Costume Fabric with Sequins and Floral Embroidery
Gentle hand-wash separately in cold water with a mild detergent. Avoid soaking. Iron on medium heat while slightly damp.
Description
There are fabrics that catch the light and hold it, as if reluctant to let the moment pass. This tissue fabric arrives dressed in sequins and floral embroidery, each motif placed with the kind of deliberate care that speaks of hands long practised in the art of adornment. Tissue, that luminous weave of finely twisted yarns, has historically graced the festive wardrobes of Indian women precisely because it responds to candlelight and stage-light with equal generosity. The sequin work here layers over the embroidery in a way that suggests celebration without shouting it, a restraint that makes the fabric suitable for costume tailoring, festive blouses, and occasion lehengas alike. Available in Green and Pink as well as Green and Purple, each colourway carries a different mood, one spirited and warm, the other cooler and quietly regal. Cut this into a fitted blouse paired with a sheer organza skirt, and the embroidery will travel beautifully across the silhouette. It also lends itself to a structured choli for a Kathak or Bharatanatyam costume, where the sequins will animate every movement.
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Behind this piece
Tissue fabric carries within its weave a long tradition of festive Indian craft. Woven from fine silk or metallic yarn into a semi-sheer, luminous ground, tissue has graced Mughal courts and bridal chambers across the subcontinent for centuries. This particular cloth layers that heritage with hand-placed sequins and floral embroidery, a combination found in the embellished fabrics of Varanasi and Surat ateliers, where artisans have long married shimmer with stitch. The green and pink, and green and purple, colourways echo the garden motifs that recur throughout Indo-Persian textile traditions, rendered here with a contemporary festive sensibility.
How to style
Cut this tissue into an anarkali silhouette and pair it with churidar in ivory silk for a sangeet or mehendi evening. The green and pink colourway suits a lehenga skirt with a contrasting dupatta in raw silk. For a more restrained look, commission a straight kurta and wear it over wide-leg palazzo trousers. Complement the sequin embroidery with polki or kundan jewellery rather than heavy stone sets. Gold kolhapuri heels or block-printed juttis ground the shimmer without competing with the fabric. Both colourways read beautifully under warm indoor lighting at evening receptions.
Fabric & care
Tissue fabric, with its fine metallic or silk-blend ground, requires careful handling to preserve both the base weave and the embroidered sequins. Dry clean only; machine washing will distort the delicate warp threads and loosen sequin attachments. If spot cleaning at home, use cool water and a gentle cloth, without rubbing. Never wring. Dry flat in shade, away from direct sunlight, which fades the thread tones over time. Store folded in soft muslin, not plastic, to allow the fabric to breathe. Place a neem leaf or cedar block nearby to deter insects during longer storage.
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