Embroidered sarees have always been associated with a gorgeous look. This is what makes women crave to buy them. India boasts a range of embroidery styles across the length and breadth of the country. There is the delicate kashidakari of Kashmir, the heavily embellished bagh and phulkari styles of the Punjab, the Mughal style gold and silver zardozi of Lucknow, the appliqué-work of Odisha, the mirror-work embroidery of Kutch, the Parsi gara of south Gujarat and the kantha  of Bengal for the connoisseur to choose from , depending upon the available budget.

Hand and Machine Embroidery

Embroidery on sarees is done either by hand or by machine Of course, there is a marked distinction in the kind  of embroidery output  achieved by each.

Hand embroidery

Hand embroidered sarees are more expensive than machine-embroidered ones. Every detail is painstakingly created on the cloth, and hence  these are time-consuming to produce. However, it also  yields the most creative patterns on cloth.

Machine embroidery

Machine embroidery cannot  produce patterns as intricate as hand embroidery, but the work produced is absolutely perfect and devoid of flaws.  Machine embroidered sarees are also much cheaper, since they can be mass-produced.

Various forms of Indian Embroidery

In India, each region has a distinctive style of embroidery. Punjab specializes in phulkari, which is characterized by flower patterns on a solid deep (colour) background. Bagh is another variation of Punjabi embroidery, where an entire garden or bagh is  created on the cloth.  Unlike Phulkari, the Bagh style has the silken embroidery threads covering up every bit of the cloth, leaving  no cloth visible. Bagh also has metallic gold and silver thread interwoven with silk, and is generally gifted by elders to the bride for her wedding.

  • The Kashidakari of Kashmir is traditionally done on wool or silk, and shows a distinctive Persian influence.
  • The Zardozi embroidery of Lucknow uses metallic thread made of gold and silver, and is opulent in style.
  • The mirror-work of the Kutch region of Gujarat traditionally uses silk threads on thick khaddar or cotton, to produce bed-covers or odhnis. However, this l embroidery is now being used to adorn cotton and silk sarees.
  •  The Kantha work of Bengal was traditionally used to produce soft layettes for infants. Today, kantha is being used on silk and cotton sarees.

Variations in thread, background and embellishment

The kind of thread used for embroidery imparts a different look to the finished product. Thus, gold thread imparts richness, while silver looks stunning on party wear.

Lace work is a modern variation of the embroidered saree which has caught on of late.  Lace sarees look  exquisite  and are especially suited for parties,  since they are light and delicate.

One can also find lace sarees that use silver and gold to create that ideal fusion which is just right for a fancy party! These along with Bandhani SareesBollywood Sarees, Fancy Sarees, Kalamkari Sarees and Party wear Sarees should be part of every wardrobe.

MetroMela brings you the best Embroidery Sarees for fancy parties!

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