I keed. Despite my erstwhile devotion to all things Italian and denim, I do not think that there is ANYTHING which could persuade me to wear this unfortunate schmata— and that’s not because I’m conservative or unwilling to experiment for the sake of fashion.
Kanjeevaram, my beloved, politically incorrect, guilt-inducing Kanjeevaram, is heavy and inflexible enough; so how on earth does this thing WORK? Even if it is one of those new-fangled, “lazy saris” (as my Mother calls them), which is essentially a wrap-around, pre-pleated bottom with pallu attached, it’s still not easy enough.
I’d feel mummified.
Swaddled.
Slow.
Uncomfortable, and reminded of what it feels like to get x-rays, with that heavy protective blanket on top of me. Except at least when I’m getting x-rayed, I’m perfectly still. GAH. Yes, this is freaking me out, man. Must increase the drugs…
Said one fantastically-named blogher:
After color changing saree, pocket saree, it’s now turn for a Denim Silk Saree.
Sri Kumaran Stores, once a leading name in the garments business now seems desperate for market share. So out comes thinking caps (or is it cowboy hats) and innovation for the sake of it. In contrast to the appealing RMKV’s 50,000 color/ reversible saree, the concept as well as communication is a mild put off!
Incidentally, she has a pic of a very public version of this ad; a billboard which has some serendipitous placement, with regards to local greenery. Wait a second, what the– there’s a reversible sari?
My Mother is a disgrace I tell you. A disgrace. I’m always the last to know about such sartorial innovation. How someone who wears no makeup and has never thought to read a fashion magazine bore me, I have no idea. I’m terrified that whatever it is she has will skip a generation though, and that MY daughter will be a fearsome, dreaded rapscallion of a tomboy. Obviously, my Mother is praying for exactly this, as divine revenge for having to put up with me for 32 girly, glittery, glossy years. But I digress (and I must, for truly, it isn’t a post of mine, if I don’t!).
One final note: how the hell is this suitable for elders? Because they don’t move much? Give me a set sari over this isht, any day.
::
Via Maisnon, Lizzie and Yindia Uncut…thanks all. Or, um, in this case, y’all.
gave up on that cause…
And if you like to not get lost in a tiruvizha , here is another innovative solution from the same people.
malathi, I do this everytime I’m in Delhi and it’s actually super comfy. None of the worry over the nalaa on the salwar, and much warmer in winter than a traditional salwar but still “traditional” enough (and warm enough) to fly among older family.
Karthik, Thanks for that link though I don’t think I can ever persuade the better half to wear a coordinated outfit 🙂
I cry for all the husbands who are made to wear a matching shirt.
Scary image.
Oh, and to follow up, I also saw white girls wearing the opposite in Jaipur white salwar with a tank top/t-shirt, and I can guarantee you it looked MUCH tackier.
I shudder to think of what a girl would look like in a t-shirt and salwar. Jeans+Kurta may be choosing the less comfortable parts, but considerably more aesthetic!
my mom’s in madras – i should tell her to hop on over to kumaran! seriously, though, i am very distressed by this turn in the south indian silk industry. i don’t begrudge my fellow south indians their non-south indian-style sarees (see below). but i come from a family who, like kumaran, used to be one of the bigger names in sarees in madras. kanjeevarams were always the standard, and i used to love actually going to kanjeevaram (the place) to see all the different kinds of sarees they make. in the last 15 years or so (and esp. in the last 7-8 years) there has been this wave of trendy saris. i also don’t mind that too much – people want the latest styles etc. but what i think is the worst is the modernization of the kanjeevaram – sometimes with the most awful embroidery, designs, and stone work. i think it’s hard to take something as old-fashioned, traditional, and luxurious as the kanjeevaram and modernize it well – it just ends up looking tacky and to me, is a waste of silk and zaree, not to mention money and standards. i understand that there’s a need for more ‘disposable’ type sarees, to go with the frequently changing trends, as well as those sarees that cater to a lower price range. my cousin tells me that weavers have started making sarees with silk mix and fake zaree – so be it. i just wish they wouldn’t try to approximate traditional, genuine kanjeevaram styles with the fake stuff. (not that i think they are doing it with this denim thing).
break out, ANNA – i did. my family bemoans the fact that i don’t wear sarees, and when i do, these days, it’s rarely the nice kanjeevaram kind (too puffy). i highly recommend picking up indian elle (here’s vogue now, too) or checking out pics from the bombay and delhi fashion shows that are coming up – there is some really lovely stuff out there.
btw would not this saree be hot? the denim does seem somewhat thinned out, but by how much? for madras, i can think of maybe 5 days of the year when it can be worn….
‘I Dream of Jeannie’esque
Makes sense except for the facts that Chennai is never cold–it is always hot and humid; also, my sister and her friends can never be put together in the same sentence that contains the word “traditional” 🙂 (unless she is in her Bharathanatyam costume)
Nina P wrote:
If this is true…I would totally wear it! I think it would be cute… hides
Oh no my friend, it is WAY uglier. It is a visual assault.
malathi, that makes sense . I’m thinking of cold-ass Punjab, particularly Amritsar 🙂
are these white girls you see in ads & movies from modeling agencies, or are they just backpackers pulled from the street ?
louciecypher, do you mean the woman in the ad, or the women I saw? They were European backpackers.
…although I wouldn’t do the blue border..something in red/orange would be a better contrast.
PREACH IT.
I’m going to have to hide with Shalu for what I’m about to type, but…I don’t like crystals in my kanjeevaram.
ducks
I mean the girls you see in Indian ads like this and dancing in the background in desi movies
malathi, i wear kurtas (or kurtis) with cotton/cargo pants in madras – i still get to wear western-style trousers (of a thinner weight, so they’re pretty cool) and the kurta is quite comfortable. plus, it’s more flattering than a s-k, in my opinion.
I might as well be anti-fashion, when it comes to Kanjeevaram. Make mine a “modest”, please. No wonder I ho it up when it comes to vestern gear. 😉
Something just occurred to me. The reason why denim seems to be so popular in India – is it because Indians actually want to play cowboys?
Here you go Ardy!
it’s true – and explains the success sholay has enjoyed as india’s ‘best’ movie.
Pingpong – denims are more popular in the urban relatively younger crowd (think teens to mid 30s). It’s popular for the same reasons as it is everywhere else among the younger crowd.
Camille, did they look like this?
yes, i too like my k-vs unadulterated, though i do like crystals (those teeny-tiny ones) on traditional silk sarees i have seen, like ikat. they work best on thread-embroidery sarees (i.e. no zari) – otherwise it bling vs. bling (and nobody wins).
i’m more against it than the rest of my family, who seem to have impeccable taste when it comes t the real thing, and absolutely none when the issue of fusion pops up – i’m sure i will cringe at least once when i see the new additions to my mom’s wardrobe – my cousins always send back the ‘latest’ in fashion.
he he. i enjoy less modest non-kv types of indian dress.
hmmm. I think saying Sholay succeeded only because Injuns wanted to play cowboy is too much of an oversimplification. Can’t say much about the southern states, but for the Hindi speaking populace it is still one of the best all round masala movie in Indian cinema. Great performances, tight script, great action, wonderful character development, decent songs, great cinematography (for it’s time), great editing, plus a great balance of various cinematic elements – action, drama, revenge, comedy, romance, etc etc. It had it’s weaknesses but if ever there was a Hindi movie with THE mass appeal, it was Sholay.
ardy, dude, i was just kidding – must remember to include ‘;)’ at the end of all sarcastic statements! even though i haven’t even seen sholay, i know all about the legends of jai, veeru, and gabbar singh…
They are from my sister’s pack 🙂
Seriously, there are several home-grown models in Chennai (not necessarily Tamil but from all ethnicities living in Chennai), but once they have a few successful assignments on hand they want to head to Mumbai. According to my sister, one needs only Rs. 10,000 and an attitude (plus the requisite looks, height and weight, I suppose) for a portfolio touched with the marvels of Adobe Photoshop to enter any agency.
If you hadn’t pointed out, I would have just thought this was a younger, taller, current generation Rathi of yesteryear. But now that you brought it up, I think I see some white blood–although that means, I will add that she carries her sari well.
Now I’ve got Gang Starr stuck in my head, thanks to Ardy. 🙂
Doh – sorry!! I guess your aroused some pathos about one of my few fav masala movies. Would urge you to check it out, cant be too boring even if you don’t enjoy it as much. And I should correct
to – masala movie in Hindi cinema.
Would be presumptuous to say it’s better than regional masala cinema which I have not experienced as much – Masala cinema is too sensibility specific anyways.
I thought it was just some white chick in a sari…
Bess, they looked tacky, but not that tacky. It’s hard to capture the image. Imagine huge Nicole Ritchie sunglasses (and ponytail), oversized white cotton salwar tied sloppily at the waist, and a ratty looking spaghetti-strap tank top and a hole-y, thin, pale pink t-shirt.
You guys are worried about bodily functions in this saree? Think about it, people! Have you ever seen Clint Eastwood engage in any such business, even when eating a diet rich in canned beans?
What I wonder about is where her six-shooters, spurs and knee high boots (a natural evolution of the sari with sneakers look that overruns this country during the summers) are? And how does she function in the saddle?
Maybe instead of snuffing someone at a DC meetup (jay) we should make them wear one of these ugly sarees.
I think if I saw an ‘elder’ wearing this I would lose all respect for them.
Is Kumaran really suffering that much for business?
Puliogre is a dude???
That has become very common in India, and as Camille says, it works with the older people (one can be traditional and at the same time, its less fuss). Also in colleges, where wearing western clothes is frowned upon (yes, I have heard of “rules” that forbid the freshmen from wearing anything “western”, even in cities like Chennai) thats a good option.
Camille, salwars with tank tops…ewww
note to self….spend more time on SM yammering on about pretty grls. (apparently i havent gotten the point across)
I think that what we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.
Wouldn’t a lesbian do the same? 😉 🙂
its probably god that i didnt go to college in india. they would have loathed me…
yeah…but im far too clueless to be a woman…..dont you know? men are dumb. women are evil…
Puli DUDE!! Men are innocent, women are evil…
Puli, it’s probably because I haven’t spent enough time here on SM (newbie).
Karthik@52. Thanks for the link to the jodi pattu. now i know what to get all of my relatives on their 20 and 25 wedding anniversaries. 🙂
sweet…velcome.
So, PindaUSA, how did Friday work out? To buy or not to buy a girl a drink? Straightened-hair detritus or curly hair? Flotsam or jetsam?
ahh….I am SO desi. just as I was about to head out, guess who shows up at my apartment? pulli-amma…
Camille, ouch. My brain hurts just imagining that.
Well, for the sake of silver linings – better she arrive before you left rather than after you returned home with the i-banker chaser.