Dresses made out of Old Sarees, How to Recycle your old Kanjeevaram Sarees!!

How to make an old fashioned Kanjeevaram saree to a trendy outfit..

Kanjeevaram Saree is our traditional outfit. We all have a few really pretty Kanjeevaram’s  of our grandmothers and mothers locked up in our wardrobe that we love. We hardly get to flaunt and don’t want to throw them away because they’re all so special. Some of them are too old to be worn and some are too precious to be thrown away. Some of them are either outdated or our moms dislikes the color or may have too much bling on them.

Instead of having them stacked in the wardrobe and letting them consume that space on the shelf, why don’t we  re-cycle the old silk saree to something you would wear and love to show off as a creation of your own. The woven or the zari work on border and pallu can be used to recreate products using the old silk saree.

One saree- Multi ways to Refashion

What can you do with an old saree? A LOT! First off, it is environmentally friendly and secondly pocket-friendly too. And, you can transform these old sarees not just into ethnic wear, but also design some beautiful and chic looking fusion wear.

Here are some super interesting ways to reinvent and recreate those classics into something modern and chic!

Wear the old saree in a different Style

Before you cut your kanjeevaram saree into pieces give a thought , whether we can  wear it in a different style. 

The Blouse Makes a Huge Difference

Traditionally the Kanjeevaram saree comes with a piece of fabric in the same colour or the colour of the border for the usual half sleeved blouse. You can ditch this route for a more contemporary blouse to go with your mom’s Kanjeevaram saree.  The striking colour contrast and contemporary tailoring of the blouse further uplifts the look of the Kanjeevaram saree.

Contrast Blouse pick up for old kanjeevaram

Different blouse designs with Kanjeevaram

Coordinate Kanjeevaram sarees with trending floral print or contemporary print blouses.

Jackets and Capes

Wearing a jacket or a cape instead of the traditional blouse with the saree will definitely create a modern outlook. The pallu can be worn over the jacket to maintain the saree look.Jackets and capes offer a fusion look to the saree.

Sarees with Jackets  or crapes

Play with multiple Modern Drapes

Sari is that one outfit that provides you with countless drape options and plethora of looks with one single fabric! So women, have fun with your mood swings and drape it in new styles every time you need a change.You can drape the Kanjeevaram saree in unconventional ways with your choice of trendy blouses. Use a chic belt at the waist with the saree to create a modern appeal.

Draping styles

Draping a saree in different style

Take advantage of the fluidity of the attire and pleat it wherever you desire and create your own signature looks. Wear it like a dhoti or choose any regional drape styles like Gujarati, Bengali or Coorgi to make a difference to your saree look.

Saree with Legging, Jegging or Jeans
Didn’t we tell you that you can team your saree with your pants? So why not style them with leggings? Take cues from Aditi Rao, who brings an ultra feminine yet modish look with saree, sheer blouse, jeggings and belt. You can skip the belt and style with jeggings and trust us you will look spectacular- try this look for evening parties or festivals.

Saree on leggings

Saree with Dhoti Salwar
If you still haven’t tried this look, then it is the time you do experiment with every lady’s favorite look. This style is comfortable, unique and definitely mind blowing. You can wear this look for sangeet functions, kitty parties and look par excellence.

Saree with Dhoti Pants

Changing the Old Sarees to New 

You can actually change the old sarees in such a way that the very same sarees can be made to look like new sarees. A few means by which you can do that are:

A) If the damaged border is the reason that you’ve stopped using the saree change the saree  by maggam work or patch work over the border or by removing old border and experiment with new borders like kundan, zardosi etc.

Remodeled saree Border

New Border to old Saree

B) If instead, the border of old saree is good and saree is tattered, design a new saree by adding the old border to a new fabric like chanderi or kota silk or kalamkari.

Transfered Border 

C) Block printing old plain sarees can change them into brand new, beautifully designed sarees.
D) Two or more old sarees can be combined to design a half and half saree  or multi color saree– a design that has become very popular lately.

Make Multi colored Saree

Making Lehenga or  Halfsarees 

A technique that’s been practiced from the olden times, converting your saree into a half saree has always been the norm. This is also a great way to keep the saree’s charm and beauty intact while changing the way it looks completely.
 When you have old pattu sarees this is the first point what our mom’s get the idea is to make the old pattu saree to a lehanga or an half saree.  YES this is an wonderful idea to make your old pattu saree or kanjeevaram saree to a lehanga or half saree. The dupatta can also be made out of the saree if there’s left over cloth after using the saree for the lehenga.you may just need to match with appropriate blouse and Voni . For a half saree you may just need to team with a matching or contrast colour voni and a beautiful blouse. Here are couple of photo’s which gives idea.

Lehengas from old Kanjeevaram

Floor length Anarkali 

 We all know that the floor length anarkali’s are trending these days and nothing can beat this fashion. Even if the borders are damaged, you could use the body of the saree for the top, use contrast Heavy borders for the hemline, neckline and sleeves together and make a floor length anarkalis and team up with a matching legging or you can simply make a floor length anarkali by bringing big border at the end of the anarkali. For the bottom and dupatta, you could either use another old saree or mix and match it with what you have. And  you will be  wondering how it was transformed from old Kanjeevarams into anarkalis, take a look at these shiny and resplendent anarkalis made out of kanjeevaram silk cloth.

Floor Length Anarkalis from Old sarees

Festive long kurtas or Kurtis

ld pattu sarees are treasured because they always have mother's or grandmother's memories attached to them, so we wouldn't want them thrown away.
This is where you can get really creative and explore with different designs. You could make your kurta contemporary or traditional by strategically placing the border. Get a Chinese collar or a V-Neck with borders across, experiment to your heart's content.  You can make an entire outfit out of a saree, the body can be used for the palazzo and the pallu can be utilised as the crop-top, they are in and also look really smart.

Add Long kurtas from Old sarees

Kutas & Kurtis from old saree

If there is not enough for an entire dress, just get a kurta stitched and match it up with either a contemporary looking palazzo, simple leggings or dhoti pants depending on the kurta model. Get creative while making the kurti adding a fabric here and there and do a bit of designing so that it looks contemporary. You can even use your old kanjeevarams to make grand, festive kurtis and other sarees to make simpler kurtis. . You have got yourself a brand new dress from an old saree.

Glittering Skirt

Are you the lover of long skirts no worries if you have a old pattu sarees in your wardrobe which you are not wearing.  Easiest way to convert your old sarees to new look are skirts.
You can convert the longer part of the saree into a skirt - panelled, gathered or just a full round one depending on the pattern on the skirt.

Long Skirts from Kanjeevaram

Long Skirts from Kanjeevaram

Long skirts are way but you can also try to do a short skirts.  Some beautifully ethnic skirts can be made out of silks where as regular sarees can also be used to make some really pretty short or long skirts. but you may just need to team up with appropriate top to your skirt.

Short skirts

A One Piece long Gowns

Yes, one piece  long gowns are so in right now. But why don’t we take a step backward and reuse an old saree to get a one piece gown stitched? If it’s not enough, by all means, use extra fabric that goes with the theme.
You can ask your tailor to seperate Kanjeevaram Border and try  with those plain, and flowy sarees stitched to perfection. Designers today make the saree gown trend so perfect and elegant with drapes, cowls and pleats constructed in a harmonising couture. that’s all to get your saree a new look.

Long Gowns

Heavy Dupatta’s 

These days if you see we are spending more on duppatas rather than on the salwar’s. You can simply cut the appropriate amount of silk saree and make the saree as duppta and just team this duppata with proper salwar that make your out fit more outstanding and ethnic.

Dupattas from old sarees

Dupattas from old sarees

Ghagra or Three Piece Set

Yes, you can make a full set out of your saree. Take the pallu part as the dupatta and the part where the pleats come in can be the skirt and you can match it with a plain raw silk crop top by combining it with a contrast or complimenting tinted silk fabric!

3-piece set

3 -Piece set from Old sarees

Blouse or Shirt or a Short Jacket

Fabric from a saree being saved up can be used to make a saree blouse or a lehenga blouse  to match a look. Get a perfect custom tailored blouse to accompany your Indian lehenga and you have a new outfit out of the saree. Silk saree and party sarees will always be useful to make an elegant blouse outfit from it.

Shirts, Blouses from Old sarees

You can still use your pattu sarees to make a shirt or a short kurta that you can team up with Jeans or shorts or on long shirts.

Long Jacket or Over Coat

Yes, this is do-able and so fancy! A silk blended saree with an interesting woven pattern will look delightful when turned into a trench coat. you can team up these long jackets with long skirts or any silk trouser like cigerette pants or dhoti pants.

Jackets & over coats 

A Neat Summer Maxi  Dress

Take a plain silk saree with prominent border and create a dress with a simple design as per you liking! It’s not just unique but it’s fusion at it’s best. You can even make a maxi dress with a temple border saree. It’s just going to look so different!

Maxi dresses

 A Smart Pair Of Brocade or Palazzo Pants!

If you can use your old sarees as lehengas and skirts, you can also go ahead and make a palazzo pants or even regular pants out of them. Sarees with thick zari borders can make for great palazzo pants. Any material that won’t tear up easily can be transformed into this contemporary palazzo pants designs. But, just be sure to use a suitable lining material for the Palazzo.

Trousers from kanjeevaram

As the picture suggests, you can try a flared style, cigarette pants or a wide-legged ankle length one. They’ve got the contemporary vibe and will definitely catch you lots of compliments! Match them with plain tops or even kurtis!

Indo -Western style

Trying to stick to the traditional dress code, but sick of wearing the old anarkali-type suits? We surely love our traditional Indian wear and have them in plenty, but sometimes wearing the  same over and over again does get a little monotonous. Therefore, giving a little twist to your Indian wear from time to time, according to the changing fashion trends can be a refreshing idea, as in fashion, there are no rules. So, here are the trendiest Indian outfit ideas that will give you a modern look.
Not only Indian but famed international fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Alexander Mcqueen and Marchesa have celebrated the Indian saree fabric through their dress creations.

Indo-Western dresses 

Saree Dress

Saree dresses are the new favourite this season. Dresses that are made out of Kanjeevaram silk cloth or any other hand woven silk like chanderi or banarasi are all the rage now, not just in India but throughout the world. The best part about such dresses is that they give you a modern yet ethnic look. Better still, take two old sarees and mix and match them for an innovative creation. So go ahead and make a saree dress out of all the old sarees that you were going to throw away. You can make a skater dress, a formal dress, a cocktail dress or a maxi dress out of these sarees. Here’s a gorgeous collection of saree dresses to give you ideas. Go ahead and get creative!!

Saree dresses

Kids lehangas & Frocks & chudidar  

This is one more beautiful idea to re use your old pattu sarees to make a lehanga for kids or frocks . This also look quite outstanding and you  may just need to take of the border where you need to place either on hands or as a border. Below pictures will give some idea how to use it.

Kids wear from old sarees

 Scarf

 This should be your last resort, if your saree is beyond saving and all you have are bit and pieces across the saree that are still in a good condition. Get it stitched in an asymmetrical pattern to create something unique, in this case you can mix and match 3-4 designs of contrasting colours or similar colour palettes to create an interesting scarf.

scarfs from old sarees

Now that you know what to do with old sarees, what are you waiting for? Go on, raid your mother’s wardrobe. Better late than never. Recycling is your way to go, for more reasons than one. Unleash your creativity, and you will be surprised at how much you can do with everything that’s in the household. Take up this DIY project; it’s beyond fulfilling, I promise!!

Do you know of any other ways on how to refashion old sarees? You are welcome :) Share your ideas  by commenting below.

Also See #DupattaDrapes   #Lehenga   #Kurta  #Sarees   #BlouseDesigns  #Jewelry

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