Beyond Six Yards: Championing The #Sari

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Way before #SariNotSorry was trending on Instagram, many young Indians were already, albeit silently, championing the sari.

I remember when Sabyasachi launched his flagship store in Calcutta back in 2010, his invite was the talk of town. A sepia-tinted tin container inside which stood a rolled handloom sari, accompanied by a simple handwritten note. He was on the mission to ‘Save the Sari’. Back then, I didn’t quite believe the sari was an endangered species (I was living in Calcutta and surrounded by elegant women draped impeccably in six yards) but in the last few years, I have begun to understand why the sari needs so much saving.

Not different from Sabyasachi, High Heel Confidential has been a crusader of the sari, championing the cause right from the early days of the blog until now, 10 years later. It’s no secret that Priyanka & Payal love themselves a good sari spotting. “You will always hear us give props to those who chose to wear the garment and if you look at all our celebrity sari posts, you may find that we’ve been a wee bit more biased there! If we wrote about fashion that was India-centric, how can we omit the sari which is such a central piece of the whole story?”

Thus unravelled a sari story on HHC, the first few chapters of which were part organic and part deliberate. P&P admit that they have decided to make a conscious decision to give the sari as much exposure as they can. “The idea was to share the craft behind the garment as we ourselves learn more about this unassuming, often-underrated garment. We would like to get to a point where we can answer any basic question you may have about the sari. The mission is to make the sari ubiquitous, approachable, accessible and most importantly relatable and relevant to everyone.”  

Over the years we have seen some stellar sari moments on the pages of this blog. Konkona, Mini and Maria always have P&P’s attention thanks to their effortless drapes. Aishwarya At Cannes though not recent, was definitely memorable. Roohi when she styled hers with a Gucci belt, also memorable. And Sonam Kapoor’s experiments with non-traditional saris like NorBlackNorWhite and RimZim Dadu and, of course, HHC in-house fave Anamika Khanna always has their attention piqued.

Exposure to various fashion seasons, eras of fashion, designers and the crafts have only cemented their love for the sari. The next step was to take their passion a level further and this is when High Heel Confidential signed up as an Associate Producer for one of the films of The Sari Series. The Sari Series is a digital anthology documenting India’s regional sari drapes. This is a non-profit initiative by Border&Fall and the short film we are involved with happens to be about a drape from Orissa along with a signature weave from the state. Needless to say, this makes Payal super giddy with excitement!  

At some point, when all this was happening, Priyanka & Payal consciously decided to wear more saris themselves. Shunning the notion that a sari is a hassle, they believe that there is a sari for everyone. “Find a sari that fits your style or better still, figure out a way you can wear it and make it your own. Stick to the classics and try out many of the blouse styles on offer, or go all out and pair the sari with anything from tees, crop-tops and moto-jackets… It is what you make of it!” And if you follow Priyanka and Payal on Instagram, you know these girls are walking the talk. 

Join our Beyond Six Yards movement and let’s vow to wear the sari more often. Because #SariNotSorry (or #SareeNotSorry if you prefer). 

 

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20 Comments

  1. When featuring saree one cannot leave out Kangana. She wears her sarees not as an outfit but a regular practical clothing item of a hot and humid place. Keeps it refreshing , sharp and smart. She truly epitomizes the grace and comfort of the saree. So she is my saree inspiration. Not that I need one. Have been wearing one since I was three. I think I can even climb trees and run pretty fast in a saree. Wont be a pretty sight though. The saree to many women is what denim is to most of us. Just that it forces one to spend that extra much needed 2 minutes on oneself. Raising a toast to the everyday cotton, hand loom, tangail, sambalpuri, Kota and even chiffon saree. And ‘she’ will always remain a designer wear coz she is not only hand made, but also one of a kind. What a great equalizer ! P and P hope you can find a way that the weavers benefit our growing love for the garment. Not the middlemen.

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  2. Have seen a few of these drape films now, and I see what the fuss was all about! It’s a project to be proud of — and am taking vicarious pleasure in HHC supporting it, given that I must be one of your longest-time readers! All the best, girls! We’ll save the world yet 🙂

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  3. I totally agree. Having spent a substantial part of my life in Calcutta surrounded by women who wear Sarees everyday, I surprisingly didnt wear them at work for a very long time.
    However, now I wear them more often, and dont wait for a special occasions. I find it refreshing to be able to wear so many types of sarees – causal to semi-casuals, that make me feel so good! – on a regular basis. I love to wear cottons – the soft malleable kinds.
    Im delighted to see so many other women take the Saree plunge. And there nothing to be “sorry” about anyway!

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  4. This is a great initiative. I am still one of those who wears sarees for occasions, but of late have been inspired to drape one more often. I love how I feel in a saree, it feels more feminine and dressed up and more special. I will definitely make an attempt to wear sarees more often. Definitely will be on the look out for more cottons, chiffons on my next India trip and not stick to just silks.

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    • I’ve also been trying to figure out how to wear saris more often and not just durga puja and diwali season but don’t know how 🙁 After Durga Puja, I went to Starbucks and I don’t think San Francisco is quite ready for sari sightings!

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  5. I said it before in an earlier post: Sarees are like Mothers. They are forgiving, have a way of making one feel special and beautiful, are timeless, practical and protective.

    Sarees should be revered like the flag of the nation.
    The so called fusion sarees-dresses-gowns , palazzo sarees(!) etc., are an insult to what the saree stands for.

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  6. I’d like to share my first ever experience wearing a sari . It was at my high school farewell more than a decade ago. It was funny and disheartening as all my pleats came undone (thankfully an all girls school) .
    From then you’d only find in denims or dresses . Till I became obsessed again shopping for sari after sari as part of my wedding trousouse.
    And obsessed I am to this day . How gorgeous does a woman look a nicely draped sari …. a completely transformation.
    May the six yards remain timeless , elegant and popular for all times to come …..

    P.S I’ve now become efficient at draping and wearing a sari

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  7. P&P, Love the ‘How to drape a Saree’ video.
    It is indeed a very important to document the intelligence of Indian women and the possibilities, practicality, and elegance of the Saree.

    Bet fashion schools in the west will appreciate the videos.

    Looking forward to more. You gals are awesome.

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