You don't have to take a flight to Chennai to shop for authentic Kanjeevaram sarees. An online store offers an exhaustive range in silk and cotton that's bolder and in sync with the contemporary young woman's style
You don't have to take a flight to Chennai to shop for authentic Kanjeevaram sarees. An online store offers an exhaustive range in silk and cotton that's bolder and in sync with the contemporary young woman's style
Whoever said Kanjeevarams were not in vogue needs to log onto aparisera.com, an online store that presents the traditional South Indian saree, reinterpreted for the young woman.
Named after Kanchipuram, a small town 76 km from Chennai, these sarees are characterised by bold colours and zari work along the border and pallu woven in gold-dipped silver threads.
Usually seen as heavy, traditional garb (think Rekha at film award functions), the Kanjeevaram has been given a younger look by Chennai-based jewellery designer Ahalya S.
Her online store retails an exhaustive range of Kanjeevarams (there were 367 designs when we logged in) in silk and cotton ranging from $61 (Rs 2,730 approx) to $967 (Rs 43,280).
"We stick to traditional motifs but stay away from the the overtly heavy feel that a Kanjeevaram is associated with," says Ahalya, who also retails a line of jewellery under the label Rasvihar on the same site.
Breaking clich ufffds that characterise Kanjeevarams available at garment stores, these go bolder with the use of contrasts. But Ahalya has refrained from meddling too much with the blue print; all she's keen to do is make the traditional varieties more wearable.
"I work with weavers who have been practising the craft for years. Decades of experience makes the weaver a designer himself, if you know what I mean," says Ahalya about the Sarangi range of sarees that offer comfortable cottons for work and heavy formals for the bridal trousseaux.
The website is user-friendly and lets you browse options with ease. You can sort the range by price, border design, and name. Each design carries a picture with it including more views of the blouse, border, and pallu.
Delivery is promised within seven working days.
What's a bit inconvenient (other than the price in dollars, unless Ahalya is aiming at NRIs only) is the payment mode. Parisera accepts payments, only through PayPal, demand drafts, money order, cheques and direct cash deposits at select banks. We'd think an online store that prides itself on modernising what's deeply traditional would offer GenY's preferred use of paymentu00a0-- the credit card.
Log on to www.parisera.com
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