Category Archives: Early 20th Century

How to dress like a 1937 heroine

This post on ruffled blouses refers to Mukti (1937)* [X] [X].  The movie was a bit of a fashion influencer with Kanan’s crown braid and  Barua’s beret worn backwards apparently all the rage. It turns out the movie is on … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s, Actor, Bengal, Cinema, Colonial, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Hair, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian men, Indian Singers, Indian Women, Movies, Sari, Sari Blouse, Singer, Vintage, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Spiritual Post

The word spiritual is a rather loose rubric for this post which encompasses women philosophers, traditions of mysticism and wandering minstrels. None of these is entirely exclusive of the other yet they are different ways of pursuing knowledge or the … Continue reading

Posted in 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century, Ancient India, Culture, Early 20th Century, Hinduism, History, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian Singers, Indian Women, Late 19th century, Medieval India, miniature paintings, Paintings, vintage art | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Christmas Post

Miniature paintings of the 18th century and early nineteenth century sometimes contain Christian themes.  Often these were commissioned by Europeans, the palette and figures are reflective of prevalent Indian styles with some modifications. Oudh offers some examples of paintings of The … Continue reading

Posted in 18th century, 19th century, Christianity, Colonial, Culture, Early 20th Century, Indian Dress, Paintings, Sari, Sari Blouse, vintage art, Vintage Dress | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The 1940s Post

The late 1940s was a time of somewhat boxy, padded blouses.  This blouse on the actress and dancer Suryakumari for example is almost like a man’s shirt (or perhaps more correctly a pyjama top).  As can be seen from the … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, 20th century, Cinema, Dancer, Early 20th Century, Indian Cinema, Indian fashion, Sari, Sari Blouse, Singer, South India, South Indian Cinema, Vintage Blouse, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Puff Sleeve

The puff sleeve blouse. Always popular in almost every decade of the 20th century, particularly for young women. Judging from photographs I have seen, the simpler version (unlike the exaggerated sleeves of previous decades) was kind of de rigeur in … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 20th century, 21st century, Actor, Colonial, Contemporary, Early 20th Century, fashion, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Women, Sari, Sari Blouse, Sets, Vintage Blouse, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Midweek Post- 3

In the closing decades of the nineteenth century in a land already thronging with all manner of gods and goddesses there surfaced a novel deity of nation and country who at some moments in the subsequent years seemed to tower … Continue reading

Posted in 1910s, 1920s, Art, British Raj, Colonial, Early 20th Century, Flapper, Goddess, History, Illustration, Independence, India, Indian History, Sari, Sari Blouse, vintage art, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Midweek Post-2

Women in blue saris playing cards, B Prabha George Keyt‘s cubist work, Woman in a Blue Sari, mid 1940s

Posted in 1940s, 20th century, Art, Early 20th Century, India, Indian Dress, Indian Women, Paintings, Sari, Sari Blouse, Sri Lanka, vintage art, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Ayah Post-1

By the 1930s the image of a cherished ayah had been enshrined in the nostalgia of the Raj that had been generated at the close of the nineteenth century. As that image took on a life of its own, individual … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, 20th century, British Raj, Colonial, Early 20th Century, History, India, Indian Dress, Indian Women, Late 19th century, Sari, Sari Blouse, Vintage, Vintage Dress, Women, Working Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Ayah

A number of fashion blogs feature couture, pretty stuff, beautiful fabrics, embellishments, trends and women admired for their beauty. Which is fine for the most part, it is what elevates clothing above the mundane. Once in awhile though it is … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, 20th century, British Raj, Colonial, Early 20th Century, History, India, Indian Women, Late 19th century, Sari, Sari Blouse, Uniforms, Vintage Dress, Women, Working Women | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Goa Post – 1

The Reis Magos Fort in Goa has an exhibition of Mario Miranda’s 1951 illustrated diary. It is an amusing and  interesting look at Goan society (largely the Catholic part of it) circa 1951. I loved the captions and little quirky … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s, Art, Christianity, Comics, Early 20th Century, Goa, Illustration, India, Indian fashion, Indian Women, Travel, Vintage, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments