India is a land full of diversities. Different religions, different cultures, different dressing styles, you can experience all this when you visit the place. Talking about fashion, you will find a variety of stunning fashion on the lands of the country. Be it the age-old handlooms, a riot of colorful textiles or the endless list of embroideries that are native to our country, we flaunt them all.
Here is a list of all the fashion terms that a desi Indian girl must know.
Aari
Aari work is prominent in North India. It is a type of hand embroidery that helps sew sequins and glitter. It looks very Golden and Shimmery.
Benarasi
Benarasi is India’s richest homegrown silks. Benarasi work is known for its fine gold and silver, zari or brocade work on silk. This rich fabric is woven from yarn in Varanasi.
Jamdani
Jamdani work was patronized by Mughals in India. It is one of the finest muslin textiles of Bengal.
Bandhini
Bandhini work has its origin from Rajasthan. It is a technique of tying small dots on a fabric with continuous thread and dyeing it. The cloth gets vibrant patterns, irregular mix of vermillion and saffron, emerald and sapphire.
Kashida
Kashida is an intricate, ornate and delicate embroidery. This beautiful embroidery work belongs to Kashmir. This work is mostly done on woolen pashmina shawls and phirans.
Chanderi
Chanderi fabric belongs to Chander region of Madhya Pradesh. It is a type of fabric which involves weaving of cotton, silk, and Zari together. Chanderi is a very rich fabric.
Kantha
Kantha is a running stitch embroidery which is done in many different colors. This kind of embroidery is usually done on plain fabrics such as raw silk in lighter colors.
Baluchari
Baluchari sarees are famous across India and Bangladesh. This kind of work was originated in Bengal and has mythological scenes printed on the pallu of the saree.
Mukaish
Mukaish work is all glittery work that adds shine to the cloth. There are small metal pieces that are woven into the fabric using thread or sometimes even molten metal.
Gota
Gotta Patti has its origin in Rajasthan. Under this kind of embroidery, Zari’s ribbons are applied to the fabric. The Zari ribbons are cut into different shapes and sizes to create elaborate patterns. It is the lightest form of embroidery.
Jaal
Jaal work is somewhat similar to Chikenkari. However, the motifs in Jaal work are mostly arches and domes created like a cut-work having hollow spaces in the fabric.
Patola
Patola saree is very expensive and very rare to find. Patola work involves double Ikat woven saree which is made out of silk. The work has its origin from Patan in Gujarat.
Phulkari
This popular form of embroidery comes from Punjab, especially the Sindh region. Phulkari is a mix of thread work and sequins. As the word ‘Phulkari’ states it is an embroidery focused on floral motifs. It is quite in trend these days.
Zari/ Zardozi
Zardozi comes from two Persian words, Zar meaning Gold and dozi means embroidery. It is one of the most preferred techniques in India. Under this technique, a metallic thread is used on the fabric, which makes it look elegant.
Shisha
Shisha refers to the Mirror work. The Mirror work is extremely popular in Gujarat. The embroidery is done using glass mirrors that are sewn into fabrics using threads. The Shisha work adds more sparkle to your cloth and makes it look more beautiful.
Ikat
Ikat has its origin in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. It is a dyeing technique which is used to dye on the yarn prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric.
Kali
Kali is a kind of panel with the pre-embroidered pattern. A lehenga or Anarkali is stitched by attaching several Kalis together.
Latkan
Small cords that are used as an embellishment on various garments like Lehnga, blouse or even your suits. They can be made out of certain beads, pom-poms, waste fabric etc.
Chikankari
The famous embroidery from Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh, Chikenkari, unlike other embroideries, is done with a white cotton thread on light fabrics like chiffon and cotton. The work was brought to India by Nur Jahan who popularized it as Shadow-work embroidery.
Kanjeevaram
Kanjeevaram the south Indian form of Banarsi silk is full of floral designs, epics like Ramayana or Mahabharata weaved on it. The Kanjeevaram silk is quite popular in South.
Lehariya
The style belongs to Rajasthan. It is a type of tie-dye style in which cloth is colored in distinctive patterns. The dying technique often produces wave patterns and this is how the style gets its name. (Lehariya is a Rajasthani word for wave).