Sari Sarita – Celebrating the Pride of India

“I love your pink dress” said a little girl to my mom as we were walking down the streets of Bainbridge Island. She was referring to my mom’s pink sari. “How do you wear it?” “How big is it?” “What do you call the shirt you wear with this” (she was referring to the blouse) asked the little girl’s mother. Such is the attraction and beauty of the 6 yards draped with elegance. It signifies a paradoxical image of an Indian woman to the western eye.

Oh you! 6 yards of beauty and grace…. its a woman’s pride that we embrace!

I still remember the childhood days of wrapping around my mother’s sari and playing a role of a teacher to my grandfather and also remember the not so old memories of choosing the sari(s) for the most memorable day of my life, MY WEDDING. Its almost every girl’s dream to select that special sari! Isn’t it? The feel of a silk sari on your body is truly divine! Every sari depicts the rich culture of the nation, the love and hard work of the weaver. While we have adopted the western clothing for our daily wear, I wouldn’t want to miss a chance to be in a sari for any occasion.

Being away from India for about an year now, I have not been able to personally feel and choose a sari, especially the exquisite silks. To satisfy my (and many others) urge, Sari Sarita is brining to Seattle, an impeccable curated sari collection celebrating the legendary handwoven textiles from the nook and corner of India. A team of wonderful hardworking women, travelled across the country and carefully curated the collection which represents the rich diversity and culture of the country. The team sourced the saris in the collection directly from the weavers and women in small businesses recommended by the Craft Council of India. Sari Sarita is an IAWW Community Program (India Association of Western Washington) is profiling for its fundraiser for MILAN 2016. This is held on September 17, 2016 in Redmond, Washington. Your participation in this noble cause will support the selfless efforts of IAWW in helping the Indian community.  Check out this event link for more details and enjoy the choicest collection of saris.

 

Once just a traditional attire mostly available as in handloom fabric, sari has modernised itself with various fabrics, designs and styling options. Nevertheless, I have always admired the traditional drape and then handloom fabric. We know India is a land of Unity in Diversity. Staying true to our pride, India offers diversity with its uniqueness of weaving, printing and dyeing of a sari from different parts of the country. Sari Sarita curated collection includes the Gorgeous Gadwal sarees from Telangana, Paithani, the jugalbandi of silk and gold from Maharashtra, Chanderi – light weighted delicacy from Madhya Pradesh, the dreamy Kanchipuram silk from Tamilnadu, royal Banarasi from the holy city of Varanasi and my two all time favourites Mysore Silk from Karnataka and Uppada from Andhra Pradesh.

 

Tips to treasure:

These little tips, I learnt over the years are sure a treasure:

•  Go with contrast or non-obvious colors for the blouse! If you have to wear the same color blouse (for silk saris), go for a contrast embrodiery work on the blouse!
• If you are worried about your flabby arms, go for slightly lose short sleeves or flaunt the long sleeves for your blouse.
• Padded blouses are the best and hassle free (a bit expensive too :-p) but if you can’t handle them, make sure to have the bra hooks at the shoulder!
• The Obvious mantra : For a heavy sari, always go with very light jewellery (may be just ear-rings)
• Always store your saris in a sari cover with a fragrance sheet or put it on a hanger. But make sure you open it now and then so that the creases don’t spoil the thread (usually happens if left for months, especially the silk ones).

From being a child’s fantasy to a country’s pride, SARI has become the country’s icon. Looking forward to the enchanting and mesmerising experience at MILAN 2016. Make sure to buy your tickets here.

“I am six yards ahead of my time” 

So what are your experiences with a sari? Whats your favourite?

-Signing off

This is not a sponsored post