Phulkari ,heritage reinvented!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bright pink hues of phulkari on a white kurta luks absolutely fab & perfect for d festive occasion!!!!!!(pic courtesy......... Sushmita)

Bold geometric patterns define Phulkari!!!

Twist in the tale.....a subtle phulkari saree with a contemporary blouse!!!!!

An Absolute gorgeous piece of phulkari duppata adorns every Punjabi bride's trousseau(pic coutersy....Raman & Goldy)

Intricate embroidery & colourful silk threads form a part of centuries old folk tradition..........

Traditional phulkari bagh used in auspicious occasions such as weddings:)

Phulkari loosely translated means "floral embriodery" has been a part and parcel of indian & punjabi cultures since the bygone times....its first recorded mention finds in the Guru nanak Dev's work but the art gained prominence only in the 19th century........

Phulkari is synonomous with bright colours......golden yellow,red,crimson,orange,pink,green............u name it they have it:)it looks all the more stunning with a golden tissue which forms a part of the finished piece these days.these days machine work has invaded the market with substandard products swarming priced as low as 2000 bucks though an authentic phulkari embroided dupatta may cost one anything between 3500 to 8000 & upwards....p.s.u gotto have a gud grasp on the bargaining skills :)....it has adapted well to the ever changing needs of the Gen Y!!!!Though still very much a part of the punjabi wedding trousseau & the various ceremonies that go with it ...it has ventured out in new territories!!!!!!!you have phulkari-bedsheets,pillow-covers,cushion covers,handbags,filecovers.....(yes they actually have hand embroided file covers which can brighten up your otherwise boring desk!!!)as for the handbag thing. i recently discovered absolute gorgeous piece on online shopping site.......yes finally phulkari has gone online:). Phulkari & bagh are Often confused with each other and for the people who are fooled by the number of cheap imitations & substandard pieces which are sold in the market!!!!!they are quite different than each other......found out these pretty interesting facts about both while doin up this blog........... thought of sharing them wid u.......:)

Main features of the "Other Phulkari "..............

• Major difference between a phulkari n a bagh is the amount of embroidery.....in phulkaris the motifs are distributed over the whole cloth with large area of ground cloth being visible while in a bagh the motifs are embroided so close to each other that only a thin line of the ground cloth is visible!!!!!!!
• For "baghs or special occasion phulkaris" a finer quality khaddar cloth called chaunsa khaddar is used.........
• In case of baghs only geometrical patterns were used(triangles,squares,angles & diamonds).motifs were inspired from everyday life and were given quite literall names...e.g. shalimar & chaurasia baghs were inspired by mughal gardens in their layout while ikka bagh was inspired by playing cards......sheeshedar bagh is decorated with small mirrors on a white background:)
• A bagh given to a bride by her grandma at the time of her wedding is called a chope and the bagh given to the bride by her mom in law is known as "vari da bagh". p.s. a chope bagh does not embroidery at the ends because red cloth signifies good luck and good fortune for the bride!!!!!!
• "Sar pallu" bagh have wide borders and are very colourful.........
• At the time of walking around the holy fire the bagh taken by the bride is known as Suber phulkari!!!

Tips on how to wear "it"!!!!!!!

U wear it as a stole with jeans n a top...remember geet in jab v met?? or combine it with a gorgeous chikenkari kurta & patiala salwaar.......better still wear phulkari saree with a chic blouse [refer to the phulkari saree pic:)] if u wanna go all ethnic wear a salwaar suit along with parandi n jutti.............a must have in d wardrobe if u luv ethnic & colours!!!!!!!!

Phulkari as it stands today..............

Original purpose of phulkari was to adorn the simple surface of the odhinis,today phulkari stands for much more..... it truly has come out of the closet .........it is a bold fashion statement for the woman of today's era,women emancipation of thousands of artisans who work on it for days to deliver a stunning masterpiece!!!!