Vintage Kanjivaram patterns
Kanjivaram sarees have been around for centuries and interestingly enough, the process of crafting one hasn't changed much during this period. In every other apparel, fashion keeps changing in a certain direction but with Kanjivaram silk sarees, the classic patterns and designs have retained their popularity and status.
What makes a saree pattern vintage ?
A vintage design or pattern is one that has been around for decades and achieved a 'cult-like' following among certain sections of saree lovers. We cover some of the popular Kanjivaram vintage patterns in this short blog.
Korvai :
Korvai (or contrast) is one of the ancient techniques used in the crafting of silk sarees where the body and borders of the saree are woven independently. The process of weaving one usually requires two weavers; the main weaver weaves the body and one of the borders while the other one is responsible for the other border. Due to the labor and coordination required, contrast sarees take longer to weave but the biggest advantage is that the colors of the body and borders can be selected individually.
Vaira oosi :
Oosi vari is also known as vaira oosi. In this technique, fine form of gold zari are used to create minute stripes that run along the entire length of the saree. The popular colors for this weave are red, maroon, deep green and turquoise.
Kattam & Vari :
Kattam (checks) or vari is another vintage pattern. There are different variations of this pattern but the classic one is where gold zari is used to weave checks on the body of the silk saree.
Temple borders:
Temple borders are another classic pattern in Kanjivaram silks. These days, the temples are crafted using either gold or silver zari.
Veldhari :
Wavy lines with dots in-between woven along the warp of the saree is known as Veldhari. This classic pattern is often woven using gold, silver or silk threads.
At Shreenivas silks, it is our passion to keep the traditional weaves alive. You can check out the above vintage patterns and more in this section.