Drawing from her over 30 years of experience in sari draping, Kalpana Shah's book titled The Whole 9 Yards aims to revive the art of sari draping and restore the magic created by our ancestors with this unique piece of garment.
It unravels the history and myths behind the sari and exposes readers to an array of styling options for each occasion. To ensure sari draping is handy as well as easy for the young and modern generation, the lady has recently launched an App, Learn Sari which explains the wonders of this skill of sari draping. Over to her...
How was the process of researching for the book?
It's been a 30-year-long process of draping, learning and imparting knowledge. Year after year I have seen girls asking for tips, requesting me for notes and I have always been wanting to share my knowledge and provide better solutions to customer problems and queries. Over the years, I have noted down all the information gathered, collated all the observations and improvised myself and this coffee table book - the first on sari draping in India is a product of that research.
The book focuses on the eight basic styles and I have given them endless variations. It delves into every detail - where the pin goes and where the pleat goes. Also, there is a section on questions and answers. It also focuses on different drapes suiting different body types.
Do you agree that sari is the purest form of couture dress?
I think sari is the formal dress of India. I don't think there's any comparison between a sari and a salwar kameez or a gown. It represents our cultural roots and girls feel happy in a sari. It's the most graceful garment.
Tell us about the sari app.
I realised that youngsters today have no patience and all of them are tech savvy. It's their quick way of learning this ancient art and that too in minimum steps. Also, I wanted to reach out to a global audience through this app.
A lot of designers are making pre-stitched saris these days. Comment.
This is clearly the era of pre-stitched saris. One can wear them without much effort. However there is a bit of restriction when it comes to movement and you can't play with many styles.
Your fav fabrics.
While draping I like to highlight the embroidery, border and colour. It's the decade of net saris. I like French chiffon, georgette and net.
