Category Archives: historical dress

Ashadh ka ek din

Posted on 25/07/2016 by Anu M

आषाढस्य प्रथमदिवसे मेघमाश्लिष्टसानुं वप्रक्रीडापरिणतगजप्रेक्षणीयं ददर्श॥१.२॥ Ashar has come, filling the southern sky with A cloud, frolicksome as an elephant About to charge, he seems to lower his tusks. (translation of lines from the Meghadoot from here). The month of Ashadh … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, 4th century AD, Ancient India, costume design, Costumes in Cinema, Culture, film costumes, Film Costuming, Hairstyles, historical costume, historical dress, historical fashions, historical hairstyles, Indian Aesthetics, Indian Cinema, Indian Costume, Indian Literature, Indian men, Indian Theatre, Indian Women, Romance, Sanskrit Drama, Sanskrit Literature, sari drape, Theatre | Tagged 1950s play, 1970s cinema, arun khopkar, ashadh, Ashadh ka ek din, film costumes, indian costumes, Indian Theatre, Kalidasa, mani kaul, mohan rakesh, monsoon, rekha sabnis, theatre costumes | 2 Comments

Autumn/Festive Season

Posted on 17/10/2015 by Anu M

We are in autumn but it remains very warm. Reading autumn poetry is about the only one to keep one’s cool. The skies, growing gradually peaceful, flow like long rivers across heaven, with sandbanks formed of the white clouds and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1760s, 18th century, 2000s, Actor, Ancient India, Art, century, Costume, costumes in art, Culture, Dance, Dancer, Flora, Flowers, ghaghra, Goddess, historical costume, historical dress, indian art, Indian Cinema, Indian Costume, indian festivals, Indian men, Indian Textiles, Indian Women, Literature, miniature paintings, Paintings, Sanskrit Drama, Sari, Sari Blouse, sari drape, sari history, Seasons, Women, women in art | Tagged 15th century, 1760s, autumn, block print, circle dance, dandiya ras, indian textile, Jaipur, marigolds, miniature painting, monsoon wedding, mudrarakshasa, nagin, navaratri, painted cloth, Rajput, rasamandala, sharad ritu, tillotama shome, vijay raaz, vishakhadatta, Vyjayanthimala, zamaanapatsi | Leave a comment

Indian Royals – 2

Posted on 04/09/2015 by Anu M

The daughters of the Diwan of Travancore in 1868. They appear to be Bala, Neena, Sundara, Sati?. The Diwan was a Maharashtrian from Thanjavur, the sari and ornaments are similar to that seen in Maharashtra and South India in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1900s, 1910s, 1930s, Costume, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, historical dress, historical fashions, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian royalty, Indian Women, Late 19th century, Maharashtra, regional styles, Royalty, Sari, Sari Blouse, sari drape, sari history, Sets, Studio Portraits, Vintage Blouse, vintage costume, vintage fashion, vintage sari, vintage style, Women | Tagged 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, 1900s, 1910s, 1930s, Baroda, Cooch Behar, Gaekwad, india, indian royalty, Indira Devi, Maharani, Mysore, royalty, sari, sari history, sari style, Suniti Devi, Thanjavur, Travancore | Leave a comment

Indian Royals – 1

Posted on 04/09/2015 by Anu M

Unidentified man, Jaipur, possibly royalty. Painted portrait (gelatin silver print and watercolour) from the 1930s. The collared coat is possibly a sherwani – a garment that displaced the jama, angarkha kind of tunics of the Mughal and Rajput courts by … Continue reading →

Posted in 1900s, 1920s, 1930s, 20th century, Colonial, Costume, Culture, Early 20th Century, historical costume, historical dress, historical fashions, History, India, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian History, Indian men, Indian royalty, Islamic Dress, Islamic style, Painted Photographs, Photography, Royalty, vintage costume, Vintage Men | Tagged India royalty, Indian princes, Kashmir, Maharaja, Maharaja of Kashmir, Nawab, Nawab of Tonk, Painted Photographs, Rajput, safa, sehra, shawl, sherwani, Star of India, Tonk | 3 Comments

Costume Books

Posted on 17/08/2015 by Anu M

I have been reading a couple of books on Indian costumes and thought I would write a bit about two of them. Queen Subada, Detail from Shahnamah, Sultanate School, 1450. Costume Details: Phiran: of transparent material, form-fitting and ankle length, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1990s, 20th century, Accessories, Actor, Ancient India, antique, Art, Asia, Authors, Costume, Courtesan, Culture, Dancer, fashion, Hinduism, historical costume, historical dress, historical fashions, historical hairstyles, Illustration, indian art, Indian Dress, Indian History, Indian Illustrators, Indian Theatre, Indian Women, Jaina Literature, Jewellery, Medieval India, Sanskrit Drama, sari history, Theatre, Women | Tagged 1540s, ancient india, Central Asia, historical costume, indian costume, medieval India, Queen Subada, Roshen Alkazi, Sanskrit, Shahnamah, Sultanata School, Tarla Mehta, Uttararamacharitram, Vasantasena, Vikramorvasiyam | Leave a comment

The Buddhism Post

Posted on 01/06/2015 by Anu M

I had done this set of posts starting on Buddha Purnima on tumblr but it’s taken me till now to collate it on WP. In some ways posts are more coherent on WP so despite the delay here it is. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1880s, 1900s, 1940s, 1990s, Ancient India, Art, art recreation, Asia, Buddhism, Colonial, Costume, Culture, Early 20th Century, East Asia, historical art, historical costume, historical dress, History, Illustration, India, indian art, Indian Dress, Indian History, Indian men, Indian Women, Japan, Late 19th century, Paintings, Philosophy, Religion, Sanskrit Literature, Sari, Sri Lanka, Women | Tagged 1880s, 1940s, 1990s, 4 May, Ajanta, Ajanta art, Bellanwila, Bhikkuni, Bombay School of Art, Buddha, Buddha Purnima, Buddhism, Dhammadinna Bhikuni, Manindra Bhushan Gupta, Mara, Mara's daughters, Nihonga, Rahula, Sattasai, Soma, Somabandhu Vidyapati, Sujata, the departure of buddha, Women in Buddhism, Yashodhara, Yokoyama Taikan | Leave a comment

वसन्त ऋतु – Spring

Posted on 09/03/2015 by Anu M

It’s spring in India. And while the illustration above* is all mildness and white (and indeed the kunda finds mention in a lot of Sanskrit spring poetry) the flowers of spring that are emblematic of the season are quite red … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient India, Art, Asia, Contemporary, Costume, Culture, Flora, Flowers, historical art, historical costume, historical dress, historical fashions, History, Illustration, indian art, Indian Dress, Indian History, Indian Illustrators, miniature paintings, Paintings, Poetry, Sanskrit, Sculpture, South India, Vintage, vintage art, Vintage Blouse | Tagged ancient india, art, asoka flowers, asoka tree, chandra rajan, flowers, illustration, ingalls, jasmine, Kalidasa, kimsuka, kunda, miniature painting, palash, Sanskrit, Sanskrit Poetry, sculpture, spring, spring flowers, spring ritual, Tamil | 6 Comments

The Kerala Post

Posted on 26/02/2015 by Anu M

This post was in response to a reader request on tumblr. Its fairly basic and is confined mainly to the 19th and 20th century but does cover some ground. Here goes! Though the “set-mundu” consisting of two pieces of cloth … Continue reading →

Posted in 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 19th century, 20th century, Accessories, Art, Colonial, Costume, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Flora, Flowers, Girls, Hair, historical costume, historical dress, India, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Literature, Indian Women, Kerala, Late 19th century, Malayalam Cinema, Period Drama, Photography, regional styles, Royalty, Sari, Sari Blouse, sari drape, sari history, Sets, South India, South Indian Cinema, Studio Portraits, vintage costume, vintage fashion, vintage hair, vintage jewellery, vintage sari | Tagged amaltas, celluloid, changampuzha, chatta, jc daniel, kanikonna, Karthika thirunal, Kerala, Kerala cinema, Kerala Jews, Kerala royalty, kuppakam, Lakshmi Bayi, Malabar, Mappila, Miss Kumari, mundu, mundum neriyathum, neriyathu, Parvathi Bayi, sari, set mundu, Syrian Christian, Travancore, Travancore costumes, Travancore royals | 5 Comments

The Mughals-1

Posted on 25/02/2015 by Anu M

It’s probably accurate to say that an indigenous form of the Islamic clothing brought in by the Mughals (a mix of Turkish and Persian influences) took shape during the reign of Akbar and Jahangir. This period also sees the style … Continue reading →

Posted in 1600s, 1610s, 1620s, 16th Century, 17th century, Art, churidar kameez, Costume, Culture, Deccan, Dress Reform, dupatta, fashion, ghaghra, historical art, historical costume, historical dress, historical fashions, History, India, indian art, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian History, Indian men, Indian Women, Islamic Art, Islamic Dress, Islamic style, Mughal, Paintings, Royalty, Women | Tagged 1600s, 1610s, 1620s, 16th century, 17th century, chador, churidar, ghaghra choli, indian costume, islamic costume, jama, mojaris, mughal costume, Mughal emperors, Mughals, nadiri, odhni, pagri, paijama, patka, peshwaj, turban | 4 Comments

On Indian Clothing

Posted on 01/01/2015 by Anu M

The people of Pataliputra* dressed well in flowered muslins embroidered with jewels, and an umbrella was carried by an attendant behind the head of a noble when he went into the road. Kleitarchus, however, found that in other, poorer parts … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st century, 3rd century BCE, Ancient India, Asia, Contemporary, Contemporary Style, Costume, Culture, fashion, gems, Girls, historical costume, historical dress, historical fashions, History, India, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian History, Indian men, Indian Textiles, Indian Women, Sari, Sari Blouse, sari drape, sari history, Vintage, vintage costume, vintage style, Women | Tagged 21st century, 3rd century BCE, bling, contemporary, fashion history, Indian fashion, jewelled sari, Maurya, modern, my thoughts on fashion, personal, sari, sari blouse, sari history, traditional | Leave a comment