A sari-torial affair

The last show of the first day at the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week made for a sari-torial affair. Celebrating the grace and timeless appeal of the six yard,  60 top designers from India’s fashion circuit came together to present their own unique sari narrative. The long trail of cloth of one straight single length without any zips or stitches ruled the catwalk with feminine grace, elegance and strength. From Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, JJ Valaya, Tarun Tahiliani, Aneeth Arora, Anavila Mishra, Shivan & Narresh to Vineet Bahl, Anamika Khanna, Anupama Dayal and Manish Arora, the simple sari was contextualised in the most current fashion trends and non-conformist styles.

From traditional to fashion-forward, some of the key pieces included quilted saris, pallu drape as a cape, party-ready versions, cool-girl casual in a gamut of fabric experimentation – jersey, steel, urban textiles and more.

The show, part of ‘Vogue Empower 2.0 – The Indian Sari Project’, was Vogue India’s runway debut and presented ‘Sari for Day, Sari for Play’. The stunning show was divided into five themes ranging from Blues, Pretty Floral, Tribal to Gold and Gothic.  

The idea was to present different saris that could match the sensibility of an 18-year-old to an 80-something beauty. “Sari epitomises our unity in diversity. We all have different styles, ways and tastes but that one drape manages to wrap us all around with its unparalleled beauty time and again. We have abundance of choices to pick up from — whether in the form of a special weave that’s close to our heart or a pattern that speaks to us in ways that can’t be put in words or a fabric we feel comfortable in or a favourite colour… there is a sari for everyone. We just presented different interpretations and visions of the six-yard beauty. This is the sari of today,” said Anaita Shroff Adajania, celebrity stylist and fashion director.

Designer Urvashi Kaur echoed the sentiment, “The key word here is innovation, whether in textile or structure or silhouette or concept. Also, what’s really interesting to note here is that unlike any other piece of clothing across the world, the sari is a garment that’s managed to survive from the past to present and has limitless possibilities for the future. The renewed interest has made the sari a peg for every narrative of modern Indian womanhood—modernity, sexiness, nationalism, nostalgia, pride, power, politics, intelligence, slimness and even plus-size perfection. The new sari is like fusion music and it is more than a simple acquisition. Sari is the epitome of the essence of an Indian woman and it’s part of our cultural legacy. Nothing can make a woman look as feminine and elegant as a sari and I think that’s the reason it has not only remained an integral part of our country but spilled over to the international arena as well.”  

Pankaj and Nidhi, who presented a jumpsuit with a drape to emulate the pallu of the sari, shared, “We love structure, precision and bold cuts. So we did a sari in our signature style. It is a heady mix of elegance, sex appeal, feminine mystery, individuality and adaptability.”