Kashmiri Long Jacket with Aari Embroidered Maple Vines
Dry clean recommended. Store with natural cedar or neem leaves. Avoid direct sunlight and moisture.
Description
A jacket that carries the memory of autumn forests stitched into every vine. Worked by hand in the aari tradition of the Kashmir Valley, this long wool jacket traces maple vines across its surface with the fine, hook-pulled precision that generations of Kashmiri craftsmen have refined over centuries. The ground is a deep tropical green, warm and forest-rich, against which the embroidered motifs seem almost to move with the light. Aari work is distinguished by its continuous chain stitch, pulled through fabric with a hooked needle, creating lines of extraordinary fluidity that no machine can replicate. Wool, long the fibre of choice in the valley's high-altitude winters, lends the jacket both its substantial drape and its quiet insulating warmth. The silhouette is long and unhurried, suited equally to a cultural evening, a winter gathering, or the considered leisure of a weekend well spent. Wear it over a cream cotton kurta and narrow churidar for a quietly elegant festive look. It also settles beautifully over a silk turtleneck and straight trousers for occasions that require a certain composed authority.
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Behind this piece
Aari embroidery takes its name from the hooked needle, the aar, that craftsmen in the Kashmir Valley have wielded for centuries. Worked on a taut frame, the technique builds continuous chain-stitch loops into motifs drawn from the valley's natural world: chinar leaves, lotus buds, and, as seen here, the sinuous spread of maple vines. The chinar and maple hold deep cultural resonance in Kashmiri visual language, signifying shelter and seasonal change. On a ground of warm Kashmiri wool, the embroidery does not merely decorate; it narrates a landscape the craftsman knows intimately from lived proximity.
How to style
In Mecca Orange, wear this jacket over a cream silk kurta and narrow ivory palazzos for a festive lunch, anchored with oxidised silver jhumkas and kolhapuri flats. The Tropical Green reads beautifully over a moss-coloured churidar with a simple silk camisole underneath, suited to an evening mehendi or gallery opening. For a contemporary register, layer either colourway over slim straight jeans and a white linen shirt, finishing with block-heeled leather mojris in cognac and a single gold bangle at the wrist.
Fabric & care
Kashmiri wool is a resilient yet responsive fibre that rewards considered care. Hand wash in cold water using a mild, pH-neutral detergent, working gently without wringing or bunching the fabric. Rinse thoroughly and press out water between two dry towels. Dry flat in shade, reshaping the jacket while damp. Steam-press on a low wool setting with a pressing cloth to protect the aari embroidery from direct heat. Store folded, not hung, to prevent shoulder distortion, and tuck a cedar block nearby to deter moths during long storage between seasons.
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