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Draped in antique hues
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‘Antique’ saris meld the Benarasi with Kanchipuram to a stunning effect
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Photo Vipin Chandran
Silken wonder Beena Kannan of Seematti modelling an ‘Antique’ sari
Soft, cool fire. That’s antique sari unravelled at Seematti in the city. Well, it’s not old stuff, this antique, mind you. It’s subtle zari, which does not scream in your face, like the bright, bright ones. The weaving is intricate.
No threads turned out on the underside. And it’s very light. Actually you can wear these saris on both sides, that’s how well the weaving is. “Pure zari and pure kanchipuram silk, with intricate weaving. I have spent almost a year, getting this collection ready, coaxing the weavers to do designs they are not familiar with and bringing in the original Varanasi designs, where you have subtle zariwork,” says Beena Kannan of Seematti. The colours are all different shades of red, with the hues touching green, pink, maroon and violet, but what dominates is the fiery hue. The details are clear, the material does not crush and should you fancy it, there are cutwork-done saris and another value addition is zircon stones. The traditional motifs like the mango abound, both the north and the south styles. The temple designs are there as also the off beat variety, with the designs going bold and beautiful, vertical ones with compartmentalised colours that will catch anybody’s attention. Designs have changed drastically in the last six months,” says Beena.
The upada silk, of the Andhra variety, is indeed costly, for the ‘cloth’ is zari by zari woven! From Rs 4,000 it goes to dizzying heights of Rs 1lakh. The tissue variety uses both expensive material and very intricate work. The antique proper without embellishments go up to Rs 40,000. All have matching blouses, with or without work.
“The biggest hurdle is the climate. Weavers are very sensitive about doing things the traditional way. Otherwise you don’t get the desired result, whether it is colour, texture or finish. For instance, only when it is very hot, in the afternoon can the sari be cut. Then the edges remain crisp. To set up a loom takes several days. The weavers all belong to particular villages where they have their own methods of working. To make them do something new for you is really a Herculean task,” says Beena, who has been in this field for the last quarter of a century!
PREMA MANMADHAN
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