Source: www.washingtonpost.com
NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 27, 2010: It was just past noon when dozens of mothers and daughters at India’s most luxurious mall sauntered right past the glittering showrooms of Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton and into a brunch celebrating the sari. India’s supercharged economy has brought a parade of posh international designers to the capital that offer miniskirts and skinny jeans to one of the world’s largest markets.
But the emblem of Indian glamour is in the throes of a comeback, and these women had come to the DLF Emporio mall to attend “sari school.” They hoped to learn some of the 108 ways to drape a sari from the grand aunty of the garment: Rta Kapur Chishti, a textile historian and sari stalwart.
Noting the demise of the kimono in Japan and the Chinese obsession with global brands, many Indian designers consider saving the sari a point of cultural pride, said Chishti. The young are re-igniting the spark of interest in the traditional garb. The sari, once old, is the new new.
See a slideshow of beautiful saris at a fashion show here