The Best Sarees and Drapes You Can Flaunt This Festive Season

The most awaited Diwali is here and it’s time to flaunt your precious nine yards of pure grace and soak in the festive spirit. 

Managing a saree well and putting up something that’s convenient and easy to carry play an important role in adding to your style statement and the spirit of celebrations. Sinjini Biswas from Kolkata, a saree stylist and enthusiast and owner at Joyee, an online platform with the idea to introduce various traditional handwoven sarees directly from the weavers of Madhya Pradesh, Kanchipuram, Varanasi and Maharashtra, shared with Silver Talkies the top four most preferred and comfortable sarees for older adults for the festive months. What makes this Diwali special read more interesting are a little history of each of these saree varieties and also some simple valuable hacks to maintain your cotton and silk sarees flawlessly. 

The Top 4 Most Wanted Sarees For Older Adults

“When it comes to older adults, they always have a soft corner for traditional weaves. But what they keep in mind while getting a saree is that it should be lightweight, simple, elegant, vibrant and easy to carry. The bright colours or the bright yet simple zari work add rainbow wings to their silver statement,” says Sinjini.

Maheshwari Sarees: 

Coming from Maheshwar, a city in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh with rich history, Maheshwari saree speaks of one of the finest handloom fabric traditions. Maheshwari saree boasts of the touch of royalty with Her Highness Rani Ahilya Tai Holkar designing the first piece and has become one of the best sellers in both national and international markets today. These sarees are mostly known for its glossy finish and light weight that makes it one of the most convenient wears for older adults for all seasons. Its pallu is done up in bright colours and stands out in five alternate stripes - two white and three coloured ones. Also, with its reversible borders, it can be worn on either side. 

Chanderi sarees: Originally hailing from Chanderi, a small town in Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh, these are known for their sophisticated beauty, unique texture, transparent qualities, light weight, pastel shades and intricate motifs. Historically, Chanderi sarees can be traced back to 13th or 124th century AD. Chanderi sarees were identified as ‘woven air’ because of their delicate structure and semi-transparent look. Light weight and elegance make them the perfect fit for older adults.

Kanjeevaram Saree: When you name traditions, Kanjeevaram is one of the most popular names that hit our mind. The name Kanjeevaram originates from the name of the city where they were traditionally produced in - Kanchi or Kanchipuram - the city of temples. The Kanjeevaram weavers were called in by the Chola king to weave for their sheer talent on a loom. A Kanjeevaram is typically broader, about 48 inches, as against a standard silk saree of 45 inches. What makes it special? It's a double warp - it is made up of three single threads twisted together. Kanjeevaram saree is known for its texture, lister, durability and finish, making it a stronger saree than its counterparts. 

Bishnupuri Silk Saree: Originally produced in Bishnupur city of the Bankura district in West Bengal, Bishnupuri Silk sarees go back to a few hundred years prior. These lightweight sarees are known for best texture, flower themes, creature themes, stories from the Krishna Gatha and utilisation of normal hues. A little more than the Baluchari sarees, Bishnupuri silk has a speciality. It stands out because of the natural and unique hues as the craftsman gets them from nature.

Easy hacks to maintain your sarees well

For cotton sarees:

1. When washing a handwoven cotton saree for the first time, soak it in a bucket of lukewarm water with rock salt for 10-15 minutes.
2. Always wash a cotton saree with shampoo or a mild detergent.
3. Dry cotton sarees in the shade and not directly under sunlight as that can fade the actual colour.

For silk sarees:

1.  Dry-cleaning is always recommended
2. Hang the sarees in an airy cupboard if possible. Don't stack them up.
3. Take out the sarees every once a while in order to avoid any issues with the saree or zari threads.
4. If possible pack them individually in muslin clothes. 

Two simple saree draping styles older adults can try this Diwali

Seedha Pallu ( Gujarat): Seedha Pallu is known as the most popular draping style among women in Gujarat. The traditional saree style has become a metaphor for women in rural saree style. Generally, older women prefer seedha pallu drapes across India. Apart from the ease of draping, seedha pallu style is very comfortable as compared to other draping style

Kapullu (Andhra Pradesh): Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Kapullu saree style has a Grecian resemblance. Older women of Kapullu region are known to wear this style of saree. Kapullu sarees are draped in different directions, from left to right, as compared to the conventional right to left draping.

We do hope we are able to guide you to make the best choice of the type of saree and the draping style for this festival season. Have a gorgeous, safe and happy Diwali.