Saree blouse styling ideas

One of my favourite things in the spring/summer is to wear all my cropped saree blouses and cholis in fun ways…

Photos: Vincent Boyer (Say hi on instagram @shape.photos)

These photos feature a Sambhalpuri ikat fabric blouse worn with Kalamkari hand block print palazzo pants plus handcrafted wedge heeled sandals as well as with sneakers and a handloom cotton saree woven in a village called Yeditha in the Mandapeta mandal in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

I posted a photo on my instagram last week when I wore the blouse with the Kalamkari flared pants and got a whole bunch of DMs asking me questions on the hows and whys of wearing saree blouses with anything other than sarees.

I have spoken about mixing fabrics and patterns being great fun when styling saree blouses in eclectic ways with basics other than the six or nine yards, along with some pairing ideas in a previous post here.

I totally believe that traditional saree blouses make the best crop tops and have said as much in an old blog post from four years ago here. In this post I want to talk about the little tips and tricks up my sleeve that make it easy to wear saree blouses in multiple ways:

1. Going one (or more) size/s up: Oversize saree blouses are my jam, eschewing the norm when it comes to fits is something I love and I feel that non-tight tops are more fun to style with myriad separates.
2. Adding fun details: I love adding tiny extras to my blouses, interesting details like buttons, ties, ruffles etcetera, which give me a reason to wear them with a bunch of other items in my wardrobe and get more bang for my buck.
3. Keeping the back high: I detest deep backs on saree blouses because I like to be able to keep my fits a little looser than most and also because I like using my blouses as little shrugs or tie up tops.
4. Traditional patterned fabrics: I believe traditional fabrics like khadis, brocades or handblock prints or ikats or bandhanis or hand embroidered cholis lend themselves wonderfully to outfits that can take one from a brunch or a work day to the night out in town.
5. Eschewing ideas of the perfect body: I think one of the more important reasons I am able to wear saree blouses in fun ways is that I don’t care about how fit or unfit I look. The same goes for swimwear, I don’t have the flattest stomach or toned arms or a super cute butt and that doesn’t stop me from wearing whatever I feel like in ways that makes me happy.
6. Playing with flair and proportions: Playing with fit, flair, proportions and patterns keep things interesting when styling one’s outfits and the same applies to saree blouses.
7. Relaxed denims: I find flared and relaxed pants/ shorts lend themselves easier to styling with cropped blouses than skinnier fit bottoms and in general I find my drop-crotch jeans the most fun to wear. Case in point, bandhani choli with boyfriend jeans here.
8. Ignoring other people’s opinions: There are way too many of us who think it’s okay to have an opinion on what someone else is wearing and how they have styled it. I ignore other people’s ideas and pair whatever I like together. If I am totally feeling myself, I don’t let anyone else take that away from me.
9. Steering clear of trends: I prefer classic cuts, old world crafts, ethical producers and comfy fits, no trend can make me waver from things that work for my personality, needs and a sustainable lifestyle.

I hope if there is one thing you take away from this post it is that, when it comes to personal style, do whatever makes you happy. I know I do.

Indigo block print lehenga in the winter

Another one in the long running series of dupattas that are converted into sarees and then made into lehengas …

Photos: Vincent Boyer (Say hi on instagram @vincetravelbook)

This lehenga (also known as gaghra or chaniya or just simply a gathered skirt) used to be three dupattas that I wore as a saree for ages before realising that the number of indigo block print sarees in my wardrobe was astounding. I re-homed a few of them with other saree-enthusiasts and decided to ask the boy to make this into a lehenga/ gaghra for my birthday.

I am wearing it here with a cropped merino wrap-around top, sneakers and was carrying a wool coat to wear over it in case the temperatures dipped further. You can view more photos of this lehenga in its previous avatar as a saree in a previous post from over two years ago here.

I do tend to wear full-length gathered skirts quite a bit in my everyday outfits and definitely could do with an indigo piece. Being the crazy plant lady I am, I also quite liked the dabu printed motifs on this particular length of fabric.

Dabu printing is an elaborate traditionally unique way of dyeing and printing by which exceptional motifs are created on handwoven and machine made fabrics. The recently declared Unesco world heritage site – Jaipur, is surrounded by a number of traditional villages that comprise of predominantly block print artisanal communities.

By taking advantage of the fine desert sand of Rajasthan, generations of craftspeople have been able to create this mud-resist known as ‘dabu’.

A cold-water resist, dabu is particularly effective for blocking out areas during an indigo bath. The character of dabu and the wooden blocks used to apply it, go together to create the distinctive patterns known as dabu prints.

Block prints like these are done by instinct and don’t involve much mechanical interference and they display obvious signs of the human hand, imperfections that are a part of the timeless beauty of the craft.

What gets me completely enamoured with these fabrics is the knowledge that it involves generations of a community, a heritage built around the craft, where artisans often across religions, castes and tribes form a shared history.

I really love wearing these prints on everything from pants to dresses to sarees to skirts to work-shirts to singlets and what have you. One of my favourite items of clothing though is the traditional cotton gaghras or chaiyas that are every day wear for many nomadic tribes people in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. I love wearing them throughout the year and believe that they are the most fun as winter-wear.

Some of the ways I plan to wear this lehenga/ gaghra in the winter are listed below and I am always looking to add to this list:

1. Paired with a beanie, sweatshirt and chunky boots for when the temperatures hit single digits.
2. Worn with a merino base layer, a thick embroidered choli over it and converse hi-tops.
3. With a chunky cable-knit sweater, an over-size denim jacket and knee-length boots.
4. With a lambswool turtle-neck, a leather jacket and double sole sneakers.
5. With a basic merino sweater, a dupatta and a Kutchi embroidered shawl.
6. With a tight cashmere body suit and an angrakha or front open anarkali over it.
7. With a silk and wool fitted sweater, a trench coat and heeled boots.
8. With a merino base layer top plus leggings, a peplum top and fleece-lined booties.
9. As a dress, I just tie the gaghra over the bosom, wear a heavy duster cardigan over it and tall boots under.

What are your favourite ways to upcycle sarees and what is your preferred way to style a lehenga/ gaghra as the temperatures drop?

If you are keen to read about similar topics, I have previously published the first in a series of post about the various kinds of hand block printed fabrics from different parts of India, which you can find here, I have also posted another block-print-dupattas-turned saree-turned-lehenga and various ways of styling it in the warmer months here and here is a post from few years ago in a bandhani lehenga with a grey sweater.