Maheshwari Silk Saree courtesy Weavesmart

Today I  am going to talk about another of my favourite weaves, and it comes from
 Maheshwar, a city in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.

Maheshwari Saree is a cotton and pure silk fabric woven with zari/ brocade in unique designs. These designs include stripes, checks and florals.
The beautiful conception of the Maheshwari saree dates back to 18th century Madhya Pradesh. That's how the sarees get their name.These sarees were first found and produced in the town of Maheshwar, hence the name. These sarees were initially made of pure Silk, but with time, Cotton was also used for these sarees.
There is a rather interesting legend behind the Maheshwari sarees and it involves none other than Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Malwa.
The queen herself had ordered various artisans from Malwa and Surat to design a special 9 yards saree which she wanted to gift all the royal relatives who visited her palace. In fact it is believed that the Queen herself had designed the first saree. This saree became very popular with her guests and later came to be known as the Maheshwari saree.

The USP of Maheshwari Sarees is that they are light weight  and hence can be worn during all seasons. Another interesting thing about Maheshwari sarees is that they have a reversible border and hence can be worn on either side.

When the generous people at Weavesmart asked me to pick a saree to style on my blog, I hardly took a second to decide that I would pick a Maheshwari Silk saree.
I browzed through their gorgeous collection of Maheshwari sarees on the website to pick this beautiful piece in dark blue and green.
Extremely light weight and easy to carry, this saree made many a heads turn at a recent event I attended, while I graciously accepted all the compliments coming my way. ;)

Outfit Details:
Saree: Weavesmart
Earrings: Confusion Fashion Accessories
Necklace: Confusion Fashion Accessories
Photography by: Deepali Suryawanshi Photography

Baaya Presents “Summer Somethings”

Baaya Design Studio is known to offer a unique range of traditional and tribal art that transform any living space. It promotes 40 original and authentic art forms from the Indian subcontinent which include Gond art, Warli, Thangka art and many more.
But their USP is that they customize this art forms based on their client's needs to give these ancient art forms a contemporary twist.

Baaya is known for scouting raw talent and bringing their artwork in the limelight for several years now. They make sure that bring to us, exclusive products from all over India by collaborating with local artisans and brands thus giving them the much needed recognition and limelight. And that's why they host exclusive events at their store from time to time.

Summers are here and in order to up your cool quotient in this sweltering heat, Baaya Design Studio has come up with a 4 day exhibition at their signature store in Lower Parel. In this event, they have brought together for the very first time, 3 exclusive brands that stand for passion, quality and immense customer loyalty.

Ohar
Stone Vibes
Sasha
All under one roof from the 6^th-9^th April 2017. 

 

Ohar a brand from Delhi, crafts each of its design with supreme care. They have an organic range which uses 100% organic and sustainable fabrics; and a handloom range where they innovate classic fabrics like khaadi in graceful silhouettes.

Stone Vibes is a jewellery brand that was born out of sheer love for colors and the positive vibes that the stones exude. Crafted in copper, silver and micro gold, stone vibes have a full range of earrings, bracelets and neck pieces for both casual and formal occasions designed to suit the woman of today.

Sasha is a luxury brand of exquisite handcrafted and embroidered clutches, created by model and designer Mamta Raja. The range of handmade collection includes the Maharani Collection on a rich silk embellished with faux pearls and gold thread work, Jaipur collection inspired from the beautiful city of Jaipur with its magnificent forts, palaces, peacocks and elephants, clutches on beige raw silk with zardozi embroidery and much more.


Apart from these, you can also check out Baaya's exclusive merchandize created by master artisans from various parts of our country.

So what are you waiting for?
Block your calendars and plan a trip to the Baaya store with your girl gang for some relaxing and rejuvenating retail therapy.
Because whoever said money can’t buy u happiness... was shopping at the wrong places. ;) Am I right??

Date:    6-9^th April 2017
Venue: Baaya design, Ground Floor, A Wing, Prathamesh Tower, Raghuvanshi Mills   
             Compound, Senapati Bapat Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013
Phone: 022 65210165

Taj Mahal - A Symbol of Love

One of the 8th Wonders of the World,
A monument of Pride for every Indian,
And every architectures dream....
The Taj Mahal is indeed one of the greatest monuments existing today.
I was barely 6 years old when I witnessed this beauty in person. Though I wasn't mature enough to appreciate everything about it, my trip to the Taj Mahal will always be etched in my memory.

All these things aside, I really don't agree with it being a symbol of love.
I do appreciate and understand the emotions behind the maker of this gigantic structure, and I am sure he loved his wife Mumtaz Mahal a lot.
But I cannot grasp the logic behind doing something for your love after they are dead.
Why not do things for the person you love when they are alive and around you?
People who say they can't express love really amuse me. I mean you don't have to be a poet or a singer or have some super power to do it.
All you need to do is make the person feel appreciated, valued and respected.
Surprise your mom by buying her a saree without any reason or occasion, fix your Dad's car over the weekend, do your wife's laundry when she is out, or go swimming with your kids over the weekend.
All these are definitely bigger symbols of love for me than building the Taj Mahal.
Do I make sense? If not, lets move on to the pictures.

I recently came across this brand called Perfect Cutt and I was amazed by their Insta feed.
Beautiful, artistic and classy hand made clutches that looked too good to be true.
But when I was sent two of their pieces for styling on the blog, believe me I was more surprised. Because pics do not do justice to the actual beauty of these clutches.

After a very long time, I came across a clutch that was so beautifully made. Quality fabric, expert craftsmanship and perfect finish. These clutches were pure love.

In this post, I have styled their Taj Mahal clutch and I really cant believe this beauty costs merely Rs.1350, which is hardly $20. Can you believe it? Nether can I!

And just so that you know, Perfect Cutt ships internationally too.
For more updates, you can follow them on FB, Twitter and Instagram.

Also, I want to wish all So-Saree Readers a very Happy Gudi Padwa!

Outfit Details:
Saree: Borrowed from MIL
Necklace: Oriflame
EarCuff, bracelet and Ring: Confusion Fashion Accessories
Clutch: Perfect Cutt
Photography by: Deepali Suryawanshi Photography

Girls Night Out at The Cutting Room, Vancouver

I have always been in admiration of handmade products. And could never imagine the pride and happiness one must feel after creating a piece of art on their own. Last Tuesday, I finally experienced what it exactly feels like!
I was privileged to have the opportunity of attending a media event on behalf of So-Saree at The Cutting Room. Based in the uber chic neighborhood of Kitsilano, this super creative space is home to Production as well as Fashion Design and Merchandising Academy. With 25 years of experience in the fashion and apparel industry Liza Deyrmenjian, a New Yorker and owner of The Cutting Room runs this double duty business along with her super talented team.

When I got to the Cutting Room I met a few other bloggers who were equally excited about designing a tote bag, but the one other thing that we secretly shared was the nervousness of using a sewing machine for the first time. Liza assured us that we’d be fine and we all wanted to believe them. So it started with first choosing the material for our tote bags from the variety of options available. I personally found this part the toughest as it was difficult to pick one item among all the beautiful ones available.

After making our almost satisfied choices everyone moved to their sewing machines. Liza and her team gave the group a step by step tutorial of the sewing process. As we progressed through the way and actually witnessed our bags coming into shape and life the joy and confidence kept increasing. The energy and enthusiasm with which Liza and her team taught us was so impressive. They enjoyed the process as much as we did and so was the energy contagious in the room.

We made mistakes but when the bags were finally ready everyone was on cloud nine. Each one of us was super proud of our creation.

I couldn’t believe that in just less two hours I designed and stitched my very own tote bag.

As I went home that night feeling accomplished and a happy heart and mind, I couldn’t thank Liza and her team enough for the most productive and enjoyable evening I’ve had in a recent time.

Apart from conducting these fun workshops for a perfect girl’s night out (click here to book one), The Cutting Room offers a variety of classes for kids and adults.
For more details about the classes please visit this link or click Classes. Not just that you could also launch your Own Line of Fashion with this 6-weekcourse.

To avail a $30 discount when you book your favorite class please use the code SAREE30 (case sensitive)

Whether you’re interested in fashion designing, pattern making, sewing or just want to venture into the field of fashion, The Cutting Room is a one stop shop for all your needs.

-SOnali
 For So-Saree

So-Saree Readers Speak - Richa

And today we are back with another Reader feature.

Today's reader is an entrepreneur and runs a successful Tours and Travel Company in Mumbai.

As much as she loves to travel, she loves flaunting her sarees.

So, here we go...over to you Richa.

As much as I love to travel and work, I love wearing sarees.
I mean where would you find an outfit that's elegant, can be worn for any occasion, never goes out of fashion and fits each and every size.
I love reading So-Saree because it not only talks about my favourite outfit, but also because it covers most topics of my interest like food, travel, festivals and much more.
Below are a few pics of me wearing a saree on my trip to the holy city of Varanasi.

Hope you like them.

Thanks Richa for sharing your pics. You look absolutely beautiful.