Kanakavalli's April pick for The Beautiful Drape is a kanjivaram that is the epitome of tradition. Its layout, patterns and palette reflect the craft at its most classic.
The body of the sari is woven with criss-crossing paai kattam (mat checks), inspired by South India's basket weaving traditions, which lends the silk a delightful depth. The borders feature classic elements – getti benaras or a thick band composed of twill patterns, followed by a contrast silk band, fine benaras seer, with floral, paisley and leaf designs woven in between, known as a kodi maanga pettu. Where the borders meet the body, there is a row of fine muthu moggu or dotted bud-like patterns, in gold zari.
The pallu is embellished with kattu seer or lines formed of dashes, and woven with a central seeprekku band inspired by the teeth of a comb, all in rich gold zari.
The beauty of this sari lies in its thoughtful interplay of colour as well as the juxtaposition of bold geometric patterns against more delicate detailing.
Available in multiple colour ways, this kanjivaram features zari with a composition of 24-26% silver and 0.3% gold.