Long Art Silk Jacket from Kashmir with Aari-Embroidered Paisley-Floral Vine
Dry clean only. Store folded in a soft muslin pouch away from direct sunlight to keep the sheen alive.
Description
There is a quietness to black that only embroidery can interrupt. This long jacket is worked in art silk, a fabric chosen for the way it holds colour and catches candlelight, its surface smooth enough to let the needlework speak without competition. The embellishment follows the Aari tradition of Kashmir, a craft practised with a fine hooked needle that pulls thread into looping, continuous stitches with extraordinary fluency. Here, that fluency traces paisley forms and floral vines across the length of the jacket, the motifs moving as Kashmir's craftspeople have always intended them to, in rhythmic procession from hem to shoulder. The caviar black ground deepens every curve of the vine, giving the piece a formal gravity that sits comfortably between celebration and restraint. Wear it over a silk kurta in ivory or deep burgundy for a festive evening, letting the embroidery carry the occasion. It reads equally well draped over wide-leg trousers for a contemporary silhouette that still honours the craft at its heart.
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Behind this piece
Aari embroidery takes its name from the hooked needle, the aar, that Kashmiri craftsmen have wielded for centuries across the valley's workshops and home ateliers. On this long jacket, the needle traces a language of paisleys and flowering vines across art silk in caviar black, a ground that makes each curving motif read with uncommon clarity. The paisley itself carries a genealogy stretching from Mughal court textiles to the shawls that once travelled the Silk Route. Here, that history is worn lightly, stitched into a silhouette made for the present.
How to style
Wear this jacket over a ivory silk kurta and cigarette trousers for an evening of cultural significance, a concert, an art opening, a literary gathering. Let the embroidery speak: keep jewellery to oxidised silver jhumkas and a single stacked ring. For a more relaxed afternoon, layer it over a fitted black churidar and flat Kolhapuri sandals. For those in cooler climates abroad, it pairs beautifully over a fine merino turtleneck tucked into wide-leg trousers, with block-heeled boots grounding the whole composition.
Fabric & care
Art silk responds best to a gentle cold-water hand wash using a mild, pH-neutral detergent. Do not wring or twist; press excess water out gently by rolling the garment in a clean cotton towel. Dry flat in shade, away from direct sunlight, which can alter the depth of a black ground over time. Iron on a low setting with a pressing cloth placed between iron and embroidered surface, protecting the aari stitches from flattening. Store folded in muslin, not plastic, to allow the fibre to breathe between wearings.
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