India has a rich history of art and there are so many different forms of art across the country that sometimes one can lose track of them all. However, the vivid and bold art of Kalamkari continues to be a popular one, thanks to the art meeting design in the form of Kalamkari sarees. With so many designers taking inspiration from this art and re inventing it to suit the contemporary fashion styles in ethnic wear, Kalamkari continues to charm classic and nouveau fashion lovers alike.
HOW IS KALAMKARI DONE?
Kalamkari is originally an ancient style of hand painting done on canvas or cotton or silk fabric with a tamarind or bamboo pen, using natural dyes. The word Kalamkari is derived from a Persian word where ‘kalam‘ means pen and ‘kari‘ refers to craftsmanship. This art involves 23 intricate steps of dyeing, bleaching, hand painting, block printing, starching, cleaning and more. Kalamkari motifs can vary from flowers, peacock, paisleys to divine characters of Hindu epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. Kalamkari art primarily use earthy colors like indigo, mustard, rust, black and green. Natural dyes used to paint colors in Kalamkari art is extracted for natural sources with no use of chemicals and artificial matter.
Nowadays, this art is kept alive by creating exquisite Kalamkari sarees,
HISTORY OF KALAMKARI
Kalamkari flourished in Andhra Pradesh and further was promoted by Britishers in the 18th century in India owing to its decorative designs and extreme craftsmanship. Though this art dates backs to 3000 BC, it has been used since centuries for the art of story telling. People who used to travel from village to village would use canvas paintings to depict stories and that's how kalamkari art came into existence. However, it was in the Mughal era that this art truly flourished.
KALAMKARI SAREES
The states of Andhra Pradesh and Gujrat are the biggest producers of Kalamkari sarees in India. Kalamkari sarees have a lot of detailing in terms of the patterns that could be block printed or hand painted. the sarees tell a story, sometimes just plant vines and flowers and forts and animals are depicted in so much detail that one gets lost in the art.
PEACHMODE has a gorgeous collection of Kalamkari sarees online that can be worn during festivities to create the perfect ethnic chic look. These ladies sarees are perfect occasion wear for the modern saree wearing woman who likes to keep it simple yet stylish.
They are printed with Kalamkari motifs making them much lighter, pocket friendly and available in a variety of colors. Printed Kalamkari creations are not hand-made and hence more widely available. Kalamkari cotton sarees are ideal for this season. Other innovative ways to achieve Kalamkari stories alive on fabrics involve embroidery and appliqué work.
Kalamkari sarees are occasion wear so they go great with attractive blouse patterns and traditional jewellery. A plain black saree with border and pallu print like this can be jazzed up by wearing matching gold earrings and cuffs.
Since we are about to step into the festive season, stock up on the latest kalamkari sarees and shop them only at PEACHMODE!
