Chikan Sarees

Chikan Sarees

The Chikan Saree of Lucknow is perhaps one of the most popular embroidered saree in India. It has a certain grace and elegance, which ensures that it never goes out of style.

Chikan is a traditional embroidery style. It is a form of hand embroidery with pattern, of predominantly different designs, stitched using untwisted white cotton or silk (and now rayon) threads on the surface of the fabric. It is said to have been originally introduced by Nur Jahan, the beautiful wife of the Mughal emperor, Jahangir. It has since evolved and attained its glory and perfection in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Chikan Sarees are perfect for any kind of regular occasion. Chikan sarees are simple but give a classy look to anyone who wears it.

Fabric in Chikan Saree

• Cotton
• Chiffon
• Georgette
• Crepe
• Silk
• Rayon
• Colour

Generally, the sarees are light earth colours and pastel shades. Traditionally, the threads used are in the same colour as the fabric. The self color embroidery looks rich on every age group and color. Nowadays, you also have chikan sarees with contrast colours in the body and the embroidery.

Design

Patterns and effects created depend on types of stitches used and the thickness of the threads used in embroidery. The variety of stitches used are back-stitch, chain stitch and hemstitch. The major type of Chikan work done today are Taipchi, Bakhia, Phanda, Murri, Jali, Hatkati, Pechni, Ghas Patti, Chaana Pati etc. The chikan embroidered sarees with their incredible embroidered patterns are collector's items.

Kota Sarees

Kota Sarees

Kota in Rajasthan, India is the home of the famous Kota Doria sarees made in small villages around the Kota city. These sarees are ideal for Indian summers.

Fabric in Kota Sarees

Kota sarees are woven in cotton and silk fabric. Handloomed Kota Doria sarees in pure cotton very rare nowadays but Kota sarees in polyester fabric is gaining more and more ground. There are also many varieties of machine loomed Kota fabric, which is also soft cloth with an airy feel that picks up the slightest breeze.

Design

Kota sari have a special style which uses a combination of cotton and silk threads to create an almost graph like pattern called khats (squares formed between the different thicknesses of fibers) where cotton lends firmness and silk gives airy soft feel. This is called "Kota Doria" weave or the the chequered weave.

The chequered weave of a Kota sari is its unique characteristic. Besides the chequered pattern, there are other weaves in complicated designs in a combination of silk and cotton. Some of the weaves also have a narrow border edged with Zari.

In the case of sarees with designs, the threads are dyed prior to weaving. The sarees have designs that vary from the traditional jal, checks, jacquard and jamawar pallus to a Chantilly lace-effect and intricate borders of gold and silver thread work.

Tanchois Sarees

Tanchois Sarees

Tanchoi sarees are another famous type of sarees of North India. Like the banarasi sarees, these sarees are also produced by Varanasi weavers. These sarees are not heavy like Banarasi sarees but can be worn for all types of occasion.

Fabric in Tanchois Saree

Employing a technique similar to that of brocade, weavers of Benaras make sarees using colorful extra weft silk yarn for their unique patterns. This variety is known as Tanchoi. Tanchoi weaving is based on the weaving technique brought from China by three brothers, called Choi (tan-three, Choi-brothers). The tanchoi weavers wove silk saris and yardage, which was mostly used by the Parsi community initially. Today, tanchoi fabric has remarkable fame in India and the world over.

Design

Tanchoi saree resembles a fine miniature. In tanchoi sarees, the designs are alway floral with interspersing of birds. Figures of flying birds, paired cocks amidst floral sprays are worked on them. The usual ground is bright blue, purple, green or red with areas patterned in tabby weave.

Sometimes the pallu is done more solidly with peacocks, baskets or bunches of flowers or hunting scenes. Tanchoi silk sarees are also in dazzling floral, geometrical and paisley designs. The weavers also use tone-on-tone colors as well as multiple color combinations in jacquard weaving.

Tanchoi from Gujarat creates an extra weft layer to produce the effect of embossing on silk. There are also combination of brocaded gold butis and borders in a background of self patterned tanchoi. Some tanchoi sarees have a rich gold border and two gold bands on the pallav. The more exclusive ones have gold checks with lotus roundels all over which are known as butis.

Tissue Sarees

Tissue Sarees

Tissue sarees of North India, usually woven with the finest silk thread, are quite popular and never out of style. These sarees are very comfortable to wear and are of light weight.

Fabric in Tissue Saree

Surprisingly affordable and easily maintained, Tissue is woven of 100% polyester, and is moderately wrinkle resistant, and is machine washable or dry cleanable, depending on color and trim combinations. Tissue offers the ultimate in draping qualities and sumptuous texture. This top quality silky faille weave brings an elegant gracefulness to a saree. There are silk tissue as well as cotton tissue sarees. Cotton tissue sarees are ideal for summer. Tissue silk is a very fine quality silk fabric. It is a very shiny and gorgeous fabric. Tissue silk saree can be both simple and gorgeous depending on the occasion in which it is worn.

Colour and Design

These sarees come in various colours. There are some sarees with vibrant color combination in the body and the pallu. Some designs that are commonly found in Tissue sarees are: Tissue silk sarees with beautiful brocade work done at the time of weaving the saree.

Plain tissue silk saree with designs at border and pallu. The anchal and border with floral motifs blends the classic and contemporary weaving in jamdani style.

There are tie and dye tissue silk saree with silver or gold or multicoloured thread work.

Geometrical and floral patterns in brocade work with jamdani style weaving on all over the body. The pallu and border of the saree enhance your beauty.

The heavy tissue silk saree is adorned with kundan, sequins, resham zardosi & zari hand embroidery, giving it a rich and ornate look.

Bandhani Sarees

Bandhani Sarees

Bandhani and bandhej sarees are typical of the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Bandhani sarees created by dyeing the cloth in such a manner that the tied 'spots' produce elaborate patterns over the fabric. Bandhani sarees have won lot of appreciation in the fashion market.

Fabric

Simple bandhani sarees are basically in cottons and are ideal for the Indian summers. There are also silk or chiffon bandhani sarees with sequins or zari work.

The Process

Bandhani is a handwork, which involves tying and dying of cloth. To create the Bandhani designs, the Bandhej process involves tightly tying a string or "dori" around certain areas of the fabric and then dipping it in to a dye. After a short while, the fabric is taken out of the dye and the string is removed. On opening the fabric, you will see that the areas covered by the string have retained their original color while the rest of the fabric has been dyed.

Bandhani work, after the processing is over, results into a variety of symbols including, dots, squares, waves and strips. The tying of cloth with thread and then dying it is the simplest and perhaps the oldest form of creating patterns on a plain piece of cloth.

Colours and Design

The dominant colors in Bandhani sarees are bright like yellow, red, green and pink. Maroon is also popular. But with changing times, as Bandhani has become a part of fashion, various pastel colors and shades are being used. Single colour sarees with white spots are also common. There are bandhani sarees with contrast colours, with zori borders. The various tye and dye designs on bandhani sarees are Bandhej, Lehriya, Batik, Mothra, Ekdali, Shikari, Cheent.

Banarasi Sarees

Banarasi Sarees

Banarasi sarees are world famous for their royal look and rich feel. This saree is a combination of style, beautiful craftwork and good quality. 'Banarasi Saree' is considered to be the Indian 'SUN' in the world of fashion and has been a subject of great inspiration and appreciation world-wide. It was in the Mughal era Baranasi saree came into popularity and got fashion currency. Today, this Indian fashion sari has witnessed a continuous growth in demand in both Indian and International markets.

Fabric

There are mainly four varieties of Benarasi saree available today. They are

• Pure silk (katan)
• Organza (kora) with zari and silk
• Georgette
• Shattir
• Design

The Banarasi silk saree is popular for its rich and intricate weave and zari work. Banarasi Sarees have designs with original gold and silver thread. Some of the designs on the body of a banaresi sarees are as follows: Benarasi sarees often depict scenes of villages, fairs, flowers, dancing monkeys and clouds. Traditional designs remain the base appeal for Benarasi sarees.

There are also temple and mosque designs. They come up in all shades.

Most brocades usually have designs that exhibit Mughal patterns such as intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, kalga and bel.

A distinct feature found along the inner, and sometimes outer, edge of borders in this saree is a narrow fringe like pattern that often looks like a string of upright leaves called jhallr.

The pallus of these sarees have elaborate pure gold and silver designs densely woven with gold and multicolor thread which lend the saree its elegance.

Its major attraction lies in colorful dying of silk fabric.

The brocade that is used in producing these sarees are Amru silk brocades which are world famous. Jamvar, Navrangi (nine colors), Jamdani etc. are other brocade types from the range of Banarasi sarees.

Owing to its beautiful designs and colors, a banarasi silk sari always has come to occupy a special place among buyers, throughout the world. The people with rich taste love the beauty and intricate design of the Banarasi sarees as these are very elegant and gorgeous.

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