Friday, February 16, 2007

Sarees with a Twist

The saree wars are quite a spectacle to behold in Chennai. It first began with the world's first reversible saree introduced by RmKV - there were billboards all over the city with the beautiful Jyotika wearing one and everyone said Wow - Wonder How That Works. One saree can be worn 4 different ways. Then people went to the store and said Pah Too Heavy for Madras Weather (ahem! are the same mamis wearing heavy Kanchivarams?).

Next Sri Kumaran Silks introduced the saree with a pocket! yes, a pocket!! For the busy woman who needs to put her cell phone/ keys/ wallet somewhere quickly. Now they show a pretty, slim girl wearing it - but what about the fat ones? Does it then become like jeans where the pocket slings to the back? Hmm...I wonder how you sit down with a cell phone sticking out of a - ahem - back pocket?
RmKV then introduced the 50,000 colors saree. And the same Jyotika - smiling and happy - and all Chennai was talking about whether she would wear it for her wedding to the actor, Surya. They also then introduced a saree which weighs only 800 grams (is that to remedy the heavy reversible?).


Now Sri Kumaran has come back with the denim saree! Aimed at the younger jeans-wearing crowd, the ad also states "also suitable for elders". If that doesn't sound terrible in itself, I just dont see the Madras Mamis wearing denim or one with a pocket.


Maybe RmKV has a better grip on the Mamis. Atleast the reversible, the 800 grams and the 50,000 colors sarees are worth considering. Wonder when Nalli is gonna join the fray? C'mon, Chennai needs you.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yours is a lovely blog. Hoping to see more posts about Madras. Best wishes.

Mamatha

Arundathi said...

Mamatha:
Thank you!

Sia said...

ha ha arundathi that was some interesting post:) saree with pockets and denim sarees? god!!! he he he... i love sarees and i find it most lovely and alluring thing on any woman. there was an article sometime back in bbc as how saree is becoming popular in western countries. people r quite facinated by this yards of cloth:)
ur blog is very refreshing one and will be peeking here quite often:)

bee said...

too funny. lol.

Anusha said...

Hi Arundathi, I saw your post on Dining hall and wanted to say I am one of those who discovered your blog recently - found it charming, very very useful and subscribed to it right away, but was too shy to comment :( I am sure you have many more ghost readers like me. Do you have sitemeter or statcounter? That'll help you track the incoming traffic...few comments don't always mean few visitors. Also, one other way is to make a couple of posts interactive - maybe ask a q that will prompt a comment...just my two cents.
keep your posts coming - you are helping me stay in touch with my hometown that I left behind several years ago!

Bong Mom said...

Hey Arundhati
Liked your lovely blog. Though not Familiar with Chennai liked the saree article and i loved nalli :)

Liked your photographs too and wish to see more on food photography here

Anonymous said...

Hi Arundhati,
I have lived in a couple of places in Chennai a long time back. Your blog is awesome. You have a nice style of writing.
Your blog brings back so many memories..Landmark, Lifestyle, Spencer Plaza, Saravanna Bhavan, Nalli's , Kumaran Silks to name a few.... I loved Chennai & was heartbroken when I had to move:-(

Suma Gandlur said...

Hello Arundathi,
Came through Dining Hall blog.
This post is hilarious. I read about the reversible saree some where. But with a pocket? I cannot even imagine.

Arundathi said...

@ Sia: Thanks about the blog. Yes, I love the saree too and its surely one of the most elegant forms of women's clothing! Would love to read that BBC article! Gonna try and dig it up.

@ Bee: Yes, isn't it? I can't wait to see what they come up with next. Any ideas? :)

@ @: Thanks for stopping by. Thats a great suggestion on the site tracker. Gonna incorporate that from Blogger. I hope you get a regular dose of Chennai - if not, you are always welcome to visit! :)

@ Sandeepa: I'm working on the food photography bit! Its a great learning experience though - one way to actually learn is to go out there and take the photos, I guess! Thanks for stopping by.

@ Anonymous: Thank you! I hope you are able to relive Chennai through this blog! :) Down nostalgia lane! Thats too bad you had to move - you can come back and visit anytime! :)

@ Suma: Being one of those people where the pocket might not sit where it should, I'm not too keen to go out and try one! LoL! Would love to see who buys it though - haven't heard of anyone who has as yet!

bee said...

just remembered something. many years ago, my friend (who is a TV and film actress) told me that she had a set of navvaris (nine yard Maharashtrian sarees) that she got specially made for some of her film shots. these are stitched like trousers and have a zipper on the side under the folds. else, it's very difficult for her to go to the loo between shots. this one's so well stitched, it looks like a nine-yarder, it's actually a trouser.
maybe the madisaar mamis would dig that.
- bee

Mishmash ! said...

Hello Arundathi:) your post on dining hall brought me to ur blog and I had a good laugh reading ur latest post on sarees. Sarees with Pockets ?? Are u serious ??? Incredible! Liked ur style of writing. WIll keep visiting for more :)

Shn

Arundathi said...

@ Bee: Even without the zipper, the madisaar mamis love the nine-yards! I remember my grandmother when we were children would even play badminton and run in those sarees. she swore they were the most comfortable things she'd ever worn. i guess they were already on the right track.

@ mishmash: Glad you stopped by. Yup - the Chennai fashion scene is hotting up! Will keep y'all posted! :)

ServesYouRight said...

This is hilarious!!! 'Discovered' your blog thru Dining Hall and I'm sure I will keep coming back. Enjoyed the saree post very much.

Smita

ServesYouRight said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Arundathi said...

Smita:
Thanks! and thanks for stopping by! :)

Anonymous said...

hey its really a good thing to hear. I had found two websites which have a real stuff of sarees or saris. The websites are

http://www.egctraders.com
and
http://www.sarees-saris.com
Their product is really good and if some is interested to do a online purchase of sarees then these website are really good one.

Regards,

Vishwa

Amelia Davis said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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