My favourite types of Banarasi sarees

The luxurious handwoven brocade beauties from Varanasi — Banarasi sarees with their detailed renderings of flora, fauna and geometric motifs are more than just fabrics, they are works of art that transcend generations…

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

The various types of Banarasi sarees define sublime decadence and exquisite craftsmansip.

In these photos I am wearing a vintage katan silk Banaras saree with a Meenakari border made using the kadiyal technique.

Personally I prefer handloom-ed kattan or kora silk banarasis with zari in various designs and I’ve tried to list what I know about the sarees I have.

Only brocade made in the six identified districts of UP namely Varanasi, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Bhadohi, Jaunpur and Azamgarh districts, can be legally sold as Banaras brocade.

Katan (Kattan) is a type of silk prepared by twisting a number of silk filaments to create a sturdier fabric and a firm base to then bring intricate designs to life.

Kinkhwab (kimkhab) is a heavy, gilt brocade known for extensive zari work which renders the underlying silk fabric almost invisible. The word literally translates to ‘tiny dreams’ which is interpreted to mean that Kinkhwab is ‘the fabric that dreams are made of’.

Tanchois are a very fine weave banarasi fabric that use an extra weft thread to create delicate patterns. I find them super easy to drape.

Meenakari patterns involves the painstaking addition of supplementary coloured resham threads during the hand-weaving process.

Valkalams are woven using pure satin threads in the kadhwa and phulkari techniques to create intricate patterns on the borders and pallu (headpiece) of a saree.

Kadiyals are a beguiling play in contrasts. This traditional technique involves changes in the warp and weft to weave the borders and aanchal in colours that are different from the body.

Jangla fabrics feature gridlike compositions comprising of what looks like an unending array of flowers, leaves and vines.

Bootidar silk sarees feature intricate brocade made of silk, silver and gold in a distinctive manner and may be called Ganga and Jamuna as well.

Various motifs in these kinds of sarees include bel and bootis including angoor, gojar, luttar, khulta, baluchar booti, mehrab, doller, ashraffi, latiffa, resham, jhummar, jhari, kalma, patti, lichhi, kairy, ginnie, vriksh, geenda etc with the use of real gold and silver zari and katan silk in the weft. This is also referred as the amru brocade saree.

Shikargah, primarily featuring motifs of human figures, birds, animals, flora and fauna, these designs pay homage to the royal hunts of yore.

Kadhwa (kadhua), is an elaborate and laborious technique that involves hand-weaving each motif separately to make a very sturdy embossed pattern, which stands out on the fabric.

Jamavar is an exquisite jacquard fabric from Kashmir and in Banaras, they combine the technique used to create jamavar shawls to make the uber intricately woven brocades with the same name.

I am sure there is a whole lot more to know and learn about these magnificent textiles, I would be very grateful if any of you could point me in the right direction. If you are looking for festive season silk saree inspiration, here is a list of twelve kinds of handloom silk sarees I love. If you are looking for some festive saree draping ideas you can find them here, here, here, here, here, here, here here and here.

Diwali edit: The skirt saree

Brilliant-hued bandhani with playful zari ruffles cinched at the waist, worn over a merino sweater makes for a fun but super comfy festive look, perfect for the chilly evenings during the Diwali season…

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

My love for bandhani sarees like this gajji silk beauty is immense and sometimes I buy different motifs in the same colour palette because I love the stories that artisans create on fabric. Case in point here, here, here and here.

The festive season is well and truly upon us, the air is filled with celebration and joy and our inboxes are overflowing with blingy outfits that we’re told are the must-have this year. Its the time nosy aunties and well-meaning relatives descend upon us telling us how we must dress our traditional best.

Have you been accosted by any such family members and friends? Do you not understand why Diwali has become so commercialised? All your want to do this season is be comfortable and have fun?

Well then, the following are my un-rules that I apply to my festive season dressing and I have never been happier:

1. No waiting for matchy matchy separates: I can’t be bothered to wear the matching blouse to a lehenga or saree, the right under skirt, the matching dupatta, the right underwear or any such rule. I’ll merrily mix whatever I please whether it is pastels with jewel tones or sweaters with my sarees and lehenga, anything goes.
2. No wearing uncomfortable shoes: I don’t care what the trend is, I wear shoes that are comfortable and suit my mood. Whether its pointy stilettos, stable wedges, solid block heels or fun sneakers, I pick whatever my heart and feet fancy without a thought to anything else.
3. No boob constricting tops: I refuse to wear bone crushing saree blouses, corsets or any manner of tops that constrict me in anyway. My girls like to be footloose and fancy free, if you know what I mean.
4. No safety-pins: I have no wish to be on the receiving end of a sudden pokey jab in the midst of all my merry-making, which is why I rarely ever use safety-pins and completely avoid them over the festive season. Knots, tucks and pleats suffice to keep my sarees in place, these photos are proof of that.
5. Wearing what I truly desire in ways that makes me happy: I genuinely wear what I feel like in ways that appeal to me without a thought to ‘log kya kahenge’. I believe that truly being comfortable in my own skin and styling myself in ways that appeal to me are the secret to feeling great and that is all that matters!
6. No letting anyone decide how much or how little zari or embellishment I’ll wear: There is the popular opinion that says festive fashion means opulent silks, lots of zari, a plethora or sequins, a tonne of zardosi, oodles or gotapatti etc. I ignore all dictates wear khadi or a katan banarasi and go as less or as more as my heart desires, that’s why it’s all such fun.
7. Deviating from the traditionally approved colour palettes: I wear black if I want to, I colour block if I feel like, I mix warm and cool tones when I am so inclined, I mix prints and generally refuse to limit my colour palette to some one else’s taste.
8. Celebrating in ways that make sense to me: The festive season, in all its glory, is also notoriously exhausting and can be a tall order for some of us. I pick and choose what I celebrate and how. Sometimes its the big party, at other times its relaxing on the beach or just reading a good book.
9. Not buying a new outfit unless I really feel I will wear it heaps: To me it is very important to buy versatile good quality, handcrafted, pieces made with natural fabrics that will last for ages because I don’t believe in a new wardrobe every season.
   In a world of constant personalised advertising, mass consumption, social inequities, needless consumerism and environmental challenges, while we’re distracted chasing deadlines, each of us has a responsibility to be conscious of how our purchase decisions carry an impact.
10. Being comfortable: I don’t believe in wearing things that I can’t run, dance and jump in. Comfort is key when dressing regardless of the time of the year or the occasion, as long as I am comfy, I have fun. So I have no qualms about switching the seasonal staples to match my need to wear things that feel like pyjamas.
11. Stop worrying over the do’s and don’ts: Wear a bindi with desi wear, don’t mix gold and silver, don’t let your bra strap show, don’t show too much skin, don’t be too plain or too provocative, there are just too many stupid rules that I choose to ignore. I want to unpack the beliefs and attitudes that are expressed and reinforced through the rigid rules women must follow when clothing themselves. I believe in reclaiming my power and agency. I reject any rule that reinforces disempowering and objectifying conceptions of women’s bodies and women’s sexuality.
12. Finding ways to reuse, restyle and recycle: I like making the most of what I have, adding unique pieces to my wardrobe and turning over old clothes into new ones. Its fun to use separates in ways that are innovative and give already existing apparel a new lease on life by changing its look and sometimes purpose entirely.    Like the saree in this photo here, I can literally wear it again and again by switching up the drape and combining it with already existing separates in my wardrobe to create new looks every single time.

Dressing up for the festive season should be fun and different people enjoy different things. Its okay to be different and its also okay to blend into the crowd as long as one is happy.

I have made a previous post on the twelve kinds of handcrafted sarees that are my favourites for the festive season, you can check it out here. I hope the light of independent thought sans any social conditioning shines on all of us this Diwali.