Kanakavalli's March pick for The Beautiful Drape is a kanjivaram that stays true to the craft, featuring classic patterns and motifs. The layout emphasises the inherent drama and geometry of the weave.
The body of the sari is woven with fine South lines, composed of stripes in alternating colours of silk, interspersed with gold zari. The borders feature a contrast selvedge, followed by thin bands of silk in a contrast hue, pearl-like dotted muthu in zari, pattu petu benaras (a chevron pattern) in silk, enclosing zari vanki patterns inspired by the traditional South Indian armlet. A central band on the borders is woven in the same colour as the selvedge, followed by a repeat of the silk and zari patterns, and completed at the top by a row of delicate bhugodi triangles. The geometric pallu is known as a seer munthi. A central seeprekku band woven in gold tissue is flanked on either side by kattu seer (bands formed of dotted lines) in silk and zari. The pallu is woven in the adai technique, entirely by hand and without the use of jacquard, lending it extraordinary detail and depth.
The beauty of this kanjivaram lies in its subtle yet thoughtful use of colour and zari, the details coming together in a striking geometry.
Available in multiple colourways, The Beautiful Drape for March features zari with 0.3% gold and 36-38% silver.