Kanakavalli's pick for the June edition of The Beautiful Drape is a stunning monotone kanjivaram that showcases some of the craft's most classic motifs, patterns and weave techniques. Its beauty lies in the apparent simplicity of its embellishment and its understated elegance.
The body of the kanjivaram is dotted with paisa or coin buttas in zari. The borders feature diamond kann pettu or diamonds enclosing dots to resemble eyes, pearl-like muthu lines, benaras (twill) designs and temple-inspired rekku patterns.
The pallu is adorned with traditional patterns, including delicate moggu, benaras bands, muthu, and tiny mangai or paisley motifs flanking a band of chevron patterns inspired by the traditional armlet known as vanki. Paisleys are also enclosed within arches and filled with vanki designs, while the central part of the pallu features diamond kann, reflecting the patterns of the borders.
The sari is available in multiple colourways across two variants, one embellished with gold zari and one with silver zari. In the former, the zari composition is 0.3% gold and 30-40% silver, while in the latter, the zari features 30% silver.