PARSI GARA EMBROIDERY

Hand Embroidery in India Gara embroidery made its journey from China to the shores of India hundreds of years ago.Due to the fusion of the two cultures, the Chinese embroidery was later adapted onto saris. The earliest garas were embroidered on all four borders, a custom which gradually gave way to two, given the draping of saris. The Persian influence made itself felt in the fruit, flower and bird motifs interspersed on a distinctly Chinese background. So intricate is the embroidery, in terms of aesthetics as well as symbolism, that legend has it that children in China would sit with their grandmothers and mothers, and listen to stories that unfolded on the gara. Tales of kings and fishermen, romance and riches, were all painstakingly rendered through the embroidery. Modern versions of the traditional gara incorporate traditional motifs with Swarovski crystal and touches of gold and silver interweaving. Traditionally, the gara was worn over the head, exposing only one ear. You can find bespokeshawls, lehengas ( long skirt), and dupattas (a matching piece of cloth worn with churidar) worn traditional gara embroidery. The newly hand embroidered saris have an advantage over the originals because 100 percent original, colour fast silk is used. Unlike the original garas, where cleaning would result in the fading of colour. Depending on the design and the intricacy of the work, new garas cost a minimum of Rs. 20,000 to a maximum of Rs 2,00,000.. Gara motifs were generally embroidered in satin stitch, long and short stitch, and the tiny kha-kha or seed-pearl stitch akin to a minute French knot. The kha-kha stitch forms a delicate textured area - as if the cloth is covered with beads, and was worked for complete motifs or the centres of flowers. Being a small stitch, the kha-kha proved to be a strain on the eyes, and satin stitch was more frequently worked. The slant of the stitch was consciously worked to infuse fluidity and movement in the motif from the feathers of a parakeet in flight, a butterfly hovering over a flower, or flowers bobbing in the breeze - thus giving the entire composition a lyrical beauty. Most saris were red, black or purple and the embroidery was generally done with white or light silk threads using coloured highlights with striking effect. The subtle shading and lustrous silk strand created a natural effect in the motifs, and the dark textile provided a spectacular background for even the smallest kha-kha stitch. Embroidering a gara takes several months, depending on the intricacy, fineness and elaborateness of the design. Though expensive, they are likened to buying a piece of jewellery, which can be handed down through the generations. Fortunately with the efforts of dedicated designers, the fine art of gara embroidery - that originated in China and was refined to artistic realms by skilled Chinese embroiderers - has now been revived in India.

"Women should look like a Women. A piece of cardboard has no sensuality ."-Alexander Mcqueen

McQueen always started every collection with an idea or a concept for the runway presentation before the fashions. After the concept, he would have this elaborate sort of storyboard with these various references from art, from film, from music—his influences from everywhere. There’s a famous story about how he was watching Friends one day, and Joey was wearing a green sweater, and Joey’s green sweater inspired an aspect of his collection. So he was such a sponge that inspiration came from everywhere. The actual creative process in terms of the clothes themselves were often designed directly on the mannequin during a fitting. So fittings, for McQueen, were incredibly important. I think that McQueen saw life cinematically, and I think that that approach to life was something that you see very clearly on the runway. So his interest in extreme weather conditions was part of that sort of dramatic view of life. And I think that one of the reasons why he loved nature so much was because it was so unpredictable. They were spontaneous; it was something that one can never control, and I think that was always something he liked to show in his collections. - See more at: http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/about/#sthash.Fujqtq88.dpuf

#post 3-today its ZARDOZI..♠♠♠♠♠

Zardozi —

the magnificent metallic embellishment of India — dates back to ancient
times. It finds mention in Vedic literature, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and all
accounts of the Sultanate period. The country, from very early times, was known for the
use of gold embroidery on a variety of objects including furnishings, trappings, parasols,
and equestrian ornaments. The more aesthetic and evolved embroideries were used on
court costumes and especially on accessories such as shoes.
The historical accounts of this craft are shrouded in the usual romantic stories and
inaccurate data. But the only certainty is that zarkas — a Persian word meaning zari or
gold embroidery — was widely used in all the accounts. History says that from the 13th
century, the craftspeople who worked with this medium, setting seed pearls and
precious stones with fine gold and silver wire, were known as zardos workers.
Done with metal wire and metal pieces or sequins on velvet, satin and heavy silk bases,
Zardozi is one of the most famous and elaborate techniques in metal embroidery. The
original embroidery of Zardozi was done with pure silver wires coated with real gold,
and was known as Kalabatun. Though silver and gold wires have now been replaced
with synthetic threads, the art remains the same. The use of metal embroidery in Indian
textiles and costumes, especially those used for ritual or ceremonial purposes,
demonstrates the importance of gold and silver within the culture.
Of all the crafts of the country, Zardozi seems to have flourished and survived to the
present day like few others.Regions known for zardozi are
-Hyderabad
· Lucknow
· Jammu, Kashmir
· Kolkata
· Varanasi
· Agra
· Delhi

♥ PARIS