Journal

Crepe is the saree that drapes close to the body without clinging — and unlike its cousins, you can't see through it. That is...

Brocade is not printed, not embroidered, and not stitched. The pattern is woven into the cloth. That single fact is what makes brocade brocade,...

The three things that destroy silk sarees are humidity, sunlight, and plastic. Kerala supplies the first for free. If you own good silk and...

Under ₹3,000, the fabric is everything. Get the fabric right and nobody can tell what you spent. That is the whole secret of buying...

Cutwork is embroidery that includes the holes. That sounds flippant, but it is the exact definition and the thing that makes it unusual. In...

Organza is the only sheer fabric that stands up instead of falling down. That is the whole appeal, and it is worth being precise...

Turn it over. That is the fastest test there is. A hand block print is made by pressing dye-loaded wooden blocks onto cloth, and...

There are two Kerala drapes, and most guides confuse them. The first is the mundum neriyathum — the true, two-piece Kerala drape. Two separate...