Turning my Grandmother’s saris into a daydream!

There is a Native American saying that goes like this, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” We need to do our best to preserve nature and its bounties for the generations to come. Sustainable fashion is one of the most important ways to do it. All my years in fashion have helped me arrive at the importance of Up-cycling and re-purposing clothes. Our latest post is about how I up-cycled something extremely dear to me into something gorgeous.

This post is very special as it is about matters very close to my heart that I am deeply passionate about. My grandmother was a force to reckon with. I admired her grit and wit. I fondly cherish the food she spoilt us with. I love and miss her. I’ve had the privilege of inheriting a few of her sari’s and that is the best way to remember and cherish her today.

I chose two of her saris to re-purpose into dresses for myself. I was inspired by I Was A Sari, a conscious clothing label that makes accessories & apparel from pre-loved Indian saris. It gave me the opportunity to carry a piece of my grandmother with me.

For this shoot we collaborated with FCOM Tailor. FCOM offers a melange of quality doorstep tailoring services and customization in Bangalore. They carried out all the tailoring for the design I provided for this transformation. And I must say, they brought my vision to life and how. Their professionalism and attention-to-detail was commendable. They were flexible and meticulous in their execution and I would recommend them for any of your tailoring needs.

For my first look of this shoot, we transformed this gorgeous crepe scarlet ditsy polka dot midi trumpet dress. My favorite part about this dress was the sheer sleeves which give it a Victorian, Sunday-best feel. This V-neck midi trumpet dress is perfect for a brunch with the girls or a cozy lunch date on a gloomy afternoon. The opalescent buttons match the pearl teardrop earrings to add a hint of sparkle to this otherwise matte outfit, aided by the dual-tone watch and the metallic block heels.

For our second look, we transformed a beautiful crepe Tiffany blue colored sari into a V-necked, midi trumpet dress with a flounce at the bottom. The detailed pallu of the sari with the motifs was repurposed into the half sleeves of the dress with vintage buttons in the yoke of the dress.

Pearl teardrop earrings and a dual-tone watch accessorized this classic dress flawlessly as we went for a no make-up make-up look with a mauve lip.

Another prominent feature of the way I styled this outfit was the floral Grandma clutch that I carried with it.

Not to mention, the floral block heels that compliment the grandma clutch bringing this whole look together and taking me back to the glorious yesteryear’s and the comfort of the days spent with my grandmother.

For our final look, of this sustainability-focused shoot was a satin cheetah print dress that was altered by FCOM at the waist and they crafted the self fabric buttons running through the center of the dress.

This was also a regular fit, V-neck, midi trumpet dress with a flounce at the bottom. Small flared sleeves and vintage self fabric buttons running all the way through.

We paired this with a black satin lace clutch, clear block heels, pearl teardrop earrings, and a dual-tone watch.

We love doing our part for sustainability and doing our bit to help make fashion more conscious. Up-cycling and re-purposing outfits is the way forward for this industry. We would love to hear what is something that you want to re-purpose for your next fashion project?! Tell us in the comments below.