I am going to start my research by looking at the history of the main traditional indian dress - the sari. I want to explore the whole idea of indian dress and use the ideas and inspiration to create something contemporary.
As I want to create a sari with a floral theme, I want to start by looking at the origins of the sari and the traditional patterns that came with it. As a sari is made up of mainly one piece of fabric that has been draped over the body in an exquisite way, making it elegant, sophisticated and most importantly modest.
The word SARI is derived from the word Sanskrit, which means strip of cloth and was corrupted to SARI in Hindi. The word 'Sattika' is mentioned as describing women's attire in ancient India in Buddhist Jain literature called Jatakas. This could be equivalent to the modern day 'Sari'. In ancient Indian tradition and the Natya Shastra (an ancient Indian treatise describing ancient dance and costumes), the navel of the supreme being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the sari. It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments for lower body and sometimes shawls or scarf like garment called 'uttariya' for upper body, have been worn by Indian women for a long time, and that they have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years. The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is a choli. Choli evolved as a form of clothing in the 10th century AD, and the first cholis were only front covering; the back was always bare but covered with end of the sari.
There are over 80 recorded ways to wear a sari. This is a step by step tutorial of just one of the many.
Saris are woven with one plain end (the end that is concealed inside the wrap), two long decorative borders running the length of the sari, and a one to three-foot section at the other end which continues and elaborates the length-wise decoration. This end is called the pallu; it is the part thrown over the shoulder.
In past times, saris were woven of silk or cotton. The rich could afford finely woven, diaphanous silk saris that, according to folklore, could be passed through a finger ring. The poor wore coarsely woven cotton saris. All saris were handwoven and represented a considerable investment of time or money.
Simple hand-woven villagers' saris are often decorated with checks or stripes woven into the cloth. Inexpensive saris were also decorated with block printing using carved wooden blocks and vegetable dyes, or tie-dyeing, known in India as bhandani work.
Simple Sari
More expensive saris had elaborate geometric, floral, or figurative ornaments or brocades created on the loom, as part of the fabric. Sometimes warp and weft threads were tie-dyed and then woven, creating patterns. Sometimes threads of different colours were woven into the base fabric in patterns; an ornamented border, an elaborate pallu, and often, small repeated accents in the cloth itself. These accents are called buttis or bhuttis. For fancy saris, these patterns could be woven with gold or silver thread, which is called zari work.
Sometimes the saris were further decorated, after weaving, with various sorts of embroidery. Resham work is embroidery done with coloured silk thread. Zardozi embroidery uses gold and silver thread, and sometimes pearls and precious stones.
Heavy embellished sari
Cheap modern versions of zardozi use synthetic metallic thread and imitation stones, such as fake pearls and Swarovski crystals.
Mechanical sari loom
Hand-woven, hand-decorated saris are naturally much more expensive than the machine imitations. While the overall market for hand weaving has plummeted, hand-woven saris are still popular for weddings and other grand social occasions.
Heavily embellished occasion wear sari
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