Sarees have been around for so long that it is the staple in your closet. Any fashionista worth her salt owns at least seven types of sarees. From Bengal Tant and Kerala Cotton that you can wear every day to Kanjeevarams, you invest in which can steal the show in any party.
However, for the real aficionados of sarees, there are rare sarees which are hard to find, but truly unique and worth having in your wardrobe. So, if you like being one step ahead in fashion, these are for you.
- Dharmavaram Sarees - These are handloom sarees made of mulberry silk and zari. They’re made in Dharmavaram in Andhra Pradesh and are traditional temple sarees that are the rarer cousins to the popular Kanjeevaram.
- Jamdani Sarees - This is the act of creating floral motifs on a piece of cloth. It is usually done on muslin fabrics and is made on a handloom with intricate details. They take several days to make and are very intricate.
- Garad Sarees - Women of Bengal associate this saree with piety. Mostly because the silk fabric used for these sarees are not dyed. They are traditionally red and white and are woven in Murshidabad in West Bengal.
- Jute Chanderi - Chanderi sarees are very popular creations from Madhya Pradesh. These sarees are characteristically very thin and transparent, and the delicate threads are in stark contrast to the texture of finely processed jute threads.
- Kota Doria - The Kota Doria comes from Rajasthan. They are very distinct sarees with square boxes on the fabric and a lightweight texture. They are made with a blend of cotton and silk.
- Ilkal Sarees - This saree comes from the heart of Bagalkot district in Karnataka and has an exclusive styling technique. Theni is a skill which is exclusive to this type of saree alone where the body of the saree is attached to the pallu with a series of loops.
- Kalamkari - Kalamkari or Qalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed pattern, produced in Iran and India. It means drawing with a pen and are only done with natural dyes and deep intricate patterns.
- Pochampally Silks - Ponchampally sarees have distinctly geometric shapes dyed on the silk fabric. These traditional patterns make these sarees one of a kind.
- Batik Painted sarees - They are decorated with an intricate process of wax coating and selective dyeing. When the wax is removed, portions of the dye bleed into the spaces, giving a distinct, beautiful pattern.
- Patan Patola - These are Gujarati sarees that are heavily decorated with floral designs. Woven intricately, these sarees are virtually priceless for how light and easy they are to wear.