Around 95% of the world’s hand woven fabric comes from India. On 7th August, when India celebrated its second National Handloom Day, the Textiles ministry initiated the #IWearHandloom campaign, urging men and women to post photographs of them wearing handlooms and tag five others. Social media timelines and feeds were filled with photographs of people dolled up in the best of handlooms.
While most loved the idea behind the campaign and flaunt handlooms, from expensive silks to casual cotton or linen workwear, another section was cynical about such campaign whether they really helps the handloom industry and bring any good to its thousands of workers who are still underpaid and undervalued. I will leave that for the experts to ponder over because as for me, give me a reason to wear a saree, you will never have to ask me twice. To me, the Saree is, undoubtedly, one of the most dynamic pieces of Indian clothing. It brings grace and elegance to a woman’s personality. Many of us living in this part of the world shy away from wearing them and especially when it comes to handloom sarees. Here, saree is often seen as a piece of garment only meant for formal occasions or that it’s going to be much of an effort to carry. Contrary to popular belief, a saree can be worn most casually and effortlessly if you select a handloom one like I did here.
This traditional cotton Baluchori saree that was made by the weavers of Bengal was a high-street purchase hand-picked by me years ago. This is so comfortable and easy to wear, you could spend all day in them (I really did)! What I love most about the cotton Baluchori sarees is the combination of sophisticated and subtle colours that you can really play around with in terms of accessories and get creative with styling.
In this post, I wanted to show you how you can style the cotton Baluchori sarees for a not-so-formal occasion. From school run to workwear, not to mention the wedding season (they make great choices for Haldi ceremony guest outfits) is about to begin in few months, who isn’t looking for comfy, fun and quirky inspirations for desi girl style?
I wore this Baluchori saree with a blouse matching to the pallu, and accessorised with a Moroccan Berber necklace that I hauled during my trip to Marrakech to give my look a casual and effortless feel. Gothic eye make-up featuring deep purple eye shadow, a tiny black bindi and stacking colourful thread bangles from India have finished out the look for me.
If you have followed the campaign, did you wear a handloom saree on 7th August or later? If you did, tag @Onetimefashionista in your photos please so that I can also see how you have styled yours. If you haven’t, will you give it a try? As legends say, ”Hand-woven fabrics going mainstream is a sign of a success”, I endorse that completely.
Filed under: Accessories, Outfit, SareeSutra, Shoegasm, Vogue
