Newsletter 28 - Septembre-Novembre 2002 Newsletter 28 - Septembre-Novembre 2002Summary:
1. news
2. questions about an ancient sari
3. dancing in a sari
4. drapes with imagination
5. saris in Kuala Lumpur
6. new web links
7. wedding saris
8. a personal note from Chantal
1. NEWS:
*** If you know or participate in an event, web site, etc. connected
with draping, please let us know. This news feature is yours!
2. QUESTIONS ABOUT AN ANCIENT SARI
Beth, aka Lakshmi
Amman, who already contributed on the fishtail sari (please refer
to newsletter 23) sent another sari
picture looking for an explanation.
As it happens, I (Chantal) took my own picture of the same painting
which shows interesting saris represented on the ceiling of the
Virabhadra temple in Lepakshi (then in the empire of Vijayanagar),
dating from the 16th century.
I have long wondered about these saris and they are definitely of the "fishtail" variety. What is interesting is the use of what seems very long and thin pallavs. They go around the shoulders but are clearly not there to hide the breasts. They might show a transition from the elaborate belts, made of twisted cloth, that were used in previous centuries, and which were loosely wrapped around the body in a similar way to these pallavs. It might also be that the fashion for very long saris (up to 12 yards...) had already started, though evidence of such extensive cloth only dates from the 19th century.
Hiding breasts in South India begins only around 1820. It didn't really make it to far away villages in Southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala until the middle of the 20th century, so those drapes are rather consistent with what was fashionable in the 16th century. The cloth was then made of thin muslin with woven or printed borders (the same temple has pillars decorated with sari border motifs). The end which was falling in front of the legs (the "fishtail") was held by a thicker piece of cloth made with gold thread and maybe fringes (notice the yellow ends over the feet), which gave its distinctive fishtail shape to the sari.
This thicker end of the sari, which is still present as the pallav
in many modern saris, appears to have been used only for the "fishtail"
and not for the end draped over the shoulders (the modern pallav).
If anyone wanted to recreate this sari, I would do it with a 9-yard
cloth - or longer -, and wrap the most decorated end (the pallav)
so that it makes the fishtail, rather than use it for the upper
part of the drape.
- Make the closing in "dhoti style" leaving approximately
3 yards on one side and about 5 yards on the other (you need about
1 yard for the closing itself). The decorated pallav should be
on the shorter side.
- Take first the longer side, wrap it around one leg, tuck it
neatly pleated in the closing over the abdomen, then wrap it,
still pleated, around the torso once or twice, as shown in the
pictures.
- Wrap the shorter side around the other leg, tuck it pleated
in the closing over the abdomen (over the other pleats), leaving
approximately 1 yard to fall over the legs and make the fishtail.
Obviously this will only work with a very thin cotton or silk
sari, with some extra gold thread or thick cloth added to the
end of the fishtail.
3. DANCING IN A SARI:
Most people think that draped clothes are impractical, hard to walk with - let alone dancing! Yet a lot of IDC members wear saris for dancing, and we would like to produce a document, available in print or as an Acrobat PDF document (so that it includes pictures) about dancing with saris. If you are interested in contributing, please get in touch with Chantal: <chantal@idcw.org.uk>
.
Already, if you have patience, a Quicktime plugin in your browser,
and a good internet connection, you can see Chantal doing Irish
set dancing at her wedding, wearing a sari:
http://www.shakti.clara.net/wedmov3.html
Beware: It's kind of long to download if you don't have a fast
internet connection AND you need a Quicktime plugin (if you don't
have it, it's likely that your browser will help you download
it).
We also were sent a great picture from Karen Andes (LEFT).
It is really a striking example of happy dancing in a sari. Thank
you Karen!
4. DRAPES WITH IMAGINATION:
By Ritika Ramtri Kumar
To be able to see shape within a fabric and then draw it out is
the art of draping. Given a choice I would never stitch a garment
and destroy its natural fall. Early students of Indian costumes
like Forbes Watson have established that though the art of sewing
has been practised in India for centuries, there have been garments
which require no stitching. These garments have never really been
done away with. Take, for instance the dhoti, the scarf, the uttariya,
the turban, the lungi, the sari and the stanapatta, they are all
still widely prevalent.
Draping is an art and usually every designer employs it to explain
a design to the master cutter. In fact, the base of a truly creative
design lies in its first shape - the drape. A good drape has several
elements like knots, tucks and pleats in tandem with each other.
A successful drape relies heavily on what you are trying to conjure
up. Of course, the presentation has to be neat, clean and uncluttered.
One can transform an ordinary piece of cloth into both Western
and Indian ensembles. One can create a gown, conjure up a jacket,
tie a sarong, create a ghaghra choli or even fashion exciting
headgear.
The fall of a fabric is important. Starched fabrics, crisp cottons
and khadi do not drape well, but fluid fabrics like chiffon and
crepe are ideal. Soft cotton and silk can also be used to make
a dreamy ensemble. The beauty of draping is that you can experiment,
as you like without the fear of wasting cloth. One can create
a bustier as well to match the drape. Saris, especially, drape
beautifully. One can get figure-hugging and shapely silhouettes
or something even as wacky as a chiffon dhoti draped over hot
pants. The Amrapali drape of the Dravidian era a favourite silhouette
in India and, can have a twist as well. Overlapping also adds
interest to a drape.
Drapes offer immense possibilities if you know how to wrap the
fabric the right way. So, the next time you have to go for a big
do and don't have the time to get something stitched, you could
probably opt for a drape instead.
Here is how:
* Wear your shoes before you start draping the ensemble.
* Ensure that the knots are clean and neat. If the knots are not
perfect, chances are that the ensemble will not turn out the way
you want it to.
* Choose from single, double and ruffled knots.
* Pleats, twists and tucks also form an integral part of an ensemble.
* If you are using printed fabric be careful to co-ordinate it
with the final shape you want.
* Experiment as much as you want, but ensure that the pleats,
tucks and twists are firmly secured. You wouldn't want the drape
to open up, would you?
* You can create cowls on the lower waist and pleats on the shoulder
or vice-versa.
* Shaded fabrics also look most exciting once they are draped.
* While chiffon and crepes drape beautifully you can even use
contemporary fabrics like lycra, crinkle chiffon and georgette.
* Choose your drape keeping your body in mind. If you don't have
a midriff to flaunt, make sure you don't expose it. Be realistic
while draping.
5. SARIS
IN KUALA LUMPUR:
Back from a trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in Malaysia, Karen Sanders wrote these comments about the saris she saw:
Fashion differences in sarees between KL and India (Mumbai): Sarees
are worn shorter, with more ankle exposed. (The salesman at the
saree store said it's because the women are taller!) The 'standard'
petticoat has a 2" ruffle around the bottom, probably for
walking room, and was 2" shorter than the ones I bought in
Mumbai. Petticoats with ruffles and lace were available in Mumbai,
but the one sold to me as typical to me was A-line, no ruffle.
The saree stores sell a 3" rayon tassel, either a solid color
or metallic, used with hemming the pallav. The pallav gets a rolled
hem, and the fringe is applied. The other end of the sari is commonly
finished with a narrow hem. Although falls are used, the people
I dealt with implied "Why bother?"
Sarees are not commonly worn, even in the Little India section
of town. Most of the sales people in shops weren't wearing sarees.
I wore a saree a couple days, and it was remarkable that I was
in a saree as much as being an Anglo in a saree. The sales guy
from the textile shop was escorting me around Little India to
eat lunch and meet his friends. Men would comment to him (in Tamil),
and he passed along their compliments "The saree, it is nice."
I walked into the airport in a saree,
and heard the word "Indian" behind me.
Cholis are worn a little longer to cover the ribs in KL. The seamstress
used interfacing in the bottom section of the front, under the
breasts, which I didn't see in India. The seamstress had a fashion
book of different sleeve styles and necklines. I asked her for
a paper pattern of what she had sewn, but she said she didn't
do the patterns - the tailor did. (And I don't think she was making
a polite excuse). Very interesting division of labor. One blouse
piece from the saree didn't have enough fabric, so she pieced
in some matching fabric.
The salesman in this particular saree store was familiar with
various drapes. He mentioned specifically the Gujarati style,
meaning draped to the front instead of the back. He took me to
a seamstress, around the corner, between two shops, up a flight
of stairs I would never have found. On two different days I wore
a saree and came in at lunchtime for her to help me adjust it.
So, I learned to wear the modern sari, as she draped it, complete
with fancy pleats and pins. Even the cotton sarees she pinned
the upper border to the shoulder to make a nice horizontal line,
and then she pleated the pallav and pinned it down to keep the
pleats neat. She tended to put the pallav to hang just below the
waist. It was more important to have the pleats right in front
than have the pallav longer. What I also learned was how tight
to wrap the saree. It's not stretched tight, but it is very smooth,
with no slack.
These cotton sarees she was draping on me were 5-1/2 yards, but
I am a big woman (38 E on top, 40" hips). She would have
sewn on a 1/2-yard extension on each saree if she could have.
Getting a saree blouse sewn (when the fabric was with the saree)
was about 3 times as expensive as buying a pre-made blouse with
no embroidery, or twice as much as a pre-made blouse with embroidery.
Oh, did I buy any sarees? Originally I wanted cheaper cotton sarees
to wear around the house and on weekends, for practice. I got
some of those. But the salesman made me deals I could afford on
2 black silk sarees, and a cream colored saree that perfectly
matched my complexion. Found a blue silk saree with handpainted
flowers. And a plain white cotton saree with narrow borders, two
simple stripes in the middle of the pallav. And one to wear to
my son's wedding in 2 years.
KL has a large cave nearby with Hindu temples inside and outside.
There are 272 steps to climb to reach the temples inside the cave.
The light streams onto the temple through an opening in the roof
of the cave, at certain times of the day. Lots of women in sarees,
mostly middle aged and older. People at the temple commented on
my saree "very beautiful". They asked "Are you
Hindu?" One group even asked to take my picture! In one restaurant
in Little India, they asked "What part of India are you from?"
I think if men had as many invented rules for wearing button-up
shirts as Indian women have rules for wearing sarees, the button-up
shirt would start disappearing. If the shirt had to be always
pressed, the cut of the collar matching the jacket and tie just
a certain way, never roll up your sleeves, or open up the collar
button - who would ever wear a shirt!? I think women have put
limitations in their mind about wearing sarees "properly".
And if they can't wear them properly they will not wear them at
all. And so the saree becomes less common, or becomes a ritual
garment like the Japanese wedding kimono. At least in India, the
Bollywood and TV stars are wearing sarees, and companies specialize
in providing the designs the stars wear. Maybe Bollywood and Air
India will keep the saree alive! All the sarees sold at the cave
in Kuala Lumpur were pre-sewn, the lady said. Zip and go. No fun
at all.
Guess I have somehow crossed the line into some comfort zone about
wearing sarees. Or else I am too brazen and stupid to know the
difference. I have gotten hot and sweaty so much the saree was
sopping wet. I wore a saree in places where people knew what a
saree was, and that was OK. The seamstress thought it was a little
funny, but she was respectful that I was trying to get it right.
And she could tell from the sarees I chose that they had been
selected to wear and look good. They weren't chosen for making
pillows. I guess I have done enough wearing and watching to realize
what are "my' problems and which things are inherent in the
garments themselves. Sometimes those pleats just don't behave.
Well, it's better than going naked.
6. NEW WEB LINKS:
With every newsletter we signal interesting links that YOU (IDC
members) point out. We do count on all of you to send us the URLs
of interesting web sites you may come across. Thank you!
Here are this month's suggestions:
*Faith Elwing recommends Melanie Kohli who runs a small web site for Indian products. She has saree tutorial video, "How to Wear a Sari" which shows step by step processes for wearing two different styles of sari. Please feel free to contact her <pardesi@att.net> or
check out the video on the web site:
http://www.pardesiservices.com/Sari/howtowearsari.asp
She also sells saris.
* Beth has some interesting pages for textile fanatics on her
web site:
http://www.pir.net/~beth/main.html
Those 2 pages are especially interesting:
http://www.pir.net/~beth/Saris/saris.html
and
http://www.pir.net/~beth/ResistPrint/WaxBlockPrint.html
A very interesting site that asks the question: why are Western men stuck with trousers? Why not kilts? Why not have a choice (like women do...)?
http://noni-source.com/pareo/tyingpage.html
If you dream of exotic islands... an excellent site on how to wear pareos with photos.
http://starbulletin.com/96/08/26/features/story1.html
More pareo draping, with drawings.
7. WEDDING SARIS:
A little note of apology:
in the last newsletter I said that the sari that I (Chantal) wore
at my wedding was the Lodhi style. Well, I was wrong! It is in
fact the sari of Chhattisgarh, (p. 105 in Saris: An Illustrated
Guide to the Indian Art of Draping). See it ABOVE, it should be
opposite to §5, "saris in KL" - although it is
unrelated with the subject (I just spread out the pictures through
the text... It also fits neatly between dancing with a sari and
wedding saris...). Well, Karen comments that saris are worn shorter
in KL, I had tied mine above the ankles for obvious reasons.
LEFT is a picture of another IDC member, Karen Nooruddin, who
was kind enough to share her wedding picture with us to show the
very interesting style she wore on that occasion.
8. PERSONAL NOTE FROM CHANTAL:
Summer has been quiet but with some good developments. With Bollyhood
becoming fashionable (with "The Guru" and "Bombay
Dreams" among others), let"s hope that there will some
interest in traditional sari drapes...
The new newsletter frequency leaves us more time to write, judging
by all the contributions I received! Thank you for all those who
contributed, sent links or pictures. Keep on writing!
Best wishes!
Chantal
chantal@idcw.org.uk
Please do not hesitate to send any question, suggestion, criticism.
If you have some links to suggest, please let us know!
If you wish to write something for the newsletter, please do so
and Email it to <members@idcw.org.uk>.
Newsletter publication dates and deadlines for contributions:
- 1st of June (June-August): deadline for contributions: 15th
of May
- 1st of September (September-November): deadline for contributions:
15th of August
- 1st of December (December-February): deadline for contributions:
15th of November
- 1st of March (March-May): deadline for contributions: 15th of
February