TEXTILE TALES FROM AWADH ASMA HUSSAIN

Costume revivalist and couturier Sahebzadi Asma Hussain, from the royal family of Awadh. chronicles the wondrous costume legacy of her ancestors with a special focus on the craft and creation of the gharara and how it evolved over the years

- INTERVIEW: SHARMI ADHIKARY

If one were to keenly pore over the costume history of Awadh, they would come across the shaluka, a corset-jacket originally worn by the region's aristocratic women over their Farsi pyjamas.

While many attribute western inspirations for this garment, Asma Hussain — a noted couturier, costume restorer and textile revivalist — traces the evolution of the shaluka for the uninitiated, establishing the authentic Indian origin of the garment.

This cropped jacket was, in fact, the angiya worn under a diaphanous cotton kurta, embellished with fine chikankari work that came atop the Farsi pyjama — the Indian equivalent of a bodice worn under English gowns. As years passed, the angiya evolved into a shaluka, with sleeves and heritage embroideries added to accentuate the surface. Ornate shalukas — worn as part of a complete Awadhi ensemble — were made using Banarasi Meenakari brocades; velvets for winter looks, and lighter silks for summer jackets that lent them a rich sheen.

As 19th century segued into the 20th and women began stepping outside of their homes, this little garment became a prized fashionable blouse for special soirées and festivals, worn over the voluminous Farsi pyjama.

"This Farsi pyjama is what you see as the gharara with a trail today," Asma says. "One side of the skirt would be slightly lifted and tucked at the waist, presenting a unique silhouette for the feminine form. To complete the look, a stunning dupatta of almost three metres would be stylishly draped over both."

"The shaluka was the oldest part of the complete Awadhi getup, which, over the years, took the form of the longer kurta worn these days. If the look is recreated now, and we do it for young brides, we hear the refrain that the