Celebrating Fashion with Patan Ka Patola

A precious piece of heirloom, passed down through generations and preserved to be brought out only for the most important occasions, Itaki or Patola is one of the most prized and valued textiles in the world.

The complexity and time-intensiveness is what makes Patola so valuable. A dizzyingly process, the sarees are woven using dyed threads both vertically and horizontally to create the design. The strings are dyed according to a pattern, and the dye marks align when woven forms the pattern on the cloth.

“Padi Patole Bhat, Fate Pan Fite Nahi”which translates to ' The design laid down in patola shall never fade even when the cloth is torn.’

With a guarantee of lasting close to 100 years and a design that can be worn any side, Patan’s famous Patola are no wonder a prized possession, a wedding essential, a heirloom and definitely one of the finest silk sarees of India. It is the only form of the painstaking double ikat weave available worldwide.

Revisiting the amazon fashion week - traditional lehengas and sherwanis in mashru textiles with Patola weave .The designers tried to give an Indian touch to fashion by adding subtle embellishments with zardozi, mirror and resham, an update for ethnic wear for men. Jewellery added a royal but edgy touch to the collection .

Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016

So here are few tips to identify the Perfect Patola:

• The mark of a genuine Patola is that even after heavy wear and tear the colour never fades.

• The colours are said to last upto 100 years! As Patola sarees are only made of silk and weavers consider cotton a waste for such a precious handloom.

• The price is also a key identifier for a handloom Patola saree. If the saree costs under Rs.90,000 - 1,00,000 you might just be buying a fake.