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.

The markers of a true blue handloom jamdani from Bengal

A set of jamdani sarees framed by a quintessential Sydney harbour sunset…

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

In these photos Koel (in the cream saree) is wearing a West Bengal Jamdani with a blouse made out of a noil silk stole and I am wearing a Dhakai jamdani with a block print top.

We both prefer the West Bengal taant jamdani because we don’t like the loose/coarser weave of the fabric from Bangladesh and find their motifs less delicate.

Both of us are also very picky about the design elements we like on our jamdanis, preferring the more intricate traditional patterns to more new age innovations.

The highly skilled master weavers of the Basak community moved from Tangail in Bangladesh to West Bengal during the 1947 partition of India as well as the 1971 war for Bangladesh’s freedom from Pakistan. They predominantly settled in and around Kalna in Purba Bardhaman district and Santipur in Nadia district, well-known for traditional handloom fabrics. Weavers from this community now produce some of the most intricate jamdani textiles.

The jamdani textiles incorporate an extra weft insertion technique which means that with this procedure, artistic motifs are produced by a non-structural weft, in addition to the standard weft that holds the warp threads together. The standard weft creates a fine, sheer fabric while the supplementary weft with thicker threads adds the intricate patterns to it.

Each of the supplementary weft motifs are added manually by interlacing yarn with fine bamboo sticks using individual spools.

A handloom textile is exactly what the word suggests: a hand (or foot)-operated loom is used to weave textiles without the use of electricity – on either pit or frame looms. It is the oldest textile production technique which goes back more than 2,000 years in India.

If you are keen to know more about this weave please check out my previous posts featuring vintage jamdani sarees here, here and here. In this post below, I have tried to list a few ways to ensure you are buying the real deal and can tell the difference between an actual handloom jamdani and the many inferior powerloom versions floating in the marketplace:

1. Carefully check the back of the fabric: If you want to recognise a true blue jamdani always check the back of the fabric for parallel looping lines from the supplementary weft threads of the motifs. The weaver cuts the extra weft yarn to the length that they will need and then the same thread curls pulled back and forth. After each pull, the loom is pedalled, adding an extra weft and tightening the design.

In a fake jamdanis, the edges of the motif are cut with a scissors and don’t interlace with each other. So if you see threads hanging loose/sticking out at the back, it means that the saree is an imitation and not the real deal, which also means it is not hand woven . It is not handloom.

2. Pay attention to the finishing of the motifs: Look very closely at the extra weft designs, they should have sharply defined edges, the front and the back should be almost identical.

Also with authentic handloom jamdanis, the top part that is meant to be tucked-in, is plain and does not have the border motifs.

And the motifs are equally smooth both at the front and the back, roughness at the back and edges are common in the imitations.

3. Examine the fabric and yarn closely: A true blue jamdani is made only with cotton yarn, so be very wary of phrases like resham, soft silk, silk cotton etcetera. Insist on a burn test if necessary. I have come across vintage mulberry silk jamdani sarees from over three decades ago, they are not commonly found anymore unless someone specifically creates a collection.

If your heart hankers for a silk jamdani, I’d recommend getting a mulberry silk Moirang Phee from Manipur, the weavers there are mostly female and use the supplementary weft technique as well.

4. Buy in person not online: Unless you are an expert or really familiar with the seller and trust them implicitly, do not buy these kinds of sarees online until you are confident. I have recently been badly burnt by an unscrupulous online reseller who has sold me a damaged piece that she now refuses to refund.

5. Touch and feel the textile: True blue handlooms have texture, the extra weft designs create a characteristic uneven-ness.

6. The best marker is the price: If you’re getting a jamdani saree with intricate motifs all over for very little money it is highly like to be a fake! These textiles are labour intensive to weave and in this case the price truly will reflect the quality.

7. Buy from state emporiums and/or reliable stores that stock jamdanis with a handloom mark: I have found many stunning jamdanis at Biswa Bangla and a few many moons ago at Tantuja. You can always insist on buying handloom certified textiles at both these and many other retailers.

There is enough academic research being published about handloom textiles, there are tonnes of books available with photos from up close that there is no excuse for any seller to get away with spreading misinformation and selling dodgy products.