Chikankari Embroidered Crepe Short Kurti with Printed Paisleys and Flowers
Gentle hand-wash separately in cold water with a mild detergent. Avoid soaking. Iron on medium heat while slightly damp.
Description
Lucknow speaks softly, and this kurti listens. Chikankari, the centuries-old shadow-work tradition of the Awadhi court, finds its expression here in hand-embroidered florals traced across a fluid crepe ground. The fabric itself earns its place: lightweight and gently luminous, it receives the printed paisleys and blossoms with the kind of quiet confidence that only a well-considered textile can carry. The embroidery follows the logic of the craft, never overcrowding the surface, allowing breath and movement between each motif in the manner that Lucknowi artisans have long understood to be the mark of true restraint. Available in Pastel Rose Tan, Burnished Lilac, and Hushed Violet, each colourway was chosen to honour the delicate, almost watercolour sensibility that chikankari demands. This is a kurti suited to afternoon gatherings, festive lunches, or any occasion where dressed-up ease is the desired note. Pair it with wide-leg palazzo trousers in ivory or taupe, and let the embroidery remain the conversation. A fine silk dupatta in a tonal shade completes the look without competing for attention.
Complete your look
Hand-picked pieces that sing gently with this one.
Behind this piece
Chikankari is Lucknow's most tender inheritance, a shadow-work embroidery tradition believed to have flourished under Mughal patronage and refined over centuries in the mohallas of Aminabad and Chowk. Artisans draw motifs onto fabric before passing it to specialist hands, each stitch type, the delicate bakhiya, the raised murri, the open-work jali, belonging to a different craftsperson. Here, those whispered stitches settle onto a crepe ground printed with paisleys and florals, the two vocabularies meeting quietly. The result is neither antique nor modern, but something unhurried and entirely its own.
How to style
For a Sunday lunch or a cultural afternoon, pair the Pastel Rose Tan kurti with ivory wide-leg palazzos and kolhapuri flats in tan leather. The Burnished Lilac reads beautifully against straight-cut ivory churidars and delicate silver jhumkas from Rajasthan. Hushed Violet, the most contemplative of the three, suits a semi-formal gathering worn over slim cigarette trousers in charcoal, finished with oxidised silver cuffs and block-heeled mules. All three tones welcome a fine cotton dupatta in a tonal print, draped loosely across one shoulder rather than pinned.
Fabric & care
Crepe holds its drape when treated with consistency. Hand-wash in cold water using a gentle, pH-neutral detergent, keeping the chikankari face turned inward to protect the embroidery threads from friction. Do not wring or twist; press out water gently and dry flat in shade, away from direct sunlight, which can fade pastel grounds quickly. Iron on low heat from the reverse side, placing a thin cotton cloth between the iron and the fabric. Store folded in soft muslin or cotton, never compressed under heavy garments, to preserve both the crepe's surface and the embroidered stitches.
More from womens tops
Sale
Sale
Sale
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.
