No saree is too hot to handle this summer

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