Casual Trousers from Pilkhuwa with Printed Palm Trees
Machine or hand-wash cold, inside out. Air-dry in shade. Iron on medium heat. Wash with similar colours the first time.
Description
Somewhere between a Sunday morning and a slow afternoon, these trousers ask nothing of you except ease. Woven and printed in Pilkhuwa, the quiet Uttar Pradesh town long celebrated for its block-printed and screen-printed cotton textiles, this fabric carries the particular crispness that only pure cotton can offer in the warmer months. The palm tree motif, playful yet unhurried, sits on a ground that reads differently in each colourway: contemplative in Aster Purple, sun-warmed in Hot Coral, salt-bleached and coastal in Skydiver Blue. Made to order, each pair is cut and finished after your choice is confirmed, so the garment arrives with a certain intentionality built into it. The generous elastic waist and full-length cut make them as suited to a terrace evening as to a morning of reading. Pair them with a plain white kurta or a washed linen shirt left untucked for a studied nonchalance. Those who prefer a more layered look will find they sit well beneath a cotton Nehru jacket in a solid, complementary tone.
Complete your look
Hand-picked pieces that sing gently with this one.
Behind this piece
Pilkhuwa, a quiet town in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh, has long been synonymous with hand-block-printed cotton textiles. Its printers work with finely woven cotton cloth, applying motifs through carved wooden blocks in a tradition that once supplied fabric across undivided India. These trousers carry that lineage into a thoroughly contemporary silhouette. The palm tree print, relaxed and unhurried, speaks to a sensibility that is neither purely artisanal nor purely urban, but genuinely both. Made to order, each pair is cut and printed only for you, in your chosen colour from a palette that ranges from Aster Purple to Hot Coral.
How to style
For a weekend afternoon, wear the Skydiver Blue pair with a white Lucknow chikankari kurta and flat Kolhapuri chappals in tan leather. If your occasion is an easy evening gathering, try the Aster Purple in these trousers alongside a silk-cotton bandhani blouse and silver oxidised jhumkas from Rajasthan. The Indian Tan colourway works especially well with a handloom khadi shirt in ecru or olive, finished with tan leather mules and a single strand of wooden beads. Each combination lets the palm-tree print remain the quiet centrepiece rather than competing with ornamentation.
Fabric & care
Pure cotton from Pilkhuwa rewards gentle handling. Wash in cold water by hand or on a delicate machine cycle, using a mild, colour-safe detergent. Turn the trousers inside out before washing to protect the block-printed surface from abrasion and fading. Do not soak. Dry flat in shade rather than direct sunlight, which can dull the printed pigments over time. Iron on medium heat while slightly damp, again on the reverse side. Stored folded rather than hung, cotton retains its weave and the print stays crisp across many seasons of wear.
More from co ords
Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first to share your thoughts.
From the Journal
Stories about the craft, the loom, and the wearing of a piece like this one.
