prasad1
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The ancient sari is having a moment in the Western world. It began with actor Zendaya wearing a shimmering hand-embroidered blue sari gown and embellished bralette to a gala night at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Culture Centre in Mumbai in April. The bespoke outfit — which took 3000 hours to make — was designed by Rahul Mishra, the first Indian couturier to show on the official schedule at Paris Haute Couture Week in 2020. The piece inspired a blush and silver version shown at Mishra’s couture show in Paris last month.
At the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone made several best-dressed lists in a glittering black and gold sari from Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Then in May, the garment made appearances at the 2023 Met Gala — when model Naomi Campbell wore an archival pink sari-inspired dress by Chanel dating back to 2010 — and at Windsor Castle for celebrations marking King Charles III’s coronation, where businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla teamed a nude sheer sari with a Burberry body suit.
Now, the dress is being spotlighted further in a landmark show at London’s Design Museum. Running through September 17, “The Offbeat Sari” marks the first time an international museum has staged a show based solely on the historic drape.
Dating back to around 3,000 BC, saris traditionally consist of a single strip of unstitched cloth (conventionally between three and nine yards long), which can be draped — legend has it — in a hundred ways. While the art of draping is traditionally passed down from mother to daughter, today there are plenty of “how-to” videos available online exploring less conventional takes and even simple pre-stitched versions available to buy which eliminate the need for draping altogether.
At the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone made several best-dressed lists in a glittering black and gold sari from Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Then in May, the garment made appearances at the 2023 Met Gala — when model Naomi Campbell wore an archival pink sari-inspired dress by Chanel dating back to 2010 — and at Windsor Castle for celebrations marking King Charles III’s coronation, where businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla teamed a nude sheer sari with a Burberry body suit.
Now, the dress is being spotlighted further in a landmark show at London’s Design Museum. Running through September 17, “The Offbeat Sari” marks the first time an international museum has staged a show based solely on the historic drape.
Dating back to around 3,000 BC, saris traditionally consist of a single strip of unstitched cloth (conventionally between three and nine yards long), which can be draped — legend has it — in a hundred ways. While the art of draping is traditionally passed down from mother to daughter, today there are plenty of “how-to” videos available online exploring less conventional takes and even simple pre-stitched versions available to buy which eliminate the need for draping altogether.
