On a rained out evening in an old London pub, where the snug warmth of wood wrapped around conversations over ale, in walked a woman in a sari, wearing Dr Martens boots, a jacket, coat and a beret. Everybody looked up as she drank a pint. Somebody took a photo and hashtagged it #travelstyle. It went viral and the kashta sari became a boho chic statement among Londoners a month ago. “Who would have thought that this dhoti-like drape, worn originally by rural women in Maharashtra, would have a fashion moment,” says Ashwini Narayan, sari revivalist and stylist who is “on a mission to make the sari hip.”

Her kashta style is now a favourite with concert-goers. The sari is possibly the only garment that has been deified for its classic elegance, being the ultimate definer of the wearer, plebeia

See Full Page