Why I wear sarees the way I do – Part deux

A quintessential double ikat from Telangana with its distinctive red border and geometric motifs worn with a comfy-fit blouse made with Manipuri handloom fabric with the temple border typical to the state …

 

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

These pictures pretty much sum up what we get up to most weekends, wearing relaxed handcrafted clothing, getting away from the city, walking in the forest and drinking chilled beers. So instead of writing about anything in the photos, I will regale you with idiotic queries and statements that come my way when I post photos of myself in sarees online.

Over a year and a half ago I made this post with some unfiltered responses to asinine questions/ comments I get, but of course in the ensuing months there were more such gems that came my way…

Now I don’t believe in making lemonade, I believe that chancing upon lemons means that the universe is asking me to line up the tequila shots and have some fun.

So, here are a few wonderful questions/ comments that made me stop and stare stupefied at my screen and/or laugh at the idiocy of the person asking/making them. If you don’t like opinionated women who use strong/ coarse language, this is the time to look away.

1. Can you show me how to look slim in sarees?

No I can’t, maybe you could just wear sarees (and/or whatever else you feel like) and feel wonderful about yourself?

   2. You seem to trek a lot, what make up should I wear on one?

As someone who barely wears makeup ever, trek or no trek, I am not the one you should address your question to. How about you do what ever the hell you want?

    3. Why don’t you do giveaways like other instagram influencers, you have so many sarees?

Because I don’t want to bother. Why don’t you buy the sarees you want instead of asking random strangers online to conduct giveaways?

4. Why don’t you wear more accessories/ make up/ saree blouses?

I wear what I want, how I want to. Why don’t you get a life so you can focus on something other than another woman’s styling choices? Or better still, why don’t you shove your head in a toilet, close the lid shut and flush your brain clean?

    5. What is the need to wear sarees without petticoats?

Umm, because I felt like it and I don’t like petticoats. Also, who took a shit on your breakfast to make you this grumpy about my underclothing choices?

6. Did you know you look like servants when you wear your saree short like that?

Do you know you just display your immense stupidity and tremendous levels of prejudice with comments like this, you entitled piece of crap?

Also, I think most women whose daily work involves physical labour are way fitter and more fabulous than you’ll ever be, I’d be honoured to look anything like them!

    7. What is the need for such complicated drapes?

For you, clearly there is no need since you don’t have the capacity to comprehend or to create.

    8. Why don’t you bleach your skin to make it look more uniform?

Why don’t you take a dip in a tub full of toilet cleaner, maybe that will help clear your mind fog and help you understand some of us love ourselves just the way we are?

    9. Do you even comb your hair?

No, I don’t. Do you derive any particular joy from asking inane questions or is it just a tic you can’t control?

 10. How do I deal with friends who make fun of me for wearing sarees/ wearing sarees differently?

I’d get rid of them!

   11. Get real! No one can wear sarees like you wear and avoid being jeered at. In India, where women get molested and raped even while fully clothed it is not logically feasible.

You get real! I am clearly wearing sarees the way I want to, travelling the world and having fun. You on the other hand seem to be burning with some sort of pent up rage that I want nothing to do with.

When a person is raped or molested, it is because the perpetrator chose to inflict the horror on them and there is no other point to be made about such heinous crimes.

   12. Wearing bralettes and swimsuits with saree is not really going with our urban lifestyle.

Wearing whatever I want goes with my lifestyle, you on the other hand seem to have nothing better to do than to make disparaging comments about random strangers whose life you know nothing about. Here’s a suggestion, don’t look at and/or obsess about my photos.

  13. Personally saree means elegance and I don’t see that in your pictures.

Personally, I believe one should keep their opinions to themselves unless they’ve specifically been asked for them, so keep your fingers off the keyboard and go do something constructive with your time. Also, I am not here to pander to anyone’s gaze, if you don’t like what I am wearing, look away.

If you have also been subject to such moronic nonsense, please share snippets of them in the comments so we can all have a big laugh?

 

 

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.

 

Saree with a sweatshirt

A Jagatsinghpur saree worn with a sweatshirt to walk through a forest of ferns that led to an amazing isolated beach …

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

This particular type of saree is named after the tiny village in Odisha where they are woven. These single count cotton beauties are extremely budget friendly and easy to wear for extended periods of time.

Weaving in Jagatsingpur was introduced by crafts people from the neighbouring Bengal and therefore these sarees are a beautiful union of textile weaving techniques from both states.

I wore this saree in a drape with a criss-cross front and pleated back with an oft used comfy sweatshirt for a day out walking in the jungle by the coast and ended the afternoon with beers by the water.

I find being outdoors, away from people and in the midst of nature incredibly relaxing. It is my firm belief that getting away from city life even for a day is rejuvenating and I live for the moments spent soaking in the wonders of Mother Earth.

Its not like I always wear sarees for these mini getaways but when I do drape my six yards on adventures we try and snap a few photos.

We don’t plan shoots, pretty much all the photos on this and my other blog as well as both my instagram handles are candid shots of me going about my monkeying activities without a smidgen of makeup or conscious styling.

The images that you see are a result of a half decent camera, a partner in fun with a great eye and my inherent need to play with fabric. With work deadlines, my side hustles, family responsibilities and other activities, I have no time to plan professional shoots.

That’s also why I don’t have time to take pictures of myself cooking and lounging around at home or share saree of the day pictures. I want to share photos where handcrafted fabrics are worn to do things like hiking and mountain biking rather than house-hold chores because that is already being done by millions of women all over the world.

I am nocturnal and in the mornings getting to work on time is a priority over putting on a full face of makeup or taking photos of what I am wearing. I’ve been wearing sarees to work for ages, long before it became a hashtag and I’ve never seen the need to make a big deal about it.

I admire those who have the energy in the morning to layer on the foundation, contouring et all and take outfit photos. Although I do love those who share their work sarees online and one day I might be organised enough to take some pictures of my business outfits incorporating my six and nine yards. But until then I am going to share photos of my monkeying.

I have a certain aesthetic I prefer to look at and that’s the one I choose to share. My posts are more than just about sarees and creative drapes. I don’t share content that I think will attract engagement or followers. I don’t follow other saree aficiondoes unless they are doing something out of the box with the un-stitched fabric.

I am not looking for validation from people I don’t know. Both my blogs along with their social media presence are visual diaries primarily for myself and then for those who choose to derive something positive from them.

A lot of people assume I am on a permanent vacation based on the visuals I share online but I am actually hustling as hard as the next person. I just choose to spend my free time in stunning natural locales because I need that to recharge my batteries. It was a conscious preference live in a coastal city with slightly tropical weather that fulfills my need to be in close proximity to nature.

My requirement for the outdoors and jungles is so great that my home is full of plants, shells, driftwood and crystals. I prefer foliage to humans and my balconies are little tropical oases because I have devoted hours planting, caring and enjoying their existence.

It is not about luck, I have worked my butt off to give myself the life that I have and the life that I am building for myself. I acknowledge that I come from privilege but I also slog damn hard to realise my dreams.