The Tale Of The Blouse
Harper's Bazaar India|October - November 2022
From us Victorian-era origins worn by the fashionable set in kolkata, to the humble choli and even the corset-braletle, is modern sari blouse has had a remarkable journey. Bazaar India traces us roots, is flirtatons with royalty, and the glamorous avatars of today. By Priya Kumari Rana
The Tale Of The Blouse

My most cherished memories of my late maternal grandmother, Thakurani Ratan Kumari, is of her sitting in a cane chair in her large patio, surrounded by her beloved Pomeranians, wearing a light chiffon sari with a long blouse that covered her entire midriff. In their heyday, women of my grandmother’s era, the 1950s—especially those from royal and aristocratic backgrounds—were known to wear blouses that went all the way down and below their petticoat, with two slits on either side from where the sari would easily drape over the shoulder, without crumpling the blouse. In fact, if you look at photos of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, she always wore her trademark French chiffons with a long, demure blouse, much like most of the royal women of that era from the erstwhile princely States of Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Kota, among others.

Chiffon saris were the perfect accoutrement for covering one's head, a style that royal ladies in the pastright up to the present-were inclined to do. A Banarasi silk sari could easily slip off the head, but the chiffon sari stayed in place. To match their chiffons, the blouse went with the formal, covered up look, because no royal wanted to be deemed as 'indecent' in the eyes of onlookers.

A PUCCA ENGLISH BEGINNING

This sense of 'decency' and being 'proper' is what's at the crux of the matter with the blouse in its modern avatar.

The sari itself comes from a long line of fabrics that were draped around the body (the earliest mention is in the Rig Veda, which is several thousand years old; as are temple sculptures proof to this garment's ancient origins).

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October - November 2022 من Harper's Bazaar India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October - November 2022 من Harper's Bazaar India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من HARPER'S BAZAAR INDIA مشاهدة الكل
Filler Fatigue
Harper's Bazaar India

Filler Fatigue

With worries about facial distortion and a shift towards the natural, is it time to sav goodbye to these corrective tweaks?

time-read
4 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Mind-Skin Connection
Harper's Bazaar India

Mind-Skin Connection

Is il possible for your skincare to communicate with your brain:

time-read
3 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Tailored for the Game
Harper's Bazaar India

Tailored for the Game

Fashion meets sports as U.S. Polo Assn. names Sawai Padmanabh Singh of ol Jaipur’ s royal family its global ambassador.

time-read
2 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Reimagined Classic
Harper's Bazaar India

Reimagined Classic

Louis Vuitton launches the Neverfull Inside Out bag, transforming the icon into a fully reversible tote.

time-read
2 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Italian Muse
Harper's Bazaar India

Italian Muse

Guecr's new high jew ellery collection isa stroll through the country’s picturesque gardens.

time-read
2 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Co Gs Art Post, Gas Art Pas New CELSIOR Net Lay the show Neking ble e dh PATRON An TH Fotal 24 ANAR Romantics
Harper's Bazaar India

Co Gs Art Post, Gas Art Pas New CELSIOR Net Lay the show Neking ble e dh PATRON An TH Fotal 24 ANAR Romantics

Romcoms might not have prepared me for modern dating, but they offered a timeless sartorial guide to falling in love.

time-read
3 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Making a Case for India's Ingenuity
Harper's Bazaar India

Making a Case for India's Ingenuity

William Dalrymple says The Golden Road is an extraordinary story but also the most challenging book he has written in the last two decades.

time-read
4 mins  |
October - November, 2024
On My Playlist
Harper's Bazaar India

On My Playlist

Playback singer turned indie-pop artiste Dhee talks about music, identity, and empowering a new generation.

time-read
3 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Explicitly Bold
Harper's Bazaar India

Explicitly Bold

The latest lipstick range by Nars is designed to empower wearers with colour and confidence.

time-read
2 mins  |
October - November, 2024
Art in a Bottle
Harper's Bazaar India

Art in a Bottle

The Perfume Library founder Jahnvi Lakhota Nandan believes fragrances are meant to be liberated.

time-read
4 mins  |
October - November, 2024