Mrs G's saris get a 2018 revival

Whatever we may have thought of her politics, I think we all agree that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had great style. Her saris were only surpassed by the easy yet commanding way she carried them. Now, Vimor Sarees, which was established in 1974 by Chimy Nanjappa and her daughter Pavithra Muddaya, is here with an entire collection, which are faithful recreations of the original Indira Gandhi series, and you can buy one too.

"It was a great matter of pride for her to recreate the saris. Out of the 12 saris that we have redone, six were originally ours. My mom went to Delhi, and was allowed to feel them, look at them and take pictures all in half an hour. But once we came back, we had the creative freedom to recreate them in a new way," said Pavithra's daughter Vipra Muddaya.

The story behind these saris is one of revival, re-imagining and preservation of traditional handloom. Working with first-time sari weavers in Rajasthan, the designers asked the artistes to innovate. Changes were made to the looms and the yarns, as well as the placement and colours of the motifs. The unique quality of these saris is that they use an extra weft technique to create all the motifs, which are geometric in nature, and are woven in pure cotton, thus making for a breathy and beautiful drape. "We innovated where we could - sometimes she just wore fabric as a sari, so we added a pallu to it; with another pallu, we added wool to get the right texture," said Vipra.

Pavithra Muddaya of Vimor Saris

The brand was commissioned to create The Indira Gandhi Collection for Mrs Gandhi's centenary year by fashion curator Malvika Singh and Prasad Bidapa, to showcase some of the saris from the eclectic wardrobe that Mrs Gandhi was so famous for. As is also well known, Mrs Gandhi supported India's arts and crafts, drawing much attention to the handloom sector by flaunting these beautiful pieces. "She made sari wearing very iconic. It was a woman in power wearing it, and hence, defined what power dressing truly is. Her saris also weren't elaborate, and very every-day, and so everyone could relate to them," said Vipra.

The saris cost Rs 2,000 and above.

When: September 28, 29
Where: Artisans's Art Gallery, Dr VB Gandhi Marg, Fort

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