Whenever I browsed through my mom’s wardrobe, I was always left awestruck by her fabulous saree collection, particularly, her silk sarees. She would very fondly tell me the story behind each one – there was one that was a present from her favourite cousin, another that was her first wedding anniversary gift. The look in her eyes was enough to tell me how much she prized each one. But given the nature of her work, she didn’t really wear those precious nine-yard creations and they pretty much just stayed in her closet.
So, I gathered the courage and asked my mom if I could take one of her sarees and get a kurta made out of it! And guess what? My mom did not just agree, she asked me to get two made! (one for me and one for her.) It was her saree after all! And since then, there has been no looking back; we have created some beautiful things out of her precious silk sarees. So if your mom is as chilled as mine, and is ready to give up a couple of her ‘nine-yard wonders’ for you, then here are some designer-inspired outfits ideas that you can follow. Oh, and did we tell you that these will be awesome to wear at weddings, too? Trust us, you will not regret this!
1. An elegant kurta
This is your safest bet. Before you go around experimenting, just get a simple kurta made out of it. You can pair it with matching churidars, cigarette pants or even palazzo pants. This is a perfect outfit for a sangeet or mehendi function.
2. A royal anarkali
If you want something elaborate and have a tailor bhaiya that you can actually trust, then you can get a beautiful floor length anarkali made out of it. If you have a dual- toned saree, one with a different coloured palla, then you can even get a contrasting dupatta with your anarkali. But remember, only an experienced tailor will be able to do a good job with this outfit. It is your mom’s prized possession, after all!
3. Just a beautiful dupatta
This doesn’t really need any designing, and you can easily create two dupattas out of one saree. You can pair it with a cotton kurta and churidar to give it a classy look, or can even wear it with a crop top and a skirt to give it a traditional twist. Mixing and matching is the key here.
4. ‘Blouse’ matters
Another very simple trick to keep in mind: It’s pointless to cut up a five metre-long saree to make just a tiny blouse, it’s better to use some of it for a blouse and the rest for another outfit. You can either get a kurta stitched or use it as a dupatta. But please, don’t let it go to trash!
5. Lehenga love
Yes, you can get a lehenga choli stitched out of a saree. Again, you need to be very careful with where you get it stitched from, because only an experienced tailor/designer can do justice to it. If you want a flared lehenga and think that the saree will not be enough, (for both the lehenga and the blouse) then we advise you get a matching (or contrasting) fabric for the choli separately.
6. Skirt it up
This is a great idea for all you girls who would like to add a modern twist to their traditional outfits. You can get a flared skirt made which can be paired with a sexy crop top or any off shoulder top. This can be a good outfit option for a cocktail party or sangeet function.
7. Lengthy matters
Floor length jackets with lehengas and anarkalis have been quite a rage this past year, and this craze hasn’t died down yet. Whether you are looking to exude a classy look or a fusion avatar, a long jacket, made out of your mom’s silk saree, is always a great idea.
I really enjoyed creating outfits out of my mom’s silk sarees (and trust me, so did she!) I hope you got some great ideas from here, and also hope that you’re able to implement them *wink*
