Phantom-Black Salwar Kameez Fabric from Kashmir with Aari Hand-Embroidered Maple Leaves
Dry clean recommended. Store with natural cedar or neem leaves. Avoid direct sunlight and moisture.
Complete your look
Hand-picked pieces that sing gently with this one.
Behind this piece
Aari embroidery is among Kashmir's most meditative crafts, worked with a hooked needle called the aari that pulls silk or wool thread from beneath the base fabric in a continuous chain stitch. The maple leaf is not a decorative accident here. Kashmir's chinar tree, whose palmate leaves mirror the maple in shape, has been a recurring motif in Kashmiri art for centuries, appearing on shawls, namdas, and papier-mache. On this phantom-black pure wool ground, each leaf is rendered in fine hand-worked thread, the darkness of the base making the embroidery read almost as a shadow pressed into cloth.
How to style
For a winter evening gathering, wear this fabric stitched into a straight-cut kurta paired with charcoal wool churidar and a long Pashmina stole in warm ivory. Add oxidised silver earrings with chinar motifs to honour the craft's own iconography. For a daytime office occasion, a structured Nehru-collar version in the same silhouette works with straight-leg trousers and tan leather kolhapuris. For festive occasions, pair a fuller anarkali cut with antique gold jhumkas and block-heeled mojris in deep burgundy, letting the black wool ground carry the richness without additional embellishment.
Fabric & care
Pure wool is a living fibre and rewards patient handling. Dry-clean this fabric wherever possible, particularly given the density of Aari hand embroidery, which can distort under agitation. If hand-washing is necessary, use cold water with a wool-specific detergent and no wringing. Press out water gently by rolling the garment in a clean towel. Dry flat in shade, never on a hanger, to prevent the wool from stretching at the shoulders. Store folded with cedar blocks rather than mothballs. With correct care, Kashmiri wool embroidery holds its form and lustre for decades.
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