Well known in the fashion circle and beyond as one of the first designers to embrace pure linen yarns for saris, Anavila Misra, who established her eponymous brand in the year 2012, has carved a niche for herself in the fashion industry and has the likes of actresses including Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Konkana Sharma, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol and others on her client list.
For Anavila -- the designer who single-handedly popularised linen saris -- the six-yard wonder is the best heritage gift that has been handed down to us. She believes that although the sari might look like a simple stretch of textile, every province and culture has its unique interpretation of the sari, and that is the beauty of the beautiful garment.
"Sari is an extension and expression of my personality. It's about taking a piece from my roots and creating something that is relevant and timeless. Sari for me is all that a woman stands for -- feminine, strong yet delicate, elegant and mysterious all at the same time," Anavila Misra told News18.com in an exclusive interview.
When asked why does she think that a sari is a wardrobe must-have, Anavila said, "It is a wardrobe must-have because there are many possibilities with one sari – it can be an easy and elegant outfit for work as well as a stunning, formal wedding ensemble depending on how you style and drape it. Globally, the mystique of the Indian sari still remains strong. We must wear it proudly."
Known as someone who makes a conscious and continuous effort to give interesting and stylish spins to her saris to make it more appealing to the younger generation, Anavila believes that "the sari is making its impression upon the new age woman."
"It remains my continuous endeavour to make the sari an equivalent to a pair of jeans and cotton shirt. A woman can curate her own unique look each time with interesting separates to go with the sari," said Anavila.
Talking about the versatility of the garment, Anavila said, "I feel that a few decades back when we filled our wardrobes with western apparel, sari became a piece of heritage and identity which showed itself up in formal or festive occasions only. But I always felt it was a very versatile and feminine garment and my attempts have been to make it an everyday easy wear. I now see a lot of young girls embracing this garment and making it their own."
"Today with so many options and looks created by designers, I feel sari has become like any other garment in our wardrobe which can be pulled out and mixed and matched in various exciting ways. Having said that it will always stand for our identity as Indians," she added.
After the thoughtful conversation around the quintessential Indian outfit and it's versatility, we asked the designer to tell us some ways in which the sari can be worn this festive season and she was more than happy to oblige.
So, here we have listed 8 ways in which you can give an interesting twist to the traditional Indian sari and glam up your look this festive season.
The comfortable and easy-to-drape half sari has a few pleats and shows the petticoat as an aesthetic element of the ensemble. It is a great style that combines all the three elements of a sari in a playful manner – a loose fit blouse, pojagi petticoat with pockets and a less bulky drape.
The peeping printed and pleated petticoat, again includes the garment as an element of style in the look. The sari maintains a shorter drape, making it easier to be on the move. In this look, the loose end of the sari is wrapped around the neck, as if doubling as a winter scarf.
The drape around the skirt has no pleats, keeping it lighter. A loose tuck and loosely pleated palav over a cropped shirt makes this a chic daywear ensemble.
This drape highlights the border of the sari with neat and stoic pleats of the palav running across the length of the body. Teamed with a long patched top with different fabrics, this is a very easy style to wear.
The designer experiments with multi-layers of drape. The sari is playfully tucked higher on one side with fluid layers on the other. On plain saris, this works best to add more character to the textile.
The usual front pleats are fastened unconventionally by pinning on the side instead of tucking in. The exposed pleated ends adds flounce to the silhouette and gives a multi-layered hemline. The casually draped palav also allows the style to show the blouse.
A wrap-around drape lends a slimming and defined look to the sari. With both ends of the textile neatly tucked within the drape looks fuss-free for work.
The unique drape gives an illusion of a dhoti. The floor-length front pallu looks stunning for formal evenings with a sleek and fitted blouse.
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