Flame-Scarlet Long Jacket from Kashmir with Aari Hand Embroidery
Dry clean only. Store folded in a soft muslin pouch away from direct sunlight to keep the sheen alive.
Complete your look
Hand-picked pieces that sing gently with this one.
Behind this piece
Aari embroidery takes its name from the hooked needle, the aari, that craftsmen in the Kashmir Valley have wielded for centuries. Concentrated in villages around Srinagar, this tradition flourished under Mughal patronage and continues today in family workshops where the technique passes from father to son. The embroiderer stretches silk taut on a wooden frame, then pulls thread upward in continuous chain stitches, building motifs of singular density and sheen. On this flame-scarlet ground, that ancient grammar becomes something urgent: a jacket that carries the weight of a living craft without announcing it.
How to style
Wear it over an ivory chanderi kurta with wide-leg silk trousers for a literary festival or gallery opening. The scarlet reads as statement enough; keep jewellery to a single pair of Kashmiri silver earrings or old gold jhumkas. For an evening occasion, layer it over a column-cut black silk dress and finish with block-heeled mojris in tobacco brown. On a cooler afternoon, throw it over a fine merino cream turtleneck with straight tapered trousers. In each reading, the jacket does the speaking; everything beneath it should listen quietly.
Fabric & care
Pure silk is a protein fibre that rewards patience. Hand wash in cold water with a gentle, pH-neutral soap, never wringing or twisting the fabric. Rinse thoroughly and press between two clean towels to remove moisture. Dry flat in shade, away from direct sunlight, which weakens silk and fades dye over time. Iron on the lowest setting with a pressing cloth between iron and fabric, always on the reverse side to protect the Aari embroidery. Store folded in breathable muslin, never in plastic, and keep cedar sachets nearby to deter moths. Treated well, this jacket deepens with age.
More from womens tops
Sale
Sale
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.
