Author Archives: Anu M

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About Anu M

A potted history of Indian clothing and fashion.

Stunt Queens of the 1930s

Posted on 05/10/2013 by Anu M

Next evening we too saw her as she sat in front of the Well of Death, looking bored, chain smoking Scissors cigarettes.  She wore a “birjis”* of shining blue satin, and her heavily painted face looked weirdly blue in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, Actor, Cinema, Early 20th Century, Feminism, Indian Cinema, Indian Women, Old Bollywood, Vintage Dress, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gandhi Jayanti

Posted on 02/10/2013 by Anu M

In the Bombay Presidency, the use of printed textiles was concentrated in the Gujarat districts, where women tended to wear clothing with patterns that covered the whole cloth….Even as late as 1938, more than 1500 artisans, using stamps that they … Continue reading →

Posted in Colonial, Costume, Early 20th Century, Family, Independence, Indian Dress, Indian History, Late 19th century, South Africa, Vintage Dress | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Period Film Post

Posted on 02/10/2013 by Anu M

The Period Film – 1960s Calcutta in Shadows of Time. Sleeveless blouses, updos, pale lipsticks and a focus on the eye makeup. The actresses: Tannishtha Chatterjee and Tillotama Shome. The movie: [X]

Posted in 1960s, Bengal, Cinema, Indian Cinema, Period Drama, Sari, Sari Blouse, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Street, India

Posted on 02/10/2013 by Anu M

Hair Ornaments, Tie String blouses and saris worn “seedha pallu”; sequinned saris; fluorescent colours; kurtas with lace borders; skinny jeans worn with kameez and dupatta; handloom singlets; the enduring popularity of chikankari; gold and yellow thread. One of the nice … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary, fashion, India, Indian Dress, Indian Women, Jewellery, Sari, Sari Blouse, Sets | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Spring-The Paintings Post

Posted on 26/09/2013 by Anu M

Spring is always the red tower of the May tree; alive, shaken with bees, smelling of honey; and the blood, a moving tree of May, (Judith Wright). Its spring – sort of – in the Southern Hemisphere. Today’s painting is … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, Art, Colonial, Culture, Early 20th Century, Flowers, Girls, Goa, India, Indian Women, Paintings, Uncategorized, Vintage, vintage art, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Maharani Post

Posted on 26/09/2013 by Anu M

A liberal spirit, she was an ardent nationalist and one of the founders of the women’s movement in India. She certainly imbibed some of her non-conformist attitude from her husband Sayajirao Gaekwad. Under him, Baroda became the first princely state … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910s, Asia, British Raj, Colonial, Costume, Early 20th Century, Feminism, India, Indian Women, Royalty, Sari, Sari Blouse, Uncategorized, Vintage Dress, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Families Post

Posted on 20/09/2013 by Anu M

A look at families from the late 19th century till about the 1980s.  Its impossible for me to do justice to the many photographs documenting families across region, religion and caste so this is just a sample. First up, North … Continue reading →

Posted in 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 19th century, 20th century, Asia, Bengal, Colonial, Contemporary, Costume, Culture, Diaspora, Early 20th Century, Edwardian, Family, fashion, History, Immigration, Indian Dress, Indian History, Indian men, Indian Women, Islamic Dress, Late 19th century, Photography, Royalty, Sari, Sari Blouse, Sets, South India, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Saraswati

Posted on 18/09/2013 by Anu M

Srimati paints in water colours, in what can be termed the classical style……The inspiration for this is the Ajanta cave paintings near Bombay-frescoes dating back to the sixth and seventh century of this era. Sandglass, 1966. Saraswati playing a vina, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, Art, Asia, Culture, Goddess, Hinduism, Illustration, Japan, Paintings, vintage art | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 80s Post

Posted on 17/09/2013 by Anu M

In the 80s: “Contrast piping” blouse which picked up the sari colours (pic 1 on Rekha). Matching blouse pieces based on the sari (pic 2 on Shabana) or the border (Pic 3 Courtesans of Bombay)-these pieces were often separate and not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980s, Actor, Bollywood, Cinema, fashion, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian Women, Sari, Sari Blouse, Vintage, Vintage Blouse, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The 1930s post

Posted on 17/09/2013 by Anu M

In the 1930s (and perhaps a little bit on either side of this decade) it is very common to see a) the sequinned sari and b) plain sarees with gold borders. In some cases these are fine silks and cottons … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, Actor, Bollywood, Colonial, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Indian Dress, Indian Women, Sari, Sari Blouse, South India, Vintage Blouse, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment