Saree Dreams

Madhuri Dixit is a star who has managed to rediscover and reinvent herself for many years.

Here, Madhuri looks hot in a flaming Orange sari, with shiny brocade halter neck blouse. The simple unadorned sari forms a dramatic backdrop for the huge earrings with white beads.

a little bit retro look.

I have been advocating a robust blouse jewelry line for longer than I can remember and I am glad to see that there are some items in the wild that actually qualify as the blouse jewelry.

Here is a classic one. As more and more blouse designs have less and less of fabric in the back, it is a perfect time to add a touch of fine jewelry to it.

Hat tip to Fashionista at Desi Fashion police for pointing this out.

Yes, there is a saree patent and thankfully it has expired by now, so you don’t need to worry about it.

It goes beyond the current crop of automatic sarees, which are essentially skirts. This one is more like a dress that you slip on and it includes the blouse as a part of the readymade garment.

There is another, even older patent that was filed in 1968

This one is closer to what we have now; essentially converting a saree in to a skirt that is secured with fasters.

I wonder if there are more saree patents in India? I will check.

The practice of Bharata Natyam dates back to 2000 years ago and is one of the most technically advanced dance forms of India needing extraordinary amounts of discipline to perfect. Due to the vigor and pace of the dance, the Bharatanatyam sari is wrapped similar to a dhoti, with an extra turn around the hip, with the pallu ending in a fan. Since the last century outfits have become more tailored with with the double, even triple fans such as in this picture.

The dancer is wearing an unusually colored peacock blue/deep teal kanjeevaram, with a brick red and gold border. The classic tikka on the forehead, the heavy necklaces, one shorter and another more dangling, the “sun” and “moon” in the hair, the ornate gold belt and the heavy bells at the ankles are typical of the Bharatanatyam ensemble.

Let’s face it - non-Asian women look charmingly exotic when they wear saris — particularly when they don it with as much grace and aplomb as does peace activist Nicole Faroukh. And a woman in a sari with a cause — she certainly gets our thumbs up here at Sari Dreams!

Here are a few shots from the Nicole’s blog at advocacy net, capturing her work with women’s issues in Nepal.

Nicole Faroukh in a red sari, with a friend

Women celebrating

Women in saris strategizing

Exercising their right to vote

100 women in a tractor commuting to an election rally!

This is a great sari with thin silver border; the matching silver polka dot enhanced blouse is a wonderful complement to the saree and the large silver and black earrings complete the look.