The Saree – Between Objectification and Professionalism – Nivi Jaswal

“Own, Embrace, and Claim”

An Indian woman’s personal narrative of reclaiming her cultural and professional identity…!!!

Women are everywhere, from professions and schools to homes and communities. Women’s empowerment is described as fostering women’s self-esteem, ability to make their own decisions, and right to affect societal change for themselves and others. Be it through their choice of career, decisions for their personal life, or their attire. When women have power over themselves in any aspect of their life that is when we can finally say we have achieved the goal of empowering women.

People and groups are empowered when they have a high level of autonomy and self-determination. This allows individuals to act on their own authority and represent their own interests in a responsible and self-determined manner. Everyone deserves the freedom to wear whatever attire they feel comfortable and empowered in, but we still face backlash and have restrictions even on clothing. In my case, I have always been an admirer of Saree. From the very beginning, it has fascinated me to my core and I always wanted to showcase its beauty to others as well.

When I lived in Europe, a manager once forced me to remove my nail paint at work because he thought the hue was too Indian. “This is Europe, we don’t celebrate Diwali here, your nails are much too gaudy, this isn’t India,” he said in the middle of a meeting. In order to put things in perspective, I had my nails done in a salon in Moscow. They were a delicate pink with lotus blossoms painstakingly painted by one of Russia’s top nail artists.

On another occasion, while on a regional assignment in Asia, I was reminded that wearing a Saree is not corporate and that I should avoid Henna (also known as Mehandi) on my hands during a family function since my hands will not convey enough professionalism when I return to work.

I’m wearing a black Phulkari saree in the photo above, which was taken on the occasion of Karwachauth. Rural Punjabi artisan ladies sewed this exquisite Phulkari saree. On the other hand, on the occasion of Diwali, I am dressed in a blue Maheshwari silk saree.
The elegance of these flowing sarees enchanted me.
Above is my picture with henna on my hands while I’m wearing a lovely blue Maheshwari handcrafted design sari with traditional Kundan jewelry. I want to show this to all those who think showcasing and embracing one’s culture is not professional enough.
I want to convey this to all those who are holding back from embracing what they love just because they fear others are going to judge.
None of this has anything to do with my capacity to work to do independent research, hold professional conversations, work in or outside of the corporate sector, attend business school, participate in panel debates, or create a business.

I hope to inspire women from all walks of life, regions, and cultures to find within themselves the courage to wear symbols of their own inheritance and identity. Whether it’s a piece of clothing, jewelry, an heirloom that your ancestors left you or even the right to wear your hair in a way that’s culturally significant for you. When women step into their own, they give an opportunity for their inner Shakti to shine, and when even one of us shows courage, breaks a ceiling or walks our own tall talk – it offers much needed role models for others to follow suit.

Nivi Jaswal

Founder and President – The Virsa Foundation Inc.
Visit : YouTube & Spotify




This six yard long single piece of un-stitched fabric – Akshita

Traditionally draped in more than a hundred ways in different regions of India and other South Asian countries, this six-yard-long single piece of unstitched fabric needs no introduction.

There is no denying that we all love wearing ethnic wear when it comes to any family gatherings or festivities and the sari style stays at the top! Not limited to wearing saris only on such occasions, we have now already witnessed fashionistas rocking it in style from streets to runways across the world getting around to exploration of a sari in different innovative styles with contemporary twists.

Though the basic way of draping a sari will always remain a classic, it’s so much fun to style this beautiful piece of fabric with a Western touch to create a fun and innovative version of it.

Styling a sari with a twist not only gives a chance to recreate or re-wear the old one into a fun new outfit but also looks modern yet traditional making a strong fashion statement.

 

Now I am already a big fan of fusion fits and experimenting with sari to create one on my own excites me even more. As there are endless options when it comes to creating a sari fusion, it is always best to pick the ones that you like, get inspired, and create with a hint of your own self or another way is to let your creative juices flow and make a whole new look of your own. Be it a cool oversized tee, crop top, or spaghetti too, you can experiment with styling your sari with almost anything in place of a regular sari blouse for a super cool sari fusion.

Here I will be sharing a few subtly fused sari looks with just a few Western tweaks here and there to keep the overall look simple yet interesting.

  • Spaghetti Top with Cotton Sari

Wearing a spaghetti-style top with a cotton sari is a perfect way to balance out the whole silhouette while adding a bit of sultry-ness to your regular cotton sari look.

For the first look, styled Kasavu sari with a leopard print spaghetti top gives this traditional look a very fresh and bold update! A round wooden clutch, layered-up necklaces, and bright makeup finished out this look perfectly.

Also if you feel fascinated by such fusion looks, the simple trick is to fuse two contrary elements together in one look to create a unique outfit.

Talking about the second look, this big polkas cotton sari was bought long before I actually styled it for this shoot simply because I couldn’t find anything that fits in as perfect as this simple knit spaghetti to pair it with. Finished off with key silver jewelry pieces, intense smoky eyes, and messy half-tied hair, this contemporary sari look speaks both fun yet edgy, and cool yet traditional.

  • Dhoti Style

The moment we think of fusing a sari in Western style, the first thing that comes to the mind is dhoti draped sari, and here is the one. This look is about draping a very lightweight bagru print cotton sari in dhoti style over jeans with a Kalamkari print crop top. Silver jewelry, a few beads around the neck, and jutties finish out the look perfectly. I went a little bit overboard with the styling in this one as it was for the shoot only. However if I wore it in real, I had styled it with either too much jewelry or gone with mixing prints only.

 

  • Sari with White Shirt

Now the white shirt is something that can be paired up with almost anything if styled right. With just a couple of pearl strings around the neck, statement sunglasses, and a shirt half tucked in, this sari look is kept minimal, and elegant yet so stylish. 

Sometimes it’s just a good move to avoid too much jewelry with the sari and still look chic!

  • Sari with Statement Sleeves Top

Teaming this soft and light mul sari with printed puff sleeves cropped blouse, this sari look is trendy yet traditional, colorful yet so subtle. Adding a little more quirk to the look, the yellow clutch popping against all those pastels makes for a perfect touch. 

And I just love how a statement sleeves blouse adds an extra oomph factor, uplifting the whole vibe of a sari look. 

Hope you loved these sari styles, feel inspired and create your own!!

Thank you so much for reading.

Akshita

Instagram- styleon.mom

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