Category Archives: vintage fashion

The 1920s Paintings Post

Mazumdar tended to hint at nudity by draping his models in semi-transparent or wet saris, a technique that was later adopted by Indian cinema. Hemendranath Mazumdar‘s naturalistic oils of partially clothed, vaguely erotic looking women were unsurprisingly popular in the … Continue reading

Posted in 1920s, 1930s, Art, Bengal, Culture, Early 20th Century, Indian Dress, Indian Women, Jewellery, Paintings, Sari, Sari Blouse, Vintage, vintage art, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The “Sari Wrap” Post

Judging by portraits in the decade, a sari style like a warp was quite popular in the 1930s. It appears to be wound once so the sari border crosses or falls around the knee and then wound again to drape … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s, 1960s, Indian Cinema, Sari, Sari Blouse, Sari Dress, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

The 18th Century Hunt

Note that in pic 1 (dated about 1775), the couple appear to be forest dwellers.  In most paintings women wear a short skirt of leaves or peacock feathers to indicate the forest setting. But the jewellery here may indicate a … Continue reading

Posted in 1700s, 1790s, 18th century, 700s, Culture, hunt, Illustration, Indian men, Indian Women, Medieval India, miniature paintings, Royalty, vintae art, vintage art, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Odds and Ends

Notes from Singapore 15 August 1936 and Olympic Gold. Jewellery for a Pretty Girl Lipstick Ladies and my favourite: the waist brooch for a sari.  

Posted in 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, Indian Women, Jewellery, Sari, Sari Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Girdle Post

Girdles have been in use in India for a very long time, since possibly the early chalcolithic age. The kanci aka girdle, is often a broad golden belt used to secure the sari to the waist, to which are often … Continue reading

Posted in Indian Dress, Indian Women, irdle, Jewellery, kanci, lt, ndia, Vintage, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Parsis Post

I mentioned in previous posts that Jnanadanandini was influenced by the blouse and sari style of Parsi women in Bombay. Here are a few examples.  Most have “ribbon border” sari with motifs on the ribbon is quite common in Parsi … Continue reading

Posted in British Raj, Colonial, Dress Reform, Early 20th Century, Edwardian, fashion, Indian Dress, Late 19th century, Paintings, Sari, Sari Blouse, Victorian, Vintage, Vintage Blouse, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Art School Post

Two of early 20th century art/dance schools in India, Santiniketan/Viswa Bharati and Kalakshetra were not just involved with a revival of Indian dance and art traditions but were also responsible for a new kind of aesthetic.  Khadi, so intregal to … Continue reading

Posted in 1920s, 1930s, 1980s, Art, Asia, Bengal, Culture, Dance, Early 20th Century, Education, Girls, Indian Dress, Indian History, Indian Women, Sari, Sari Blouse, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment