P is for ... Phenomenal ... n ... Perfect

 

All this month I am writing about the phenomenal Indian handlooms, a quick but captivating dive into the saree specifically, a garment worn by Indians for five millennia. Come with me into the magnificent, complex and utterly fascinating world of fibre and yarn, of skills and techniques of dyeing and printing and embroidery, traditions unchanged for centuries. Of sumptuous finished fabrics that not only make a fashion statement, but also constitute our cultural heritage and political identity.

P is for Patan Patola

Going to start off today with this video on the Patan Patola saree, the most expensive double ikat silk saree that can take up to a year to create and can cost thousands of US dollars. The process from start to finish, to get that pattern perfect on the loom, is beyond mind blowing.  No words! 

 

There are also the Paithani and the Pochampally, associated previously with royalty and/or luxury, as most silk sarees were in the past, and to be perfectly honest, still are. 

P is for Princess and Purdah 

We've seen in a previous post how the Nivi drape was modified and modernised with the pairing of blouses and petticoats, directly inspired by Victorian England, pioneered by Jnanadanandini Tagore during the last decades of the 19th century. 

Image credit.

Another lady who played a prominent role in popularising the saree was Maharani Indira Devi of the princely state of Cooch Behar. She was one feisty, progressive character, a princess from Baroda, she broke off her engagement with a Maharaja of 21-gun-salute Central Indian princely state, and married for love a younger prince of a much less important kingdom, Cooch Behar in Bengal, who she'd met at the Delhi Durbar in 1911. Her parents were vehemently opposed to the match, it created a massive scandal given the social conventions of the time, but she persisted. The marriage was solemnised according to Brahmo Samaj rites in London. 

However, both her brother-in-law the king and her husband passed away early and she ended up having to act as regent for her minor son. She travelled widely in Europe and it was during a trip to Lyon that she came upon French chiffon. The delicate texture of the fabric bowled her over. So she ordered a nine yard chiffon saree in white, not exactly the traditional Indian mourning attire for widows. She introduced chiffon sarees to Indian women and got her sarees woven on those French looms, pairing them with diamond encrusted footwear and strings of pearls. And chiffon sarees with pearls are still a matchless pairing in the Indian fashion lexicon. Vogue featured her in the 1960s for her enduring legacy. One of the first ladies to challenge patriarchal norms. 

Incidentally, this increased participation of upper class women in public life, advocating for women's education and equal rights, led to the abolishment of the purdah system (seclusion of women). Indira's mother Chimnabai had appeared without veiling in Baroda, so did Lady Meherbai Tata, wife of Sir Dorabji Tata, a notable philanthropist and an industrialist knighted by the British Raj.   

Btw, chiffon is defined by a particular yarn type, just like georgette. It is produced by using a high twist crepe yarn in a plain weave and gives a sheer, lightweight, lustrous fabric. It can be made with natural of synthetic fibres. Indira got her chiffons made in real silk, so their price tag must have been one only a maharani could afford. From 1930s/40s onwards, man made fibres like polyester, viscose and nylon made chiffon fabrics affordable for the vast majority of people. 

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Did you know that  - not everything is positive in the sareesphere? It is sometimes used as a tool of patriarchal control, imposed on women as a dress code in specific professions and/or situations. Read about one Sri Lankan woman's experience here.

 

Thank you for reading. And happy A-Zing to you if you are participating in the challenge. 

A-Z Challenge 2025