Most ladies and renowned fashion designers are in awe of the stunning Chanderi fabric and are fascinated by it. The textile has been stealing the hearts of so many fashionistas with its effortless beauty. The sheer brilliance of the fabric, the authenticity of the weaving process and the fine quality material makes it truly an exception among all the other sarees. Some of the unique characteristics of Chanderi saree that can help you in identifying them are:
Transparency and sheer texture of the fabric
Chanderi saree can be best recognized by the luxurious feel and extra-lightweight texture of its fabric woven using handspun cotton warps and wefts. The fabric is often referred to as “woven air” due to such a soft texture. While weaving a Chanderi fabric, the yarn does not undergo the degumming process. This gives a unique gloss and prevents the fabric from breaking.
Soft hues
Yet another striking feature of authentic Chanderi sarees are their soft, pastel hues. Most of the Chanderi collections are in soft tones like peaches, creams, powder blue etc. However, these days you can even find them in vibrant shades like turquoise, navy blue, fuchsia and white, red and black etc.
Characteristic motifs or butis
The motifs of Chanderi sarees have been inspired by the traditional Benarasi. Some of the popular buti designs are ashrafi, bundi, keri, paan, eent, akhrot, phul-buta, phul-patti, Suraj buti, Meena buti, ghoongra, churi, ghoongra etc. Most of these patterns are of artistic and intertwining lines, celestial figures, geometric patterns, figures of animals, coins, lotuses, peacocks etc. What makes Chanderi sarees distinguishable and a class apart are these delicately hand-woven motifs woven on extra wefts sets. They are also often coated with gold, silver or copper dust which makes this saree an exclusive choice among the elites. When the butis is a bit bigger, they are called butas.
Border
You can easily spot a chanderi saree by its creative and distinct borders. There are so many varieties of borders like Ganga Jamuna, Sada Saubhagyawati Bhava, Mehendi haath etc. One of the most popular and intricately designed borders in today’s fashion trend is the adda border. You can even find the nakshi border that has a similar design but the outline is woven with a different colored thread. The zari patella border is plain whereas the vibrant piping border has one shade inter-striped with thin strips of another hue.
Conclusion
So, now that you know all the defining characteristics of a Chanderi drape, you can identify them easily.
