A Brocade Skirt

Brocade skirt with unconventional patterns in gold and silver on a blue silk ground. Reflective of a historical moment and influenced by the freedom movement, the lower section of the skirt depicts the tricoloured Indian national flag, while its upper section is filled with floral motifs that depict opium flowers. The skirt is lined with green coloured woven textile at its ends. Brocades are a class of richly decorative shuttlewoven fabrics, often made in coloured silks and with or without gold and silver threads. Benares (currently Varanasi) is one of the richest weaving craft centres of India, famous for brocade saris and dress material. Their unique and intricate silk brocades are made of silk-warp and silk- weft, on plain/satin ground base, brocaded with extra weft patterns in different layouts.