Cacophony of color and voices. Overwhelmed. Women dressed in their elegant best. Where it feels like an over-sized FabIndia showroom. Where new-age khadi and linen fabrics overshadow kanjivaram and banarasi sarees. That pretty much sums up my first day experience at Vastrabharana: the handloom exhibition organized by Crafts Council of Karnataka. It is an annual exhibition that happens in the last week/first week of September/October. One for which women save in the months leading upto it so that they can splurge to their heart’s content.And I’m not kidding. The queue at the cash/credit card counter was longer than the entry line to Chinnaswamy stadium to see you know what. What does this exhibition have? Fabrics: ajrakh, hand-block printed, kanjivaram, pochampally, ikat, kalamkari, linen, andhra khadi, kantha, banarasi, chikankari, tussar, raw silk, chanderi, maheshwari etc Saris Blouse material Stoles in silk and cotton Silver and other handmade jewellery How is this…
Overcast skies. Hair gently blowing in the wind. Colors as pretty as these. Blue pottery; block prints; copper vessels. So much diversity under a roof and everything that India stands for. Elegantly dressed ladies draped in beautiful saris. What an electric atmosphere. Sampoorn Santhe is back in town with its visually enticing stalls. If you are craving for Indo-fusion wear in indigo hues, this is the exhibition to go to. Several stalls stacked with block-printed skirts, palazzos, culottes, and dresses. The regulars at Sampoorn were there along with some new entrants. I took a break for a few months from these exhibitions as there were the usual suspects (same stalls) hosted by a different banner each time. And with too many exhibitions happening all around the year, it had lost its novelty. But, it felt good this afternoon. It was good to see Vaaso again. Some pictures from the exhibition.…