Sarees are an integral part of Indian ethnic wear. Choosing the right fabric for sarees is important not just for the look and feel but also for comfort, especially in India’s hot and humid weather. Here, we discuss some of the best saree fabrics that score high on both quality and comfort quotients.
Cotton Sarees
Cotton is by far the most popular fabric for sarees. Here are some reasons why cotton sarees make for great daily wear:
Easy Maintenance
Cotton sarees are easy to maintain as they can be easily hand-washed or machine-washed. The fabric dries fast, too, making cotton a very practical choice.
Skin-friendly Natural Fabric
Being a soft, natural fabric, cotton is gentle on the skin. It does not cause skin irritation or allergies for most people. Those with sensitive skin, too, can wear cotton sarees comfortably for extended periods.
Prints and Embroideries Shine on Cotton
Cotton takes all kinds of prints and embroideries beautifully. Colour fastness is good, too, on pure cotton. From simple prints to intricate zardozi work – graphic prints, floral patterns, traditional embroidery – they all combine with the cotton fabric wonderfully to produce sarees that look awesome.
Linen Sarees
Linen is another popular natural fabric choice for sarees. Made from flax plant fibres, linen scores high in terms of quality and comfort. Here’s what makes linen sarees a great fabric choice for Indian weather:
Super Breathable
Linen fabric is extremely breathable due to the porous structure of the woven flax fibres. This gives a flowy, free feel and allows excellent air circulation when draped around the body.
Lightweight and Airy
Linen feels very lightweight and airy against the skin. The loose weave adds to the airy texture of the fabric. So linen sarees produce an effortlessly graceful drape, ending up both beautiful as well as amazingly comfortable for the wearer.
Strong and Long Lasting
Linen fibres are very durable. With proper care, linen sarees can easily last for years without losing their sheen or softness of texture. With so many advantages, it’s easy to see why linen remains a popular saree fabric loved by women everywhere.
Kota Doria Sarees
Kota Doria is a lightweight variety of Kota weaves distinguished by the zig-zag translucent pattern formed by alternating warp and weft threads of different counts. Here are some interesting things that make Kota Doria a great choice for sarees:
Delightfully Lightweight
The intricate weave produces a sheer, open fabric with a very light weight. This quality adds a graceful fall to the saree that caresses your form delicately.
Blend of Cotton and Silk
Kota sarees use a mix of cotton and silk, usually in the proportion of 85% cotton and 15% twisted silk. The cotton offers strength and absorbency, while the zari silk provides a sheen.
Masterful Weaving Technique
The precise technique used to weave super fine cotton and silk warp and weft threads into the beautiful Kota Doria fabric requires immense skill and labour.
Mulmul Sarees
Mulmul fabric uses finely woven lightweight cotton to produce a sheer, flowy and comfortable fabric perfect for draping sarees in hot and humid weather. Here are some salient features of Mulmul fabric:
Sheer Lightweight Fabric
The very fine cotton threads used in mulmul sarees result in a gauze-like sheerness. Yet the fabric has enough tensile strength due to the specialized weaving technique.
Highly Breathable
The gauze-like weave allows unhindered airflow, making mulmul sarees extremely comfortable for Indian summers. Heat and moisture dissipate rapidly through mulmul sarees, keeping you fresh for longer hours.
Beautiful Drape and Fall
The flowy mulmul fabric hangs beautifully, moulding softly to body profiles. The graceful drape and fall make this fabric very attractive for sarees. The sheerness produces an effect somewhere between opaque and translucent.
Chiffon Sarees
Chiffon fabric uses super tightly twisted fine yarns to produce luxuriously lightweight and sheer fabric. The shimmery, diaphanous texture drapes beautifully around feminine forms. Let’s look at some properties that make chiffon a dream fabric for designer sarees:
Sheer and Weightless Texture
Chiffon has tightly woven ultra-fine threads with very little yarn twist to add strength. This produces an extremely lightweight, sheer, and delicate fabric with a slightly crinkled surface texture.
Flowy Drape
The lightweight gossamer-like chiffon fabric falls and drapes around the body gracefully. The flowy fabric embodies effortless femininity when draped in sarees. The translucent sheer quality adds classy oomph.
Wide Color Range
Chiffon takes dye colors very well to produce jewel-toned fabrics available in a wide spectrum. From bridal red and royal purple to pastel green and baby pink – chiffon sarees let you make any colour statement you want.
Georgette Sarees
Georgette is made of highly twisted yarns, creating lightweight, crisp, crepe-like fabric that drapes beautifully. Though quite sheer, georgette has more grain or body than chiffon. Let’s see how this makes georgette sarees a popular fabric choice:
Light Yet Textured Fabric
Made of twisted crepe yarns, georgette produces a sheer yet textured fabric with good drape and the ability to hold shape. Though translucent, georgette has slightly more body than fabrics like chiffon or organza but remains delightfully light.
Gorgeous Drape
Georgette is a pliable fabric that drapes well around curves to create a graceful silhouette. Unadorned georgette saris carry elegant style with their signature drape flowing fluidly as you walk.
Embroidery Canvas
The textured sheer body nicely holds heavy surface embroidery like zardozi, ari, zari, beadwork, etc. At the same time georgette backgrounds allow the colorful embroidery designs to shine through beautifully.
Conclusion
So those were our top recommendations if you are looking for the best possible fabrics for sarees in terms of factors like durability, maintenance, drape, visual appeal, and, importantly, breathability and comfort.
