Kasuri Ikat Dress - Indigo , فستان كاسوري إيكات - نيلي

A simple but sophisticated shirt dress, named for the slim nehru collar. The slightly-fitted silhouette can be worn open, or given further shape with the cloth belt.

• Center front placket with hand beaten brass buttons
• Full length sleeves close with button cuff
• Side seam pockets
• Falls to just below the knee, with side slits and curved hem
• Includes self-fabric sash
• Hand woven mid-weight cotton in a complex, Japanese-inspired kasuri double ikat

Model is 5'9" and is wearing S/M.

SIZE DETAILS

S / M - Length centre front 45 ½” Cross-body chest 20” Cross-body waist 20” Cross-body hip 21 ½” Armhole circumference 20” Cuff circumference 7”

M / L - Length centre front 46 ½” Cross-body chest 21 ½” Cross-body waist 21 ½” Cross-body hip 23” Armhole circumference 22” Cuff circumference 8”

Story Behind the Textile

Hand dyed and woven by a group of specialised ikat master artisans in one of India's ikat centers; Hyderabad in Telangana State (formerly Andhra Pradesh). Ikat is an ancient dyeing and weaving process found around the world, including India, Japan, China and Central Asia. Ikat refers to the dyeing process, whereby prior to dyeing, the yarn is meticulously tied with string (or another material) in pre-determined locations then dyed, resulting in tied areas resisting the dye.  

Our cloth is a double ikat - meaning both weft and warp yarns are dyed this way; a particularly complex process, as the dyed patterns on warp and weft must align during weaving. There are only a few places in the world that create double ikat including: Okinawa; Tenganan village, Bali; and Patan, Gujarat.

While Indian ikat generally favours bold colours and larger motifs, for this collection, our weaving partners have looked to traditional Japanese kasuri ikat for insiration. Kasuri, meaning "rubbed", refers to the blurred edges of patterns and most frequently consists of small, geometric repeat designs dyed in indigos, whites and browns. Any variations or irregularities are part of the design and inherent to the production process.