Tomato-Red Pure Cotton Kalamkari Block Printed Fabric
Machine or hand-wash cold, inside out. Air-dry in shade. Iron on medium heat. Wash with similar colours the first time.
Complete your look
Hand-picked pieces that sing gently with this one.
Behind this piece
Kalamkari is one of India's oldest narrative textile traditions, practised across two distinct centres: Srikalahasti in Andhra Pradesh, where artisans draw freehand with a bamboo pen, and Machilipatnam, where carved wooden blocks carry the ink. This fabric belongs to the block-printed lineage of Machilipatnam, a craft refined over centuries under the patronage of the Golconda Sultanate. The tomato-red ground is achieved through natural mordanting processes, and the motifs speak a visual language rooted in mythological storytelling. Cotton was always the chosen cloth here, breathing well in the Deccan heat and holding vegetable dyes with quiet fidelity.
How to style
Cut this fabric into an angarakha-style kurta for festive afternoons, letting the print speak without ornament. Pair with raw-silk palazzo trousers in ivory and kolhapuri chappals in tan leather. For a contemporary silhouette, a gathered midi skirt works beautifully, worn with a fitted white linen blouse and oxidised silver jhumkas from Rajasthan. If you prefer traditional draping, stitch it as a saree-style unstitched garment with a contrast pallu in unbleached khadi. The tomato-red reads warmly under afternoon light, making it equally suited to a Diwali gathering or a curated summer wedding reception.
Fabric & care
Wash this pure cotton fabric in cold water by hand, using a mild, pH-neutral detergent. Avoid prolonged soaking, which can cause vegetable-based dyes to bleed gradually over time. Do not wring; press gently between clean towels and dry flat in open shade, away from direct sunlight, which fades the characteristic reds most quickly. Iron on a medium cotton setting while slightly damp to ease wrinkles without stiffening the weave. Store folded with a single sheet of muslin between layers. Properly maintained, block-printed Kalamkari cotton deepens beautifully with age and wears more softly with every wash.
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