When was the last time you wore a sari? If your answer is “At a wedding/sangeet/Diwali party”, it’s safe to say that our generation still considers the sari impractical for daily wear. Be it the manifold drape, the pleats that just never get done right or the effort you have to put into not falling on your face once you’re wearing it, there’s some hesitation always holding you back. At the same time, who can forget all the compliments you received the last time you wore one?
If you love the sari but detest draping it, designer Payal Khandwala has a solution for you — the little sari. For her AW ’17 collection Indessential, Payal has redesigned the conventional sari by shortening its length (half the size of a sari but still longer than a dupatta) and advocates styling it with closet staples. “The little sari gives you a lighter and fuss-free look that’s versatile — you can style it differently every time you wear it, and it encourages you to reuse and repeat your clothes without giving in to trends,” she says.
As a student living in New York, the designer was unable to find tailors who could make blouses for her. The cold temperature didn’t make it any better, so Payal decided to innovate: “I would buy saris in India and wear them with a black turtleneck sweater from GAP or a shirt from Zara in New York,” says the designer. “In this collection, I have styled the handwoven sari the way I would wear it — with T-shirts, shirts, tank tops, fitted shirts, jackets… everything but the tight-fitted katori blouse,” she says.
This season, give your sari a contemporary twist by introducing the little sari into your wardrobe — all you have to do is tuck it in your waist and drape it over your shoulder, and voila, you’re good to go.
Take inspiration from the designer who tells you how to how to style the little sari.
5 ways to style the little sari
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