Lunch for জামাইষষ্ঠী with জামাই et. al. (a bengali festival celebrated by mother-in-laws in honor of their son-in laws. It usually comprises of inviting the daughter and her husband to their in laws for some rituals and sumptuous lunch.) More than the Jamais (son in law in Bengali) the daughters seems more excited for the preening up part and selfies 😉. But this heat and humidity dampen all our spirits of posing in sarees . Be it jamaishashti or not (specially for ones sitting on other side of the planet like me!!) we all have several summer day time desi events or simply "saree moods" to attend. Well.....so have come up in this post with few tips and tricks so you won't have to compromise your favorite saree opportunities.

Let me tell you there aren't many garment as comfortable as a saree in hot and humid days. Sarees were invented for ladies from this tropical region, and are meant to comfort us in these hot weather, only we have to make sure we pick the right sarees. Age old cottons , mulmul, muslin and linens are our loyal friends for the summer. They are pocket friendly as well as classic. But there are several myths and wrong perceptions about these sarees. Let me address them first with my own experiences:

• Many of us feel these cotton. taant , mulmul sarees are hard to drape and make us look more fat. Like both me and my twin, our Ma has been short and plump in her younger days(not that she's getting any older !at least never for us!!). Although she was confident, highly educated working woman, still remember Ma was conscious about her body image. She would avoid the cotton Taant sarees as they would drape like a tent on her. She used to buy exquisite handloom taant and cotton sarees but never dared to drape them. In this age as well, body image issues and constant fear of judgement have overpowered the comfort factor in lot of our minds too. I have written about them in my previous post here. Thus lets not encourage these body-shaming anymore and wear what we feel most at ease in this weather.
• These summer friendly sarees gives a lot of us an "Auntie-like saree" vibe😕. But trust me, its not the saree but your attitude and the way you drape, style and carry it is responsible for the vibe. So it all depends on ho confident you are and how you are styling your sarees.

In the following points lets quickly jot down few hacks that can ace up our saree looks during summer days.

• As mentioned before, for summer daytime choose pure cotton, linen, kota, organza, muslin. They are very light and breezy.
• If the sarees are heavy on starch(like taint), pleat it ahead of time, iron along the pleats and pin them. So now when you are draping it in rush, the saree will not look like a tent and tame down better. 
• Drape traditional sarees with interesting and stylish blouses. Summers are best time to take out your sleeveless blouses. Or give modern twists to your conventional blouses by using net (refer to the pic). They make the blouses lighter and comfortable too.
• Pure cotton petticoats are a bliss during summer. Avoid the slimfit, jersey fabric ones on these hot days and let the air flow 😉
• Go for natural pastel hues during day time. They are more soothing for eyes and feel better.
• Wear lighter accessories. Lesser the better.
• You can put your hair up in a bun and add fresh flower for some freshness and comfort.
• Avoid heavy makeup.Rub in ice on your skin before doing any makeup

 Am sharing mine and Moumita's go to summer saree looks.

Look 1
 For the first, am wearing a classic timeless Kerala Kasavu saree brought by a friend Shyja Balakrishnan from the God's own country (I can feel her love for me as i drape the saree). These Kasavu sarees, which dates back to Buddhist era, are traditionally weaved in off white and gold. They are considered to be pious and adorned by God. Mine has intricate embroidery of Radha-Krishna on its pallu and gold zari all over it. Its perfect for any daytime event to attend, I was wearing it for a dear friend's bridal shower in the afternoon. I intentionally did not pair it up with a contrast blouse. It would have looked OTT and shift the focus from the wonderful golden hues. So designed my blouse with net at the back to give it some needed oomph and comfort 😊. The simple yet intricate gold chandbaalis, necklace and bangle gave it the subtle glamour it needed. Tied my hair up in a bun and kept my makeup very natural.

Look 2

The second one is a cotton dhakai. The most apt saree for summer. These are uniquely woven by weavers in Bangladesh and West Bengal and manifests designs of flora , fauna and traditional Bengali alpana.  This saree of mine is creme in color and is suitable and eye-soothing for the afternoon events. Paired it with a black quintessential bong হাত কাটা (sleeveless)  blouse. simple  jhumkis and pendent to give it a casual look.

Look 3

This look coming from my twin, Moumita. A very simple yellow taant saree. These taant sarees are handwoven by weavers in Bengal and Bangladesh. Their light, airy texture makes them especially suited for the warm and humid summers of this region. As they are high on starch, she pre-pleated, ironed and pinned the saree before draping it. Paired it with contrast green blouse and a red leather purse as the saree was too simple. Accessorized it with heavy chaandbali earrings and a simple long chain (popularly known as মটর chain in Bengali). Heavy kohl eyes and bright lips to complement the simple saree.

Outfit Details:

Look 1

Saree: Shyja Balakrishnan, from Kerala, India

Blouse Material; New market (kolkata) and designed by me

Jewelry: From N.P. Jewellery, Gariahat, Kolkata

Look 2

Saree: Saree Kuthir, Gariahat, Kolkata

Jewelry: Gariahat Hawkers Market, Kolkata

 Look 3

Saree: Saree Kuthir, Gariahat, Kolkata

Earring: Bilu Ghoshal

Chain: Shri Hari Jewelry

Bangle: Chique, Kolkata

Bag: Sreeleathers, Kolkata

"I don't have ANY new saree to wear to this party" that's most of us saying before any event or party.  There is undoubtedly nothing as versatile and comfortable as saree for a summer wedding or festivity. But in this Instagram age we want to flaunt something new at every event. But with galore of parties and invites, our wardrobes offers limited inventories😞 and we feel the need to buy something new each time. Alas!!! our budgets and dearest husbands/partners/parents/or whoever concerned or unconcerned doesn't find this exciting. Each time I look for a saree to buy THEY"LL feel overly worried about how they will fit in MY wardrobe. And also if you are like me, living outside India, its all the more expensive and hassle to find the choicest sarees the moment we want them. But as its said "necessity is the mother of all  ...err ...jugaars" (in our house, the scientist better half does enough of those inventions😜) So I have become diligent enough to style my sarees differently each time I wear them at different occasions. Trust me you can style your favorite saree in innumerable ways with just few simple hacks. Here's a pic of me styling my favorite soft Kanjeevaram saree at three separate occasions in three different ways. In this post I'll go over each of them and give you some tips how can you do the same.

So lets get going...but first,

What are the different aspects of Styling a Saree

Saree: 

Pic Courtesy: A dear friend, Abhishek Mallik

Pick a saree depending on the occassion, comfort, and mood. If you need more help regarding how to choose a saree, please do check my previous blog here. Neatly draping the saree is key to look and feel good. Please don't shy away from experimenting with different draping styles as they make a huge difference in the whole look. Try the more conventional drapes like, pleated pallu Nivi drape, loose pallu Nivi drape, Bengali drape, seedha palla drape, if you are too intimidated by more expermental drapes.

Blouse: 

Now the second most important component, the blouse. Pair your sarees with INTERESTING blouses (now, that doesn't always mean expensive or "designer" ones). Mix and match different prints, contrast colors, designs and even crop tops, jackets and kurtis (for those rolling eyes👀, they really work!!). Even if you are wearing the saree with the matching blouse, spice it up with some intricate designs like dori, tassles/latkans, zari borders. Blouses are real game changers for sarees. Combinations with different blouses changes the whole look all together.

        

Jewelry and bag: 

Combining jewelry and bag with the saree is the most fun part. There are no rules on how you want to mix and match them with your saree. Sport different accessories each time you drape the saree. Pair your accessories according to your comfort and choice. If your saree is too heavy, tone it down with lighter accessories and vice versa. Only wear one statement piece be it bag, ring, earring or necklace. Too many of them together might spoil the whole look and distract focus.

Hair:

Simple alterations in hairstyles can make the whole look different. Adding fresh flowers or jeweled combs can make the hairstyle all the more glamorous.

Makeup:

Makeup can make a significant difference in looks for sure. Try opting for bold eyes-nude lips or subtle eyes-bold lip combinations according to your saree and overall outfit.


Thus all of these aspects playing major roles,tweaking any or all of these. You can get innumerable looks out of just one saree ,

So now let's go over my three ways of styling the same saree.

1. Bengali Drape Look : In the first look I have paired the saree with a full sleeve blouse. Kept the look very traditional and minimal, by adding a matching Jadau pendant on a DIY choker. The statement piece being the kundan ring which is again a DIY😊. Comment below if you want to know more on how I made these. Nude lips and bold eyes goes perfect with any Bengali look even if you have Mongolian eyes like mine 😉

Pic Courtesy : Abhishek Mallik

Outfit Details: 

Saree: Adi Shakeshwari Bastrayala, Kolkata

Blouse: Piece came the saree, designed by yours truely

Necklace: Pendant from Nonni , paired with a DIY blue choker

Earrings: Nonni

Ring: DIY

Purse: Dakshinapan, Kolkata

2. Belted Saree Look: This is a contemporary look with the same kanjeevaram saree. Draped it on a tee and have added a belt to spice up the look and break the traditional vibe a bit. Also, opted out the bindi for this look. The accessories were chosen to keep contemporary flavor, details of them are given below. Also added faux gajra to keep it fresh looking. 

Outfit Details:

Tee blouse: Walmart

Statement earrings: Gift, source unknown

Bag: Gift, bought from Priyo Gopal Bishoyi, Kolkata

Cuff: Sam and Moons, Houston, USA

3. Loose Pallu drape: The last look from the saree is the one I draped over same blouse I wore in look 1. But see how different it looks with different drape, accessories, hair and makeup. It was a more conventional look with gold jewelry.

Outfit Details:
Jewelry: My wedding trousseau, from various Gold stores in Kolkata
Bag: Gift, Tommy Hilfiger 

Hopefully the post was helpful for you. Please do let us know if you did. Keep rocking your six yards sareeistas. Follow us and stay tuned for more saree looks and hacks on this blog.