Category Archives: Costume

The Tamil Historical Post

The illustrations for Tamil periodicals have a long history and some illustrators are nearly as well known as the writers. A number of serialised stories are historical romances (think Chola empire, Pallavas) and the drawings are fairly vivid in recreating an era, albeit … Continue reading

Posted in 20th century, Ancient India, Costume, Early 20th Century, fashion, Hair, History, Illustration, India, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian History, Indian men, Indian Women, Jewellery, Love, Novels, Period Drama, Romance, Royalty, Sari, Sari Blouse, Tamil, Tamil Cinema, Vintage, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Weekend

I do not know what you think of me, but I think you are the most wonderful man on earth. Shakuntala*, Amar Chitra Katha. Its the weekend. Wear your best kanchuki (bodice). Shower some love on the pet deer. And write a … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient India, Comics, Costume, Illustration, Indian Dress, Mythology, Romance, Sanskrit Drama, Sari, Women | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

1940s-1960s

A brief look at fashions on film. 1, The 1940s. Noor Jahan in Anmol Ghadi (1946). This kind of square neck blouse was popular in the late 40s and continued to be so in the early 50s. The sequinned sari of course has … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Actor, Cinema, Costume, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian Women, Movies, Old Bollywood, Sari, Sari Blouse, Sets, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gandhi Jayanti

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 Maharani Post

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

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

Sharara/Gharara

The sharara and the gharara are lower garments that are like flared pants. While a variety of such garments were in use in India in the 18th and 19th century, some of the examples shown here were fairly common wear … Continue reading

Posted in 18th century, 1940s, 1950s, Costume, Early 20th Century, Islamic Dress, Vintage, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Africans in India

Given proximity, its not very surprising that there has been an African presence in India from very early on.  Pakistan for e.g. has a large number of people of African origin, as does Gujarat (the Siddis). As early as in the … Continue reading

Posted in 16th Century, Africa, Asia, Costume, History, Indian men, Islamic Dress, Men, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Epic Post

One of the central and much discussed events of the Mahabharata involves the sari – the loss of Draupadi in a game of dice and her disrobing in the royal assembly. Draupadi is in seclusion, her single garment stained with … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient India, Asia, Cinema, Costume, Culture, Epics, Hinduism, History, Indian Dress, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Paintings Post

This gallery contains 3 photos.

In the Gallery: 1.  “An elegant lady stands facing right holding a white floral garland with both hands. She is finely dressed in an olive green pleated sari edged with gold over a crimson underskirt, the end draped over her head like … Continue reading

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