Chikankari is one of the most liked traditional handwork embroideries in India. It is a very delicate and intricate shadow work type. Chikankari is a favorite amongst every Indian woman and is known for its sheer elegance and rich look.
Originally Chikankari work was done on Muslin or sheer cotton cloth like mulmul with white thread. Over the time period, more colors have been introduced including pastels, black, and fluorescents. The fabrics like cotton, silk, chiffon, georgette, kota, organza, etc are mostly used for this craft.
In this article I have listed down 17 latest chikankari saree, kurtis, lehengas and more that you can have in your wardrobe.
1) Mint green lehenga with contrast flowers.
Let us start this article with a perfect lehenga. This is a beautiful and elegant lehenga with chikan and badla work from Kalkifashion. It can be worn in your close friend or your cousin’s wedding, or if you are a bride then this can be your sangeet or mehendi look. Style this with Kundan jhumkis or chandbalis.
You can more Kalki fashion lehengas here.
2) Mauve georgette saree.
Chikankari saree looks elegant, gorgeous and stylish. It can be worn in different ways that define its versatility and beauty. It is an outfit that can be worn on almost all occasions. Style it up with kundan earrings or chandbali. Below is a beautiful saree by ADA.
You can find more ADA chikankari sarees here.
3) Peach georgette saree.
Below is a stylish and elegant saree by Kalki fashion. Perfect for any wedding, the base fabric used is georgette and has beautiful cut dana, resham and sequins work along with chikankari in a floral and paisley pattern. Style it with contrast colour jumkis and mojdis to complete the look.
Check more sarees from Kalki fashion here.
4) Green anarkali kurta with dupatta.
Below is a beautiful solid green anarkali with embroidered detail from Inddus. It has a mandarin collar, three-quarter sleeves, and comes with a cream fully embroidered dupatta. It’s perfect for your next family gathering or a friend’s dinner party. Keep it classy with beautiful chandbalis or pearl earrings and wear it with mojdis or heels according to your conviction.
You can explore more chikankari kurta by Inddus here.
5) Peach anarkali with per attached dupatta.
below is 1 more beautiful piece of lucknowi thread from kalkifashion. Peach and gold anarkali with pre-attached dupatta is perfect for this wedding season. You don’t need to add anything to it as it is full look in itself, just wear it with simple gold with pearl earrings to add a beautiful element.
For more anarkali by Kalkifashion click here.
6) Light blue flared kurta.
This simple and elegant light blue flared cotton kurta is from LYLA . It has chikan and mukesh work on hem and cuff. Style this kurta with matching straight pants and sliver or oxidized jewelry for a festive ready look.
For more LYLA kurta click here.
7) Green tie-up detailed anarkali.
This Green anarkali with tie-up detail from saadgi is perfect for an event in the family. It comes with a simple dupatta, pair it with pakistani pants or palazzo. Style it up with Kundan jhumkis to add the glam.
8) Mint green angrakha kurta.
Below is a mint green angrakha kurta from Swadesh. It is crafted in chanderi fabric and had delicate chikankari work on it. Style it with chuddiar and wear delicate pearl earrings and simple mojdis to complete the look.
9) White long kurta with mukesh.
This chic white long straight kurta is by shades. The fabric used is pure georgette and has chikankari and mukesh work on it, which makes it a perfect piece to don at festive occasions and family gatherings. Match it with slight cut pants or a simple look or wear it with palazzo for Indo chic look.
For more Kurti from shades check here.
10) Light blue aline kurta.
Below is a simple and classy kurta from Fabindia. If you want to wear Indian formal for the next office event this kurta is for you. Pair it with linen or cotton pants and wear elegant jewelry like small silver hoops or long earrings and a simple watch to rock the look.
Check this link for more Fabindia chikan work kurtas.
11) White double-layered Kurta Dress.
This dress by Okhai is crafted carefully so that the traditional chikankari gets a new and modern look.
You can wear this as a dress for a modern look or can where it with cotton pants or leggings like a kurta. Add a pop of color in the accessories you used with it as a bag, stole or footwear. You can also add contrasting color earrings with it.
You can buy more Okhai Kurtis here.
12) Light pink straight kurta.
This light pink straight kurta is from Vishudh. It is a comfortable daily wear kurta pair it with leggings for a simple day look. Style this kurta with simple pearl earrings and flat chappals or jhotis.
Check out more Pink Chikankari Kurtis here.
13) White front button kurta.
Wear this white kurta by awadh chikan craft with denim and rock the Indo western look. Step out in this with your friends as it is perfect for a casual day look.
Check out more kurti by awadh chikan craft here.
14) Tie and dye short kurta.
This is an amazing combination of tie and dye with Lucknowi chikankari embroidery by Indie picks. Pair it with boyfriend fit denim or loose linen pants for a comfortable look.
You can buy this short kurti by Indie picks here.
You can also check best kurti’s in India here.
15) Off-white floor-length jacket dress.
Below is a sleeveless ankle-length dress with a stylish chikankari thread embroidered jacket and mesmerize the people around you this summer.
You can check out this dress from Anokherang here.
16) Off white short Kurti with Dori tie-up.
Below is a bold Kurti with Dori tie up on the waist by Swadesh. You can wear it over a bikini or shorts on your next Bali trip and added a beautiful traditional element to your look. Wear it with chunky jewelry.
You can have this kurta from Swadesh from here.
17) Asymmetric Jacket.
Below is an asymmetric shrug by Indie picks which gives a modern silhouette a nice Indian touch. You can style the jacket with a cotton skirt for an Indian look or you can also wear it over a dress for an Indo western look.
It is also very important to maintain all handloom and handwork carefully.
How to Maintain Chikankari.
- Chikankari embroidery should ideally be dry cleaned, though this depends more on the fabric than the work.
- Some fabrics, such as silk, need to be dry cleaned but others, like cotton, georgette, chiffon can be hand washed.
- Always prefer wooden or acrylic hangers. Wire or plastic hangers can cause damage to your clothes.
- Use a breathable protective garment bag for storing the chikankari garments.
- Make sure you keep chikankari garments away from sequin, beadwork, zardozi work garments, etc to avoid accidental tearing.
You can also check out my article on Best Tie and Dye Dresses.
Now let us have a look at the History and Technique of Chikankari.
History:
The exact origin of this technique remains a mystery to date but there are many different tales for the same.
- Some historians have recorded the presence of chikankari as early as the 3rd Century AD during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya.
- Another common story behind its history relates the Mughals introducing this Persian craft to India in the 17th Century.
- While there is also a tale where a thirsty traveler taught the art of chikankari to peasant because he was impressed by the peasant’s hospitality.
- Apart from all this it is also believed that chikankari was introduced to India by Nur Jahan, Mughal empress, and wife of Jahangir.
Technique:
- Design: The Fabric is cut according to the garment it is will form and area is marked where the embroidery is going to be.
- Block printing: With the help of blue ink and multiple wooden block print design block the embroidery design is imprinted on the fabric
- Embroidery: Then the fabric is set in wooden frames so that the handwork can be started. The stitches and pattern of embroidery are selected by the artisans according to the designs and the motifs on the fabric.
- Washing and Finishing: Once the embroidery is done the fabric is carefully removed from the frame and is washed so that the ink is removed. Later all the extra threads are removed to give it a finished look.
Depending on the pattern intricacy and size of the piece, the embroidery process alone can take up to 10 days to complete which makes it so special but expensive. These days chikankari is also available in machine work which is cheaper as compared to the original handwork embroidery. In this article also I have kept a few garments that have machine chikan work on it.
Let us see a quick difference between machine work and handwork:
- Handwork takes time and gives you a unique piece for your self. A machine, on the other hand, takes less time and it is possible to make replicas of the same piece.
- Hand embroidery is expensive but if you are an art lover and loves Indian handicrafts like me then it is totally worth spending that much money. Machine work is cheap and you can have similar work on lehengas or saree in almost half price or even less then handwork.
- Machine work you will get perfect work done and there are no chances of a mistake or anything on your garment, while in hand embroidery there are chances that there can be a slight difference in 2 motifs etc because it was done by hand but then that the Uniqueness.
- There is more finishing in machine work then hand.
I hope you liked my post on 17 latest chikankari saree, kurtis And more you must have in your wardrobe. If you need help on specific outfits or have any questions on chikankari or any other handlooms or handicrafts, please make sure to leave me a comment below!