#Saritorial @Demure Drapes 1st August...
To kick start this new segment, I share my sari~story....
Whilst we were growing up, “Two peas in a pod” is how people would perceive my sister ( Rumy Sarin) and me. But, they could not be further away from the truth. One was a complete tomboy, and the other one was an adorable “rolly-polly” little darling. I liked climbing trees and my little baby sister (the love of everybody else’s eye) loved staying home and following mom everywhere. Her favourite pass-time would be to drape mom’s ‘chunnis’ around herself and dress-up and walk around the house, acting all grown-up. Whilst, it was impossible to find me or keep me indoors! As we both grew up life has taken a full 360 degree turn. Our tastes have completely and radically changed. She hates dressing up, shudders at the thought of wearing a sari, and says it’s too time consuming. And me, well….I don’t loose a single opportunity to drape myself in the six-yards of magic.
You can call it blind love for my lil’ sis on my part. I always felt she looked angelic in mom’s chunnis then and she looks equally exquisite in any sari she infrequently drapes on now. As my ‘love’ for saris has grown (she calls it by other names!), I have been pushing her to wear saris more often. It’s always a battle over the long distance calls, and we refuse to facetime at such times, knowing very well that it will end no short of a Mahabharat. It’s not always easy to convince her, but every once in a while I get the ‘gratitude’ call, telling me that it was not all that difficult as she had thought it would be. And how wonderful she felt THAT SHE ACTUALLY WORE A SARI! Much as I want to push her to wearing saris more often, I am a bit apprehensive too. What if the see-saw hits a bottom for me and I go back to my original self of disliking ‘dressing up’, while my adorable little sister finds her ‘inner self’ and falls in love with the sari again…..
#saritorial @demure drapes 2nd August
Deepti Verma says her sari~story kuch iss andaz mein, from Jakarta, Indonesia....
Not a mere component of attire, Sari is an integral part of India’s tradition and entire life. My first sari experience was at my wedding and I wanted to take it to a notch higher by trying out something different. Hence I chose 2 saris and tried the double drape style. The style was new for all of us and with the help of good friends it was executed well too!!
The 2 saris should be almost similar in design and fabric to make it easier.My experience says they should not be very heavy on embellishments to make it feasible to carry.
Below here is the link that I found to teach you how to drape 2 saris!
http://www.utsavfashion.com/saree/
picture of Me in my wedding Sari in a double drape style attached!
#Saritorial @demure drapes 3rd August...
Aditi Kalra's sari~story....
Wearing a sari for the first time is a beautiful right of passage for every Indian girl. Most of us can identify with the giddy excitement of opening our mom's sari trunks and finally getting the drape that ONE sari we've dreamed about our whole girlhood:) Growing up I remember watching my mom drape her chiffons with fascination.....printed, pastels, plains and embroidered, she had a definite weakness for them! So when that momentous day arrived in my life I knew exactly what I wanted to wear. I was in college second year and was invited to the Sangeet ceremony of one of my closest friend's brother. I chose one of my favourite pieces from my mom's collection (aside from her bridal sari, which is a whole other story!). It was a leaf green chiffon with flowers embroidered in French knots and sequins. My mom also lent me a beautiful pair of diamond and emerald drop earrings set in white gold. I think that day for the first time in my life, I felt like a real, proper, bona fide lady as opposed to a scatty teenager:) Thats the magic of a beautiful sari, it makes a princess feel like a queen!
#Saritorial @demure drapes 14th August...
Shivani's sari story unfolds कुछ इस तरह....
I finally choose a classic kanjivaram - Sea green, with a border-pallu of deep maroon and zari-gold and a dash of contrasting orange...this 6 yards of silk is a tiny piece of important honeymoon history.
The "honeymoon" with my Mother-in-Law, that is.
In those early, ethereal, rose tinted weeks my mil believed she had gained the perfect, quintessential daughter and I wholeheartedly trusted the mumbo-jumbo makeover myth about the adorable new age mother-in-law!
Think Bhagyashree and Reema Lagoo.
The occasion was picture perfect Barjatiya!
There was to be a big housewarming/ladies lunch/hawan event hosted by my mil's all time BFF. Everyone in their ginormous circle of common friends, neighbors and acquaintances was invited.
It was a god gifted opportunity for my mil to "outdoor" her brand new bahu.
Needless to say, at 22 years of age, starry eyed and bolIywoodistic, I was immensely enthusiastic and eager to please.
Well, my armed forces upbringing had prepared me to trek, swim, ride, fish, waltz, shoot, discuss geopolitics and even sneak a beer or cigarette now and then.
All this training was useless, however, when faced with a mini army of hawk-eyed, traditionalist, pure veg, hardcore aunties from the U.P. heartland.
What the heck! My "new mom" would help me figure it out!
So there I was, on a fabulously sunny, crisp February morning - hair pulled back in a low, thousand pinned bun, face smothered in foundation, a giant "artsy" bindi plastered on my small forehead, draped in a resplendent kanjivaram and decked in my nani's intricately crafted, timeless gold & feroza set...for luck.
The day consisted of much nodding and smiling, being hugged, having my cheeks pinched, ears pulled and jewelry examined. And the "pairi-pauna" - which I performed perfectly with warmth & gusto, countless times with boundless, puppy-like affection!
In retrospect, my hair & make up were scandalously wrong. And that stupid bindi made my nose look fatter than usual.
The aunties overlooked the obvious flaws.
I passed something "much more crucial" - The 5C Diamond-Standard-Test for dils - Complexion, Clothes, Conduct, Congeniality and Compliance.
What a win-win scenario! My mil beamed & glowed. She declared the day a glorious success. I was a hit and her name was gold amongst her envious clan!
Time flew. My mil un-Lagoo-fied rapidly. I de-Bhagyashreed. The honeymoon ended. Inevitably.
But this gorgeous kanjivaram is witness that, though fleeting, the Barjatiya style saas-bahu Jodi was super-hit for a day."
#saritorial @demure drapes 15th august..
Shanti shares her sari~story....
"Please find below my wedding sari story:
Sari for an Indian woman is not just a dress but her persona. For some it is the reflection of their culture and their outlook. If I can take a departure from the generic sari sentiment to something more specific as the wedding sari for a woman, I would be able to bring out some more interesting insights and also share my special emotions related to my very own wedding sari. For a south indian woman, a wedding sari becomes special as one of the very first personal effects gifted by the groom's family. The selection of this sari in itself is a memorable event. From the groom's house announcing the budget for the gift, to the occasion of the two families meeting to actually procure the sari is a publishable event in every sense from the dust that is kicked up to the unwarranted number of individuals who gather for this.
Sari for an Indian woman is not just a dress but her persona. For some it is the reflection of their culture and their outlook. If I can take a departure from the generic sari sentiment to something more specific as the wedding sari for a woman, I would be able to bring out some more interesting insights and also share my special emotions related to my very own wedding sari. For a south indian woman, a wedding sari becomes special as one of the very first personal effects gifted by the groom's family. The selection of this sari in itself is a memorable event. From the groom's house announcing the budget for the gift, to the occasion of the two families meeting to actually procure the sari is a publishable event in every sense from the dust that is kicked up to the unwarranted number of individuals who gather for this.
In my case my wedding sari was indeed a Kanjeevaram as it had to be one for a Madrasi girl and it was purchased with much fanfare in the Mecca of sari shops in Chennai namely ‘Nalli Silks’. After careful elimination of various colours and patterns which cannot be worn for this special occasion (considered inauspicious), I managed to wrestle a decent Kanjeevaram sari which was sea green in colour with a maroon border which I really liked. Obviously being a bride, the pallu and border have to have a grand zari (gold coated threads). The ladies would never settle with the viewing in the shop as they use fluorescent lamps and have this funny practice of taking the sari to view in natural sun light. I was exhausted with the whole experience but there was a silly sense of achievement when all the accompanying relatives gave a nod to my selection.
To-date I would have worn this sari only about half a dozen times, but it is a reminder of the anxiety which I had on the day of my wedding – getting into a wedlock in an arranged marriage is more of anxiety than excitement. It also reminds me of the lovely relationship that has blossomed over the years with my husband and brings back the nostalgia of the occasion and the distance travelled, each time I run my fingers through the silk fabric and put it back in my wardrobe.
Cheers, Shanthi"
#saritorial @demure drapes...
Sonali's sari~story in her words...
"My love affair with Sarees started at a very young age when I used to see mom getting dressed in all her exquisite Sarees and stepping out. She had a fabulous collection of Banarsis, Chanderis, French chiffons and lots more which are so vivid in my memory, and some of which she still possesses,other than the ones which she allowed me to cut up and convert to suits and lehngas at a young age.
I would wear her Sarees occasionally for weddings,School and college functions.
Saree for me was always associated as an 'occasion' garment. Special occasion, out came a special Saree, and that is something that has stayed with me. It has to be very stylishly worn with poise and grace. I have a very select collection and am very choosy with what I add to my wardrobe.
My special Saree moment was at my first job... At an award ceremony I was gifted a Nalli silk Saree... Fire orange and purple, for outstanding performance. It's a Saree I seldom wear but always hangs in my wardrobe for keeps...."
#Saritorial @demure drapes 18th august
Aparna's sari~story goes like this....
"My experience with saris is kind of sinusoidal! Initial phase when I had no say, Mom used to drape me in sari, be it forDurga Puja or for some play (1st pic)! However as I grew up with two elder brothers I became more of a tomboy! I had always seen my mom attired in beautiful saris in Bengali style but the comforts of shirts and jeans prevailed on me! The first time I had to wear a sari by myself, I wore it on top of my usual shirt and jeans (2nd pic). Needless to say Mom was aghast! The next time I wore it on top of a maxi ..a full length dress (3rd pic). I was very apprehensive about the 6 yards of silk being wrapped around without much grip! Mom almost gave up on me. When my brothers got married, sister-in-laws's influence overpowered brothers' influence! I started wearing saris with "blouse and petticoat"! I had more control over the pleats and pallu! The encouragement was tremendous. That gave me hope! However, my engineering days again distanced me from saris. When I got married I started wearing saris again (4th pic) but this gradually waned.Nonetheless, throughout this waxing and waning phase there was one constant factor i.e. Durga Puja (5th pic). The pure amazement and fascination of seeing ladies beautifully draped in variety of saris during Durga Puja is beyond words andsomething which I enjoy till date. When it is Puja time, my love for saris rekindles and I enthusiastically drape the 6 yards of sheer elegance around ... ready for Pujo."
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