Long Kaftan with Aari Embroidered Giant Paisleys from Kashmir
Gentle hand-wash separately in cold water with a mild detergent. Avoid soaking. Iron on medium heat while slightly damp.
Description
In Kashmir, the needle moves like a boat on still water, and everything it touches becomes a garden. This long kaftan carries the legacy of Aari embroidery, a craft practised across the Kashmir Valley where artisans wield a hooked needle to coax silk thread into forms of extraordinary delicacy. Here, that tradition is rendered at an expansive scale: giant paisleys, the boteh motif that has travelled from Persia to the looms of Srinagar, unfurl across the length of the garment with unhurried confidence. The base is crepe, a fabric chosen for its fluid drape and the quiet way it holds colour, offered in Prairie Sunset and Scarlet Sage, two tones that carry the warmth of a late Kashmiri evening. Cut generously in sizes 8XL and 9XL, this is a piece conceived with the understanding that beauty requires room to breathe. Made to order, each kaftan is assembled after you place your request, ensuring the embroidery receives the attention it deserves. Wear it over wide-legged trousers for a considered evening look, or let it stand alone as a statement of singular, unhurried elegance.
Complete your look
Hand-picked pieces that sing gently with this one.
Behind this piece
Aari embroidery takes its name from the hook-shaped needle, the aari, that Kashmiri artisans have wielded for centuries across the valley's famed craft workshops. Here, that tradition encounters the paisley, a motif rooted in the teardrop forms of ancient Persian boteh designs, which found their most celebrated expression on Kashmiri shawls traded along Mughal trade routes. On this kaftan, the paisleys are rendered at an almost architectural scale, each one a slow accumulation of chain-stitch loops on fluid crepe, requiring the kind of sustained attention that only a craft practised across generations can sustain.
How to style
In Prairie Sunset, wear the kaftan over ivory wide-leg palazzo trousers for a terrace dinner, grounding the warmth of the embroidery with polki kundan drop earrings and strappy tan kolhapuris. In Scarlet Sage, layer a fine ivory cotton dupatta at the shoulder for a festive lunch, pairing with antique silver jhumkas. For an evening occasion, either colourway reads as a complete statement worn alone, belted softly at the waist with a woven silk sash and finished with block-heeled mojris in natural tan leather.
Fabric & care
Crepe is a woven fabric with a subtly crinkled surface that loses its character under aggressive handling. Hand-wash this kaftan in cool water using a gentle, pH-neutral detergent, keeping the embroidered sections submerged as briefly as possible. Do not wring; press out water gently between two clean towels. Dry flat in shade, away from direct sun, which fades both the ground fabric and the Aari thread. Store folded along the embroidery lines, wrapped in a soft muslin cloth, and keep away from moisture and synthetic fragrances.
More from ethnic dresses
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.
