Going the 9 yards

Give your old heirloom sarees a fresh lease by adorning them as drapes and accessories, suggests Akshay Jain

Curating a perfect wedding trousseau could be tiring? After all, it is not easy to decide on what kind of fabric or saree would go with what occasion? Also, one wouldn’t want to waste the money spent on an expensive collection either. With every wedding trousseau comes a huge responsibility and a duty to pack as much as possible so as to make use of every piece religiously.

No matter what generation or century it is, there are some evergreen handloom items that would never go out of fashion and kanjeevaram is one of them. And, if you thought they are too sacrosanct to be re-purposed, think again. You just haven’t seen the modern ways to restyle old kanjeevarams.

Kanjeevaram sarees are unique, beautiful and come in some vibrant colours with a variety of borders. The contrasting colours of the borders are usually found in the form of checkered, floral or temple prints.

Many kanjeevaram sarees also have prints displaying scenes from the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

These are also known as Kancheepuram sarees and are a must-have of every Indian bride’s wedding trousseau. So, if you have one, here are ways to restyle them as per the occasion:

Pair with a modern blouse

Golden weaving is a common design for saree blouses, including kanjeevaram saree. On the off chance that you will pick one of these kanjeevaram saree blouse structures, pick a shade that matches with golden weaves. Hues, for example, dark red or a dim blue shade, will look completely bewitching when matched with golden work. You could likewise pick mirror work on blouse design. Mirror work with kanjeevaram sarees looks stylish. Kundan work is likewise a rage in Indian wedding clothing types for the brides. Be it a bridal lehenga or a kanjeevaram saree blouse, add a little kundan work to your bridal look and let the enchantment work .

Kanjeevaram dupatta anyone?

You can utilise a silk saree as a dupatta or stole. You can redesign the 9-yard-long saree into a dupatta to pair it with a kurti and a legging of your choice.

Restyle it as a lehenga saree

A strategy that has been observed from the days of yore, converting a saree into a half saree has consistently been the standard. This is additionally a unique method to keep the saree’s appeal and magnificence flawless while changing the way it looks overall. The dupatta can likewise be made of the saree if there’s left over fabric in the wake of utilising it as a dupatta for the lehenga.

Skirts are the new black

Making skirts is maybe the simplest method to restore old sarees while yet holding all their appeal and excellence. Long flowy skirts are the best approach however, you can likewise feel free to check out short skirt designs as well. Some flawlessly ethnic skirts can be made of silks while normal sarees can be utilised to make some short or long skirts.

Draped in style

Here are a few tips from top planners:

Pleat the pallu and pin it. At that point bring the tip of the pallu that hangs at the back to the front and fold it close to the stomach. Try wearing a gold belt around the saree.

If your border is beautiful, you can attempt the Mumtaz style of drape. Make sure the pallu is flowing well so that the design is visible.

There is an additional two-fold saree draping style where you flawlessly wrap two sarees together! Take a golden and an off-whitish kanjeevaram together and wrap them with one another and the final product is that you have one pallu over the left shoulder somewhat better, and another pallu descending on the other side. This is unquestionably a way that will make you stand out.

Accessorise well

For tote bags, potlis or wallets, you can undoubtedly get your kanjeevaram saree converted into your preferred sort of bag. Silk clutches look dazzling when combined with ethnic outfits in gatherings and social occasions. What better approach to utilise your beautiful old kanjeevaram saree, than to
design your home? Make window curtains, bed covers, bed linen, table spreads and some other home décor material you could consider out of your sarees as that sure is a good thought. All of this and much more could be done with old Kanjeevarams that are old yet a precious heirloom for
every wedding trousseau.

(The author is managing partner, Greenways)