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.

A tale of drapes with Poppy Jaman

A mental health crusader, an inspiring speaker and a saree enthusiast, Poppy Jaman talks to Pleats N Pallu about her love for the six yards of unstitched fabric..

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

Poppy is known for working indefategably to challenge the perceptions of mental ill health and for ensuring that mental health is a high priority for companies. In 2018 she was awarded with an Order of the British Empire in recognition of her services to people with mental health issues.

When I met her, it hadn’t been enough time for her to have shed off the awful jet lag that accompanies journeys from Europe to Australia but she was a bundle of energy and positivity, practically buzzing with joy and a certain light that many spend a lifetime trying to cultivate.

Her instagram handle is a celebration of life’s tiny moments, her innumerable travels and the versatility of the unstitched fabric. Sarees are a subject she is tremendously passionate about, she says, “My first memories of the saree are all of my mum wearing various weaves, that’s all she wore and my favourite were her Banarasi ones.”

She wore her first saree at her baby cousin’s birthday soiree, “I can’t remember what it was but I do remember wearing it with a linen tailored jacket with sleeves rolled up and shoulder pads 80’s style!”

In my opinion it is a look that is just begging to be re-created.

Poppy’s effervescent personality practically sparkles when she is talking about the ways in which she makes the saree her own. “I would always play with dupatta’s as a child. I’d wrap them in saree style and struggle to walk,” she reminisces.

She states that she does not find it hard to keep her saree love going in spite of living outside of the sub-continent. Poppy just celebrates the beauty of the unstitched drape by wearing sarees at every occasion possible and by talking about them at every chance she gets.

I am officially envious when she reveals that she has a room dedicated to sarees in her home, “It’s beautiful, the display of colours always cheers me up and never fails to inspire me.”

She says that wearing a saree feels different at different times, “Sometimes I feel ultra glamorous and then there are those pyjama-like sarees that are beyond comforting.”

Her favourite saree wearing inspirations are Rekha and her mum. To Poppy, the unstitched fabric is more than just a garment, it is about her identity, “I love the traditional Bengali drapes that I saw my grandmothers wear as that makes feel connected to my roots.”

“I also love the drape that I’ve seen women working in the paddy fields in Bangladesh wear, when I wear my saree in that style I feel productive and ready to take on the world.”

The one tip Poppy would give a newbie saree wearer is to try wearing styles without the petticoat, “It is very liberating!”

The saree she is wearing in the photos is a length of coarsely woven cotton bought back from Bangladesh by Poppy’s brother. “It’s still fully starched, so it looks big and bold. Which I love.”

“I wore it for the first time in Sydney especially for you. Little did I know you’d have me climbing trees,” she exclaims with a twinkle in her eyes.

Poppy believes that incorporating the saree in to one’s life and travel is easy, she says, “I just pack one every time I go anywhere. Dropping the petticoat has boosted my confidence and made the saree a more agile item I can sling on anytime I like, without the fuss of matching blouses and petticoats.”

Her favourite kind of sarees are soft cottons that have become wispy with age and wear. She says, “I love the way they wrap around me and make me feel completely comfortable. And I have a special place in my heart for jamdanis, the signature saree of my birth country.”

You can find her @poppyjaman on both twitter and instagram. For more such chats with other ladies with impeccable style please click here and here.