Hi, My 2ยข, as someone who's having sari-buyers hunt down 18th century-appropriate printed cottons in 21st-century India:
Just as AnnBWass has noted that "Victorian" covers a lot of ground, "sari cloth" covers a lot of ground, too. A sari is really just a six-meter length of fabric; most are about 45 inches wide. Lots have approximately yard-long "anchal", "pallu", or "pallav" sections that are heavily ornamented and thrown over the shoulder in the popular Nivi-style wrap; but not all saris have fancy pallus. There are saris in many weights of cotton, with many kinds of weaving techniques; there are saris in many grades and types and weaves of silks; there are saris in synthetics; there are saris with traditional prints, saris with modern prints, saris without prints; there are saris with borders and saris without borders, saris with woven accents and saris without, saris with metallic zari embellishment, and saris without. Some of these fabrics are very much like fabrics used by Europeans for gowns in some parts of the Victorian era, and some are utterly not. But lots of them would be *pretty* made up into a bustle-style wedding gown, depending on how much your bride cares about historic accuracy. For some of the types of saris available now in natural fibers, check out http://www.sarisafari.com. A lot of these styles are quite traditional and have been available for hundreds of years, but not all. As Fran of Lavolta press noted, India has a long history -- dating back to the Middle Ages -- of producing fabrics for export. (Here is a fun exhibit of some Indian export fabrics found in Egypt: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/galleries/Exhibits/Big_Textile/Big_Textile/R iches_to_Rags.html) HOWEVER, in the colorful history of British involvement with the Indian textile trade, there are times when the export of textiles from India to England, Europe, and/or America was variously restricted, taxed, and sometimes even banned, in efforts to control trade and reduce competition with British manufacturers. By the end of the British occupation of India, the Indian textile industry was so depleted that the spinning wheel itself, in MK Ghandi's hands, became a symbol of independence, as he promoted "cottage industries" to restore India's industrial self-sufficiency. The nation that quite probably developed the spinning wheel had become an importer of cotton textiles, dependent on the factories of England. By the middle of the 19th century -- 1850s and 1860s -- this process was well underway. Nonetheless, as Fran detailed, the English cotton mills often took elements and designs from the Indian prints, so a traditional print sari today might nonetheless be a good, close facsimile of an *English* chintz from mid-19th C. Alas, it's just not a simple question. But I can think of lots of saris that would make gorgeous wedding gowns in that full-skirted style, if the bride cares most about gorgeousness. If she cares most about historical accuracy, she will need to do a little more research! Good luck, and remember to send pictures! Lauren M. Walker [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- "One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train." -- Morihei Ueshiba > From: Deredere Galbraith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: Historical Costume <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2005 19:21:12 +0200 > To: Historical Costume <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [h-cost] Question Sari fabric and Victorian dresses > > Hi, > > Someone wants me to make her a Victorian dress for her wedding. > She would like me to use Sari fabric. > Now I am wondering if they used sari fabric in the Victorian era for > dresses. > I am not sure she really cares but I'd like to know what I am talking about. > > Greetings, > Deredere _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
