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.

Clean and maintain sarees at home

I don’t live in India with easy access to dry cleaners who are experienced at dealing with handcrafted textiles so I wash, spot-clean and maintain my sarees at home …

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

The saree I am wearing in these photos is a soft cotton handloom from West Bengal that I’ve worn with a pink barely there crop-top in a drape that I concocted for a quick chill session at the beach during a difficult time.

I admired this saree on a lady online and she promptly send it with love my way. Now, I wear it on days when I need reminding that there are good people in this world.

I won’t give very many details about her here because I really want to do a separate blog post on her saree journey.

I get asked very very often what I do to launder the sarees that I wear and instead of responding to every query, I thought I’d just make a post that I can then share with those that ask.

Since I can’t pop over the the neighbourhood dhobi I have devised ways to get creative in the laundry department. I would like you to bear in mind that I am not an expert at fabric maintenance and the things that I am sharing here are just based on my personal experience.

Here are some of my tried and tested methods to take care of my delicate hand crafted clothing without causing any damage:

1. I clean my fabrics gently and avoid rubbing, wringing or harsh scrubbing.
2. I have learnt that temperature matters. I don’t use hot or cold water only lukewarm to room temperature water.
3. I completely skip harsh chemicals, no diluted bleach and only use natural solutions like lemon juice, white vinegar or baking soda.
4. I let my fabrics soak rather than washing briskly. Sometimes I also soak delicate textiles in very expensive hair conditioners to avoid detergents of any kind but that’s just me.
5. I do not leave delicate textiles in direct sunlight and never put them in the tumble drier, I pat dry my handwoven textiles flat on a towel indoors in a breezy corner.
6. I clean out the space I am going to use before I start on the fabric, whether I am using a sink or tub or bucket. If I have used a harsh cleaning agent on the surface I will use, I rinse it out multiple times.
7. I test water against thread work or embroidery by dabbing a piece of wet cloth against any details to ensure no colour wipes away.
8. For odours, I use a mix of cheap vodka and water in a spray bottle and spritz away.
9. I never starch my cottons and spend my life washing them out to rid my fabrics of any semblance of stiffness.
10. I use baby shampoo, herbal soap flakes, gentle wool washing detergent or non-abrasive, phosphate free soap.
11. I add dried lavender sachets liberally to my cupboards because it is a natural insect repellent and keeps my textiles smelling great. Naphthalene balls are something I never use because I like having fur babies around and I think they aren’t the best for silks anyway.
12. I never let a stain sit. Quick action can make the difference between a short, effective hand-wash later and a permanent stain.

    I wet stains with plain water immediately. Organic stains made from animal proteins (blood, fat, etc.) can ‘cook’ to permanence if one uses hot water, so I keep it lukewarm or cold for those. Inorganic stains like dirt and synthetic oils can be treated with warm or hot water.

    I dab the water onto the stained cloth from behind the stain, and set it face down on a paper towel or other neutral, absorbent cloth — that way the staining substance is leeching naturally off the surface

13. If I have absolutely have to dry clean expensive textiles with zari then I get in touch with dry-cleaners who work with vintage textiles and are recommended by antique textile dealers.
14. I never store anything in places where high hu-
    midity and poor air circulation are found. Humidity over 55 per-
    cent promotes the growth of mildew. Stains formed from mildew may become
    permanent; the mildew itself causes fiber damage.
15. When dealing with already existing mildew on vintage fabric, shaded outdoor airing for two to three hours on a warm day can kill mildew fungi. Then I remove it by careful hand vacuuming followed by wet-cleaning.

I am sure there are many more tips, tricks and methods out there that are kind to the environment while helping us preserve textiles, please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.