Saris Of India (Hardcover)  | Released: 1996

An exhaustive overview on the saris of India merges from a district by district, village by village search that takes a team through a whole spectrum of traditional weaver and printer settlements in two states of Eastern India. The sari has been, in one form or another, the central feature of the weaving/printing tradition for a thousand years or more and promises to retain a position of some importance. It was chosen to be the basis of this work for it provides the most reliable and firm ground to move both backward and forward in time. However, wherever possible, other unstitched garments have also been taken into consideration. This is the most updated state of the craft documentation of design and all that supports it socially, culturally and economically. The first incisive look at the whole range and scale of the sari; the styles of wearing it; the structures, designs, colours, the format and technology which make up the lingua of the sari; the inspiration, living experience and sensibilities of the weaving/printing communities; their economic viability and market systems; their predicament in an age of transition and possibilities for the future. A most readable contemporary and vivid account of the experience of searching and the findings it leads to, for the lay reader and the specialist, be they textilists, designers, scholars or developers. Features The second volume of the most comprehensive documentation of skill, technique, design and the circumstance from which they arise. A coverage not only of major production centres but also the regional variations and distinctions. A design directory and a dictionary of traditional design vocabulary. Complete details of each sari type with the names and addresses of