Tuesday 28 July 2020

Hand Block Printed Sarees of India: Elegance Redefined

Block Printed Cotton Sarees have been an integral part of the Indian attire since time immemorial. There have been a variety of iterations, but the elegance of the traditional Indian saree has stood the test of time. Known for its effortless yet undeniable charm, a Block-Printed Saree is a regular feature in an Indian woman’s wardrobe. 

One reason for being an all-time favourite for most Indian women is the Block Printed Sarees offer comfort and elegance that cannot be replaced by any other clothing style.

Mainly due to its versatile feature and occasion neutral element, block-printed sarees act as a perfect staple statement for styling at formal settings or when you’re lounging and relaxing or even at home, it’s a unique style which is evergreen, classic and timeless. In terms of fabrics, a wide range of fabrics are used to make sarees. Ranging from cotton and silk to regional specialties, sarees are handcrafted in most kinds of fabrics. 

Currently, the trend slides towards the traditional methods of hand block-printed sarees with gorgeous motifs on comfortable fabrics like cotton and linen. The strikingly stylish hand block printed sarees generally come in a plethora of prints, designs and colours which can be styled in multiple ways. The durability and versatility of Block Printed Sarees remain inimitable and incomparable mostly because of the value in terms of pricing and originality. The one-size fits all element of the Saree makes it a perfect choice universally with a guarantee on the quality from reputed homegrown labels. Block Printed Cotton Sarees is considered as the exhibition of artisanal handicrafts and supports ethical practices. If you’re looking for an ideal block-printed saree for yourself, you can buy block-printed sarees from here and pick from a delightful and wide range of styles.

Tuesday 24 March 2020

Timeless Wardrobe Classics: Culottes for Women

Culottes are another form of women’s bottom wear that has seen revival from the glorious past, similar to palazzos. These once-revolutionary outfits have brought back nostalgia and elegance, along with their unique appeal that somehow disappeared in the course of history. Now, women’s culottes are again in the fashion limelight despite polarizing opinions from various fashion experts. Some have hailed culottes for their incredibly bold and smart appeal, whereas others have tagged these outfits as “outdated.”
If we go by the French word “culot,” it is a pair of pants, panties, trousers, shorts, knickers, or breeches. The term itself denotes the lower half of something, which is the lower garment in this case.
The modern version of women’s culottes pants are comfortable, versatile, and ideal summer staple to take on the scorching heat.

Block printed culottes
History   
Culottes have had a long and rebellious history, which went through many changes over the years. While these days, the term culottes refer to women’s bottom wear, but historically they were men’s pants.
During the Renaissance period, men from the upper class used to wear breeches, which were referred to as “culottes,” which was a translation from English into French. That early versions of these outfits were completely different from the ones that women wear in the modern era. Back then, culottes were often cut from fine silk and fitted a little below the knee using a fastener, similar to a button or buckle.
During the French revolution in the late 1700s, wealthy men frequently donned these outfits, which symbolized their higher social standing. The outfits seemed so divisive during that era that revolutionaries were categorized as “sans-culottes” or “without culottes,” considering their opposition to aristocratic ideas. Instead of culottes, revolutionaries wore trousers, which created a stark visual disparity between social classes and their values.
The prominence of culottes did not end with the French Revolution. In fact, more events unfolded and intensified around culottes as they went through the transition from a symbol of male chauvinism and wealth into carefree and feminist outfits for women. This updated version looked like a skirt split into pants, which resembles the culottes that we see today.
Later, during the Victorian era, women became more active compared to previous generations, where they began participating in activities such as tennis, bicycling, and horseback riding. For these activities, culottes turned out to be women’s go-to attire as they were comfortable and easy to carry around.
In the early 1980s, culottes became more popular because of Lady Diana Spencer. The outfits looked similar to the knickers in the US, except that the latter are relatively loose in fit. 

How Culottes Have Fared in India
Despite various opinions on culottes being “outdated” or “unattractive,” women in India have embraced these outfits due to their comfort and carefree style.
Fortunately, today’s societies and the fashion world are more liberal and inclusive than before. These days, there are no fashion directives to wear or not to wear outfits based on personal discretion. Even after many decades, culottes still personify boldness in modern women, who unequivocally claim equality. As a result, culottes are visible in parties and social gatherings, pairing up with all kinds of tops, including strap sleeves, plunging necklines, and tight-fitting jackets. It seems that the status of quo of culottes has changed for better.
Before We Go
The most noticeable aspect of culottes is that these clothes are equally vintage and modern at the same time. The loose-fitting and bold appeal of these outfits carries a certain mystique, which often makes women indecisive about wearing them. Despite all this, the popularity of culottes is soaring than ever before, and have made their way to women’s wardrobe. Particularly, for the Indian summers, culottes are ideal attire to wear for their breathability. In addition, many women love to don these outfits to carry the legacy of such a high vintage fashion.
If you are looking for some unique and comfortable bottom wear, designer culottes, especially block printed culottes can give you plenty of options. Check out the rich collections of culottes pants online in breathtaking designs, patterns, and colours without having to step out from the comfort of your home.

Tuesday 3 March 2020

Designers Kurtis for Women: Simple yet Spectacular

Women’s wardrobe reflects their personality, individuality, and versatility. Especially, intricately designed and colourful Indian ethnic kurtis can showcase the spectacular range of these indigenous outfits that are rooted in the soil of this country. Available in various styles, patterns, and prints, there is something unique about ethnic kurtis that women of all age groups love.  

Designer kurtis for women are ideal for special occasions such as festivals, social gatherings, and celebrations, where these outfits stand out with their colourful presence. Usually, kurtis come in cotton fabric, which is ideal for the humid summer seasons in India for their breathability and lightweight to carry around. In addition, women can easily pair up kurtis with various accessories to enhance their style that is easy on the eyes.

A Little More Insight into Classy Kurtis
Fashions always change with times, and the same applies to kurtis. Over the years, these ethnic Indian outfits have become more creative and customized for the modern era. Women can wear kurtis with churidar or salwar and dupatta. Basically, there are two types of kurtis: the knee-length kurtis or long top, and long kurtis.

Similar to any Indian ethnic wear, kurtis are classy, stylish, and artisans pay a lot of attention to every minor detail. Historically, the term kurti is believed to have originated from waistcoats, jackets, and blouses, which stay above the waist and do not have side slits. These outfits have been the modified versions of the tunic that people wore during the Shunga period in the 2nd century B.C. Kurtis are different from the cholis as the latter expose the midriff.

Over the years, kurtis have been common outfits in the northern part of India. Later, it spread across other parts of the nation and available in more refined and modern versions. This Indian ethnic wear has now become globally popular, and even many Hollywood celebrities were spotted donning them at various red-carpet events. This classic Indian outfit has created its niche in the global fashion arena and is gaining momentum at a fast pace. These days, many women love to wear block print kurtis or hand block printed kurtis and accessorize them with minimal jewelry and a purse bag to feel light and confident. 


Attention to Detail While Making
Just like any Indian ethnic wear, the process of making kurtis is meticulous. Professional artisans in rural India stitch the outfits through a rigorous process and carry out strict quality checks. Usually, kurtis come with plenty of embroidery, designs, patterns, and mirror work. The finished products are the results of many painstaking hours of work and years of accumulated skills. The skills of rural artisans have been passed on through generations, and that is evident in every outfit.

Ethnic dresses like kurtis are a reminder of India’s rich cultural history and can elevate women’s appearance to an all-new level. Also, these outfits personify elegance and subtle style that make them stand out from the crowd. Generally, kurtis come in comfortable cotton fabric with various colours and shades. The outfits are suitable for every body type and can enhance women’s features and display their sense of style. 

Traditional Outfits Are a Way of Life
Modern fashion designers are making kurtis with various creative blends of Indian and Western styles, keeping in mind women’s persona and fashion. In this process, designers are also going back to the grass-root and culturally rich traditions that are prevalent for ages. Considering the artistic legacy associated with kurtis, an increasing number of women are making them part of their wardrobe. If you wish to enhance your look and own a piece Indian’s cultural heritage, explore the collections of designer kurtis online here.

Tuesday 25 February 2020

Pants for Women: A Contemporary Touch to Indian Wear

Do you have a plain solid-colour kurti or a pale-coloured top? Need something to wear to yoga or dance classes? Are you looking for an appropriate bottom-wear to hit the gym? These days, pants for women are more of a style statement that just wardrobe wardrobe-essentials.

Pants are one of the most comfortable and convenient outfits available for women in today’s world. This fashion era has brought in a wide variety of pants for women with new designs, fabrics, cuts, and patterns to make them even more comfortable and stylish.

Modern-day designers and stylists pair up pants with traditional kurtas, kurtis, formal shirts, straight-cut kurtas, and even crop tops.

India boasts of beautiful ethnic outfits ranging from fabulous kurtis for women, both traditional and modern to salwar suits. When you hear the term ‘salwar suit’, you picture typical traditional Indian wear, which women have been wearing for ages. Now is the time to change this mindset. Kurtas are now paired with palazzos, a pair of straight pants, shararas and more.

Popular Styles of Women’s Pants Sure to Steal the Show

Dress Pants
Dress pants are the most commonly owned pants that you wear to work probably every day. They have a zipper or buttons in front.

Slack
Slacks are stretchy trousers, which is not a part of a suit.

Straight Pants
Straight pants, as the name suggests, are straight along the length. You can wear them on formal or semi-formal occasions.

Culottes
Culottes are knee-length or slightly longer. Culottes itself has several styles like Capri/Pedal pusher which are ¾ length pants.

Harem Pants
Harem pants are trousers that have gathers either at the waist or at ankles. Elastic or waistbands hold these gathers tightly. Hippie pants, wrap pants or samurai pants are some examples.

Baggy Pants
Baggy pants have more width towards the legs and are fitted at the waist.

Bell Bottoms
These pants are flared from the knees and are fitted at the waist, hips, and thighs.

Leggings
These are finely fitted pants made of stretch material. Jeggings (leggings that look like jeans) and treggings (leggings that look like trousers) are some innovations of this style.

Stirrup Pants

Similar to leggings, these pants have a connecting strap that holds the pants in place.

Eastern Pants

These are elastic pants with flared legs. Dhoti pants, salwar pants, Patiala pants, churidar pants are some examples of eastern pants.

Other styles of women’s pants include:
  • Fatigue trousers;
  • Cigarette pants;
  • Peg leg pants;
  • Toreador pants;
  • Jodhpur pants;
  • Dungarees.
Before We Leave
Pants are suitable for all fashion styles, from casual to party wear. A wrong choice of pants, however, can result in a fashion disaster. While surfing through women’s pants online, you will be amazed to find that the days when pants were only formal wear are long gone and their existence has a new meaning in today’s fashion world. Outfits like block print pants available these days are definitely going to appeal to your senses. Go on, upgrade your wardrobe to make a unique style statement.

Monday 10 February 2020

Indian Handmade Cotton Clothing: Timeless Creations

India is a nation of diverse cultures, vibrant people, and vivid colours. In the course of time, a culmination of these elements has manifested into a vast range of regional handcrafted ethnic wear. In essence, the beauty of handcrafted Indian outfits lies in the fact that they are creations of rural artisans from various states. These talented artisans have the traditional skills of creating mesmerizing designs that are unique to their culture.

All the age-old Indian apparels seem like a depiction of handcrafted portraits on various fabrics, wit every inch of them showcasing our rich culture, tradition, and history. Especially, handmade women’s clothing in India has broken geographical barriers to become popular outfits all across the world. Despite the wave of western wear that has swept across the nation, the artistry and legacy of Indian handmade apparel have held its ground with pride. 

handmade women's clothing
In this post, we will delve into handmade Indian cotton apparel that has sparked the imagination of style and comfort for ages.

Diverse and Comfortable Cotton Clothing for Women
Handcrafted garments made with cotton fabric have been a true symbol of Indian ethnic wear for hundreds of years. Here is an overview of this fascinating journey:

The Process of Creating Handcrafted Cotton Apparel
Weaving is a rigorous and laborious process, which begins with converting cotton fibre into yarn of different thicknesses and counts to suit the clothing requirements. After looping or coiling the yarn into hanks, the craftsmen dye them to the intended shade.

During the process, mostly using plant-based organic dyes are common. After washing off the excess dye, the artisans continue with their process.

Weaving on the handloom requires a few steps: First, the preparation of bobbins takes place according to the number of yarns in the weft, which is known as “winding.”

Subsequently, the artisans begin the warping process, where the workers count each yarn of the warp frame manually. Then they start other tedious processes called drafting and denting.

Post-drafting and denting, artisans carry out pattern cutting and hand finishing work. The finalized patterns are converted into a paper with all the accurate dimensions and specifications. Thereafter, a first piece is created as a sample. Once the sample passes through the fitting process, the styles are created in the desired quantities.

Lastly, the clothes go through the ironing and packing process. The hand embroidery detailing in the cotton garments is delicate and elegant, and they are ideal for pairing up with pants or palazzos.

The Creativity and Legacy Will Go On

Handcrafted women's clothing gives glimpses of the timeless art and process of the Indian handloom industry. These outfits redefine fashion through relaxed and comfortable dressing for any occasion. If you are interested in possessing traditional and aesthetic Indian outfits, here are a few unforgettable styles to consider.