Silk Sarees

Handwoven Silk Sarees

Silk covers an enormous range, and most of what is sold under the word online is not silk at all. This collection is limited to genuinely handwoven silk in two weaves we can trace to source: matka silk and pure Chiniya silk.

Two very different silks

Matka silk is hand-spun from the shorter fibres left after the finest silk is reeled off. That gives it a textured, slubby surface and a matte finish — a dry hand closer to a good linen than to a satin. It has body without stiffness and drapes with a soft weight. Because it does not gleam, it is the rare silk that works in a professional setting.

Chiniya silk is the opposite in character: fine, smooth, with a low sheen that shifts as the light moves. It is woven in Banaras and used there as a base cloth, but it has become sought after plain, by people who want silk without brocade. It drapes fluidly and holds pleats without bulk.

How to tell real silk from art silk

"Art silk" on a listing means artificial silk, which means polyester or viscose. Some quick checks:

• The warmth test. Hold a corner in a closed fist. Silk takes on your body heat within seconds. Synthetics stay cool and feel slippery.
• The sheen test. Real silk changes tone as you turn it — it has depth. Polyester throws a hard, uniform shine.
• Look for slubs. Fine, irregular thickenings in the yarn are natural. Machine-perfect uniformity is not.
• The burn test, on a stray thread only: silk smells of burnt hair and crushes to ash. Polyester melts into a hard bead and smells of plastic.

Choosing between them

Matka for the office, for daytime events, and for anyone who finds shiny silk uncomfortable to wear. Chiniya for evenings, weddings and receptions, where the sheen carries the occasion on its own. Matka creases less; Chiniya photographs better.

Care

Both are dry clean only. Water dulls silk and there is no reversing it. Iron on the lowest silk setting with a cotton cloth in between. Store folded or rolled in cotton or muslin — never plastic, which traps moisture. Keep out of direct sunlight; deep dyes fade faster in sun than from anything else.

Each saree is one of a kind. Free shipping across India, 7-day exchange.