An essential book for those interested in Indian style and culture.

In The Present Study, An Attempt Has Been To Present A Kaleidoscopic View Of The Whole Ethno-Cultural Scenario Of The Western Himalayan Region Through The Traditional Textiles, Costumes And Ornaments Of The People.

"Published to accompany the exhibition The Fabric of India at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, from 3 October 2015 to 10 January 2016"--Title page verso.

After years of searching through dusty museum collections and royal stores across India, acclaimed designer Ritu Kumar has uncovered many of the last surviving examples of traditional royal clothing. Her book is a celebration of this rich legacy of textiles and craftsmanship. This in-depth study of the evolution of Indian royal costume spans the centuries from the first representations of clothing in ancient India, through the reign of the Mughal emperors and the days of the British Raj, to Indian independence and royalty in the present day. The author covers both men's and women's garments, Hindu and Muslim styles, and documents the evolution of European-Indian fashions. This sumptuous volume is illustrated with a variety of material, much of which has never been published before ranging from archive photographs, miniatures, royal portraits and cinema stills, to detailed images of garments and textiles from as far back as the seventeenth century. A separate section explains in detail the techniques behind the traditional crafts of weaving, dyeing, printing and embroidery, with sketches and patterns illustrating a variety of garments. Specially commissioned photographs of members of royalty wearing their traditional clothes emphasise the colour, shape, ornament and texture of these stunning costumes. This royal family album is supplemented by stories of royal India told to the author by the last Rajmatas who still remember the splendours of courtly life. AUTHOR: Ritu Kumar is one of India's foremost designers, who has developed a unique style combining the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship with contemporary innovations. She began her work many years ago in a small village near Calcutta with just four hand-block printers and a couple of tables. 360 colour & 100 b/w illustrations

Investigating the aesthetics of the zenana – the female quarters of the Indic home or palace – this study discusses the history of architecture, fashion, jewellery and cuisine in princely Indian states during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

This book takes a fascinating journey, connecting dates and events to the evolution of costumes, textiles, colours, motifs and ornamentations from the eighteenth century up to present-day India.

This two-volume set presents information and images of the varied clothing and textiles of cultures around the world, allowing readers to better appreciate the richness and diversity of human culture and history. The contributors to Encyclopedia of National Dress: Traditional Clothing around the World examine clothing that is symbolic of the people who live in regions all over the world, providing a historical and geographic perspective that illustrates how people dress and explains the reasons behind the material, design, and style. The encyclopedia features a preface and introduction to its contents. Each entry in the encyclopedia includes a short historical and geographical background for the topic before discussing the clothing of people in that country or region of the world. This work will be of great interest to high school students researching fashion, fashion history, or history as well as to undergraduate students and general readers interested in anthropology, textiles, fashion, ethnology, history, or ethnic dress.

Textiles embellished with gold and silver have been desired and cherished worldwide since Antiquity. In the Indian subcontinent, too, the use of metal to enhance the value and beauty of cloth is part of an ancient tradition. Jewelled Textiles: Gold And Silver Embellished Cloth of India presents a rich selection of textiles and dresses ornamented with precious metals—gold and silver. These luxurious and often opulent textiles have always been associated with wealth, beauty, supremacy, ceremony and divinity in the subcontinent. Gold and silver embroidery in India is remarkable for the manifold styles in which the threads are manipulated to produce results on cloth surfaces, enhancing and ornamenting the character of the textile. The raw materials, techniques of surface application, and the final effects thus created are unique to different regions in the country where the embroidery techniques and printing with precious metals are classified by the local terminology. Techniques by which metals are applied to textile surface like Kamdani or Badla in Lucknow, Tilla in Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Western India, Danka and Gota Patti in Rajasthan, Zardozi and Vasli in Bhopal, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Delhi and other centres in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, Mukke Ka Kaam in Rajasthan and Gujarat and Varak from different parts of the country are described in detail in the book. These techniques are illustrated with examples of skillfully executed pieces from museums and private collections. A veritable collector’s pride.