousness of a saree! The most admired, adulated and attractive attire for a valentine evening, here are a few sarees that you may want to explore this Valentine’s Day to woo that special someone!

Chiffon Sarees:

Chiffon sarees in their soft feel, their flowy and light texture and their attractive colors are capable of igniting sparks of love! While their slippery texture will leave your Valentine weak in his knees, it will make sure your relation goes strong and long like itself!

Georgette Silk Sarees:

The sarees that are made from yarns that are highly twisted, these attractive and good looking sarees are apt to bring on a twist in the slow and boring Valentine date. High on desirability quotient, as they present themselves in a wide palette of colors and designs, they are a must have this Valentine’s Day!

Printed Silk Sarees:

An outburst of designs and colors, these vivacious sarees are perfect for kindling an outburst of emotions on a special day like this! Timid patterns and pale colors are not for today, today’s day is to flaunt your bubbly and cheerful personality with cheerful colors and bubbly patterns of a printed silk!

Chanderi Silk Sarees:

The sheer beauty of Chanderi silk sarees in subtle hues is all that it needs to recreate most memorable romantic moments! With them on, you don’t need much accessorizing too; after all, less is more on this day of love!

 

To dress up for a perfect Valentine evening, online shopping can help you in endless ways. Right from choosing from numerous options of sarees in new styles and trends to getting these gorgeous sarees at best prices! At Shatika, the new designs are proclaimed with great effectiveness for you to savor. Valentine’s Day is the celebration of love. Make it special this year for you and your loved one by indulging in Shatika sarees that are the most attractive sarees online and ensure your Valentine has eyes only for you this Valentine’s Day!

 



 



 

The Soft and Smooth Satin Silk Sarees

A lustrous, glossy and smooth fabric that has since a long time been at the center stage of all wedding and royal attires and furnishings, Satin is a popular weave that has been around since the 12^th century and has made its presence felt since then in many forms from ties to coats, jacket linings to ballet shoes and home furnishing to sarees. While the satin used in furnishings and other accessories are made with fabrics like cotton, silk-cotton, polyester, nylon, crepe and georgette, satin sarees are made mainly with silk fabric and are called silk satin sarees.

The Satin silk sarees have an even sheen and they are quite luxurious in touch and feel. While their arresting luster itself makes them a perfect occasion wear, the resilience of satin silk ensures feasibility and scope for elaborate embellishments and embroideries making it a designer’s favorite too since it allows them to design heavy designer satin silk sarees along with heavy embroidered satin silk blouses, cholis and corsets.

While its distinct soft feel and luster is the USP of a satin silk saree, there are many other reasons that engage women in favoring them over many heavy silk sarees. These sarees are light in weight in spite of having thick texture and they are resistant to dust. Due to their thick texture, satin silks make a perfect dressy wear on a cold winter day or even on a rainy day. Satin silk as a fabric has an amazing fall and thus the pleats of a satin silk saree fall beautifully and look graceful. A very popular combination with satin silk is shimmer or net. As these materials complement each other, they are highly popular today in the fashion circuit.
Shatika has the best range of satin silk sarees online. Crafted in hot trendy colors, they are a hot favorite of our patrons. Known to impart elegance effortlessly, buy satin silk sarees online from Shatika for we offer a plethora of conveniences like worldwide shipping, easy payment options, door delivery and COD option.

Weaving Designs and Motifs of Kanchipuram Silk Sarees

Be it because of the lure of its pure mulberry silk or the dazzle of its real zari motifs, the Kanchipuram silk saree continues to hold the pride of place among the various varieties of silk sarees in the country today. Its rich weave and feel holds everyone in its sway and even today it is the preferred bridal saree because of its durability and grandeur.

The designs showcased on Kanchipuram silk sarees are woven in pure zari threads and their motifs range from figures to temple towers along the border. The motifs of these silk sarees most often comprise of Pallava temples, palaces and paintings. The traditional designs found on the body of a Kanjeevaram saree include pyramidal temple borders, checks, stripes and floral buttas.

Earlier, designs were restricted to conservative stripes or gold dots. However, over time emblematic motifs such as fresh mango, sweet grapes elephant, the sun, moon, chariots, swans, elegant peacocks, parrots, lions, coins, lotus, pot, creeper, flower, parrot, hen, and depiction of stories from mythology are woven into the saree in patterns.

 

Some of the traditional motifs featured in the Kanjeevaram saris are Rudraksham (Rudraksha beads), Gopuram (temple towers), ‘mallimogu’(jasmine flower), ‘mayilkan’ (peacock’s eye), ‘kuyilkan’ (nightingale eye) borders. Patterns are also formed with the help of lines and squares. The jasmine flower motifs either on their own or inside a square or round frame are called mallim0gu. The Thandavalam motif has parallel-line motifs running all over the body of the sari while in the pattu motif, the pallu and the border alone have floral motifs independently woven on them.

Today’s designs are more contemporary but these modern motifs continue to lend a festive touch with their magnificent grandeur. One can even see representation of grand paintings by Raja Ravi Verma or scenes from the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata on the richly woven pallus and sometimes borders of these modern Kanchi pattu sarees, thus encouraging creativity and contempt without compromising on their traditional values and opulence.

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An Ode to Weaves and Weavers – Fashion Show by Shravan Kumar

June 21^st 2016 marked a new beginning in the history of Handlooms as celebrated designer Shravan Kumar in association with Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC, unveiled his latest couture line up called “An Ode to Weaves and Weavers”, an annual event that not only pays tribute to all the weavers of India but also aims for their upliftment in society.

The fashion show held here saw over 30 supermodels flouncing down a temple-themed ramp, displaying an eclectic range of indigenous Indian weaves, from length and breadth of the country. If that was not enough, eminent Tollywood actors, sports persons and business bigwigs also turned up, dressed in designer handloom finery.

The 34-minute show, that had six segments and over 108 garments, saw an eclectic mix of weaves, all end to end handloom sarees like Khadis, Mangalagiris, Narayanpet, Benaras, Kanchipuram, Chanderi, Paithanis, Salem, Venkatgiri, Uppada and Pochampally from the remotest locations.

 

Celebrated South Indian actress Anushka Shetty, the show stopper of the show left everybody gaping in awe as she walked the ramp in a black Kanchipuram silk saree with splendid gold zari work on the pallu and contrast blouse.

 

 

The designer with a penchant for working with handlooms, Shravan on one occasion said, “Weavers in India, who are the inheritors of an age-old handloom legacy, are unable to survive with the pittance they make. We need to act soon before we lose this rich legacy. Our weaves are our national heritage.”

Praising the efforts of the designer and the weavers in general, the General Manager Mr. Neil Paterson signed off saying, “We feel proud to bring forth on one platform, more than 100 different and rare weaves and pay tribute to the underprivileged weavers of the nation through AN ODE TO WEAVES & WEAVERS – hosted at one of the grandest venues in the region. The fusion of these designs and Novotel’s hospitality will be magical,”

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The Best of M4Marry Wedding Week 2016 – Kochi

The exquisite collection of bridal couture displayed at the m4marry wedding week 2016, held from 4th to 6th of November 2016 brought alive the rich traditions of Indian weddings while bringing a new dimension to latest wedding trends. The gala fashion week awesome of India’s finest designers like Vikram Phadnis, Manish Arora and TarunTahiliani showcase the most magnificent ensembles during the three-day event.

The event was one of the most successful events in the world of fashion because not only did it see the fine work of these noted designers but it saw their creations on some of the leading models of the country who carried themselves off with such grace and poise that they left everyone asking for more.

The day one of the events featured collections by Vikram Phadnis, the noted Bollywood designer who enthralled the audience with his beautiful wedding sarees and lehengas in unusual pastels, rich creams and peach and some in vibrant red. With fine embroidery and unique detailed thread and mirror work, he rightly named the collection, ‘Shine’.

Day 2 of the event featured Bollywood’s favorite designer Manish Malhotra’s creations which simply put, were a riot of colors with neon shades like florescent green, florescent pink and electric blue along with bold and dashing whites and blacks. The entire collection of bridal sarees and lehengas set the stage on fire with their intricate zari work and all the finery.

The grand finale of the event however was the awe gaping collection of Tarun Tahiliani that gave the audience a whole new experience of bridal dressing. Sensual and yet not revealing, the wow collection of gorgeous lehengas and bridal sarees were all studded with stones, dazzling gold work and impeccably fine embroidery in zari and thread.

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The Silken Riches of Karnataka - Silk Sarees from Karnataka

A land of ancient customs and traditions, Karnataka is also home to queen of silks, the mulberry silk. Involved in its production since the Tipu Sultan Era, Karnataka has a rich history of silken rustles. From the enchanting plain weaves of Mysore silk to the more recent and trendy printed silk sarees, the heavily ornate Bangalore silks to humble wear Irkal sarees, every silk saree woven in various parts of Karnataka are dream possessions of every Indian woman.

Every weave of Karnataka has an enriching story to share– story of creativity and hardwork. The sarees of Karnataka while on one hand share a very intricate bond with their weavers, on the other they share a sweet and delightful bond with their wearers. These silk sarees partake in every happy occasion in a woman’s life be it the joy of weddings or the celebration of festivals and every such happy occasions of time spent together.

Karnataka as a state of silk has survived along the length and breadth of the sub-continent because of its vivid variety in sarees. Some of the sarees produced in the state that have made a mark on the world map are:

Mysore silk sarees: Considered the purest silk sarees in the country, Mysore silk sarees come in a hue of plains with a golden lace at the edge of the saree, giving it a classic and sleek look. These sarees undergo very high standards of production and they remain new and good looking for decades.

Bangalore Silk Sarees: Bangalore silk sarees are a unique assort of rich colors and designs. Produced in a multitude of colors interwoven with delicate gold threads, these silk sarees are apt 

for special occasions like weddings and festivals.

Mysore chiffon crepes: A fine opaque crepe silk with supplementary zari borders, Mysore chiffon crepes originated in Mysore are dyed in contrasting colors after the saree has been weaved. Soft, flowy and light textured, these sarees have a unique tactile look that is rather fascinating.

Karnataka is also home to lesser known traditional silk saris like Molkalmuru saris and the Ilkal saris that carry plain body and simplistic narrow borders that might not have gained major popularity but they have gained wide acceptance not just in Karnataka but in the neighbouring states too.