Kanakavalli's pick for The Beautiful Drape for July is a stunning kanjivaram whose beauty lies in its simplicity. Embellished using traditional hand weaving techniques, the sari plays with colour, pattern and geometry, making it visually striking and versatile.
The body of the kanjivaram is adorned with two types of checks woven in two hues: muthu kattam (dotted checks resembling delicate pearls) and seer kattam (checks formed of very fine lines). The checks overlap to create an exquisite geometric complexity.
The borders feature intricate annam (mythical swans) motifs, flanked by fine seer lines and a benaras band, both echoing the shades of the body's embellishment. On the pallu are triangle-shaped pillaiyar moggu reku, with dramatic thazhampoo reku, inspired by the sharp-edged petals of the kewra flower, separated by seer lines. The weaver uses a complex technique to ensure that the checks end where the body meets the pallu, cutting off the coloured threads at the point the body ends. This pallu is known as killu mundhanai.
The kanjivaram is woven on an adai loom, an elaborate set-up requiring three pairs of hands to work on a single sari. In this laborious process, motifs and patterns are woven entirely by hand, without the use of a jacquard machine, resulting in exquisite detail and striking relief.
While some saris in this selection are embellished only in silken yarn, some feature zari detailing.