August 16, 2022
Indian Saris - A Timeless Elegance
Pallu Design grew from a lifelong passion for traditional, vibrant, colourful textiles and an appreciation of Indian fabric design. Loving the creative textile freedom - especially in the decoration of the sari ‘pallu’ - a fabric of beauty, nurture and functionality.
The Pallu is the intricate, highly decorative loose end of an Indian sari or shawl. A woman uses this part of the sari to drape over her head and shoulders, shield herself from the sun and to gracefully cover the upper part of her body. The pallu also becomes a protective fabric to shield her baby – it’s a fabric of beauty, nurture and functionality.
Women traditionally wore various types of regional handloom saris made of silk and cotton textiles, decorated using traditional ikat, block-print, embroidery and bandhani techniques.
With its ability to be both cooling in summer and warming in winter and its aesthetically stylish appearance, the sari developed to be a most suitable and adaptable garment for South Asian women.
These days it is still worn by farm-workers and politicians alike - red being the most popular colour for weddings: believed to bring good luck to a new bride and her household!
1928 illustration of different styles of sari worn by women in India M.V.Dhurandhar
Pallu Design's scarves crafted from up cycled silk saris - block print and bandhani.
A Timeless Piece of Clothing
The Indian saree is a timeless piece of clothing and is considered to be among the oldest form of garment in the world still in existence. 4.5 to 8 metres (5-9 yards) of unstitched, seamless fabric is draped around the woman's lower body and with a tactful pleating process, folded across the upper body over a tight fitting choli or blouse in a coordinating colour.
Maharani Chimnabai of Baroda + daughter Indira Devi (later Maharani of Cooch Behar)
Exquisite and Practical
This exquisite garment becomes a gorgeous and practical outfit, displaying elegant creativity, organic designs and traditional motifs, woven into the fabric of everyday life.
Patola' Elephant and tiger silk sari (ritual heirloom cloth) from Gujarat: late 18th or 19th century
We are constantly blown away by the creativity, organic designs, traditional motifs and rich culture of the ethnic lifestyle, woven into the fabrics of everyday lives. Through our extensive travels we have met beautiful and dedicated creators and designers with a vision to share their own passion for handmade textiles.
In our little online shop and through our blogs we attempt to showcase handmade fabrics that enhance your lifestyle, while supporting textile artisans from the villages of the world.
If there is Someone Special you would like to remember with a handmade gift just to keep in touch or for a Special Day, remember that our online shop is always open and we post to most countries with FREE SHIPPING within Australia. We can gift wrap and post your gift directly to add some colour to their day!
See more of Pallu Design travel and textile stories on the BLOG
See our range of upcycled sari scarves here
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