Hand-painted sarees champion the exquisite delicacy of Indian craftsmanship

While the possibilities a fabric spanning 9 yards holds are endless, the Indian fashion-scape appears to be going through quite a renaissance of rediscovery. The meticulous effort that goes into crafting certain weaves could not possibly be amplified enough and makes for an entire industry in itself. A subtle resurgence however, can be seen with regards to taking the painstakingly beautiful effort several notches ahead with the elegant craft of hand-painted drapes.
After Sara Ali Khan made the news by donning an Heirloom Mayyur Girotra lehenga crafted of vintage brocade sarees, Genelia Deshmukh finds herself in the sartorial limelight, courtesy of her one-of-a-kind choice of 9 yards. What’s so special about it you ask? Lots.
It’s hard to not endlessly stare at the curated pictures shared by Genelia, in which she proudly models arguably one of her strongest looks off late. A rustic peach, neatly bordered with a bold maroon and gold, effortlessly made to match a silver-gold and teal striped blouse — while this in itself is enough to turn heads, we haven’t yet spilled the details on the timeless effort that reflects on the body of the saree. The Aamra by Lavanya saree upholds the theme of Natyam in the craftsmanship it boasts of. Dancing figures are held together with pitta and sequin embroidery with the Tree of Life also making an appearance. Kalamkari craft is the true hero of this saree tale, an art whose origins trace back to 17th century Andhra Pradesh.
A post shared by Genelia Deshmukh (@geneliad)
While on the topic of hand-painted sarees, one can’t help but recall the aqua-hued nine-yards Alia Bhatt attended the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony, draped in. As revealed by her stylist Ami Patel, Alia’s choice of drape for the momentous occasion was a Mysore silk. The body of the saree was bare — Alia is known for her rather restrained, minimalist aesthetic — but what made all the waves for the fashion community, was the pallu. Painted in the Pattachitra style, the pallu carried several scenes from the Ramayana, ranging from the Shiva Dhanush, the golden deer, Sita’s apaharan, Ram Setu, Lord Hanuman’s Lanka visit to even the Ram Pattabhishek. The final detail you absolutely must know about this saree, is that it took a 100 hours to craft.
A post shared by Ami Patel (@stylebyami)
Deepika Padukone has some special affinity for Sabyasachi and has time and again been spotted in several of his most exquisite creations. One of these looks dates back to December 2019. Also hand-painted, as goes the theme of our piece, the whimsical multicoloured piece of art effortlessly switched up between swirling patches of cool and warm tones, sparsely lined with semi-coloured precious stones. What’s more, this saree was specifically painted by Sabyasachi himself, for the Sabyasachi Art Foundation, Spring/Summer 2020 collection.
Kareena Kapoor too, has dabbled in this very niche sector of saree heaven. Styled by Rhea Kapoor, one of Kareena’s earlier looks featured her in a powder blue organza saree, with a faint pink Bebo hand-painted across the bust, flanked by subtle floral work. The golden guldastas resembling clouds was an absolute candy-floss dunked final detail, definitely worth the mention.
A post shared by Picchika by Urvashi Sethi (@picchika)
Do you too, have a penchant for hand-painted drapes?