Everything You Need To Know About A Banarasi Saree

A banarasi saree is a saree made in Varanasi (also known as Banaras). Banarasi sarees are known to be the finest sarees in india where they are popular for their gold, zari, silver brocade, fine silk and opulent embroidery. The outfits are made from finely woven silk and decorated in intricate designs. In most of the cases they come with engravings which make them heavy.

Different varieties

There are many varieties of these sarees. The most popular ones are: pure silk (Katan), silk, zari, and organza (Kora). There are other varieties that vary depending on the different design processes. These varieties include: Vaskat, Tanchoi, Jangla, Butidar, Cutwork, and Tissue.

High quality Saree

For a great look you should buy a high quality banarasi saree. Here are some of the areas that you should look at when making the purchase:

Float: you should take a look at the reverse side of the saree to see if there are floats between the grids of warps and wefts. A real, handmade saree is the only one that will have this feature; therefore, if you look at the outfit and it doesn’t have a float, it’s probably machine made or fake.

Silk: Real banarasi sarees are made from pure silk. There are many tests that you can do to ensure that the outfit is made from silk. One of the most effective and cheapest tests is burning the saree’s thread. You should pull a thread from a hidden area and burn it. Once the entire thread has burnt, you should smell the ash.

If the saree is made from silk, the ash will smell like burnt hair. You should note that there are some outfits made from cheap Chinese silk; therefore, you should be cautious. Although, this silk will smell like burnt hair, it’s not as durable as pure silk.

Brocade design: real banarasi sarees have six to eight inches of plain silk brocade. The brocade usually goes over the shoulder giving the saree an excellent look.

Conclusion

Banarasi sarees are often part of an Indian bride’s outfit. When buying a bridal banarasi saree you should go for one with a traditional look. You should note that the price of traditional outfits depends on the design of the base and border.

The shade of the outfit greatly determines the entire look. For an ideal look you should ensure that the shade of the outfit matches your complexion.