Deja Vu-Blue Mandarin Jacket from Kashmir with Vibrant Kashida Embroidered Flowers
Dry clean only. Store folded in a soft muslin pouch away from direct sunlight to keep the sheen alive.
Description
There are colours that do not arrive so much as return, and this blue is one of them. Shaped as a Mandarin jacket, this piece carries the unhurried intelligence of Kashmiri Kashida embroidery, a surface craft that works in long, flowing stitches to build flowers of uncommon depth and warmth. The blooms here are vivid without apology, yet balanced by the cool, composed blue of the art silk ground, a fabric that catches light with a gentle luminosity and drapes close to the body with easy grace. Kashida, practised across the Kashmir Valley for generations, is a stitch tradition that favours naturalistic motifs drawn from the region's own meadows and gardens, and every petal on this jacket speaks to that patient, observational eye. The Mandarin collar keeps the silhouette clean and quietly refined, making the embroidery the sole, sufficient statement. Wear it over a silk kurta in ivory or cream for a layered, festive evening. It sits equally well above slim trousers or a cotton sari for occasions that call for something considered and quietly celebratory.
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Behind this piece
Kashida is Kashmir's most unhurried embroidery tradition, worked with a single-hook needle called the aari, pulling thread from beneath the fabric in a continuous chain of loops. Unlike the dense woollen needlework of Kashmiri shawls, Kashida on lighter cloth favours open florals with a painterly ease, each petal traced by hand across the surface. The motifs here, blooming against a deep Deja Vu blue, draw from the chinar leaf and garden rose vocabularies that Kashmiri craftsmen have refined across centuries. Art silk catches the light in a way that makes the embroidery appear almost luminous.
How to style
Wear this mandarin-collar jacket over wide-leg ivory or cream palazzo trousers for a relaxed festive afternoon. For a sharper evening look, layer it over a fitted black churidar and finish with juttis in gold khussa leather. The blue reads beautifully against oxidised silver jewellery, particularly long chandbali earrings. If you prefer a contemporary pairing, try it belted loosely over straight-cut indigo denim for a heritage-meets-everyday sensibility. The structured Nehru collar lends itself to occasions ranging from a family Eid gathering to a curated art opening or cultural evening.
Fabric & care
Art silk, woven from viscose rather than mulberry filament, is more vulnerable to water distortion than pure silk. Hand wash in cold water using a mild, pH-neutral detergent, keeping the embroidered sections as flat as possible to prevent the chain-stitch loops from snagging. Do not wring or twist the fabric. Roll gently in a clean cotton towel to remove excess moisture, then dry flat in shade. Iron on the reverse side at a low setting with a pressing cloth over the Kashida work. Store folded in soft muslin, away from direct light, to preserve the colour depth.
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