Old Onam Saris as Young and New – A few tips to change traditional old Kerala saris to party wear

It’s possible to give make overs of old saris used by your mother or elder sisters. For party wears, you can make nice designs with old traditional Kerala saris. You can turn trendy if you make well use of your creativity. Also read: Kerala traditional off-white sari – Latest trends and caring tips.

It’s a usual habit of Malayalis to buy traditional saris frequently. It’s also a tradition among Malayalis to gift traditional off-white saris to close relatives during Onam, Vishu and other celebrations. We many not use them frequently and fill in our almarahs. Why can’t we use some of those traditional saris to make trendy party wears, or use to stitch dresses for college going girls?

Off-white dress with golden border is a super combination. You need not keep this traditional wear in skirts and sari designs only. You can bring western designs to your traditional wear to get young and peppy look. Here I suggest a few.

Panel skirt

For weddings and traditional functions, teenagers mostly wear skirts. When you give a small twist to this traditional wear, it gets a designer touch. Saris can be used to stitch panel skirts. To decorate the front panel, sari’s pallu can be used. For Princess-cut crop top, traditional skirts are stylish.

Bell style

Bell sleeve design is a good choice for bell style design, and you can use sari pallus for sleeves. Round cut hemline which suits simple dress can also be experimented.

Peter Pan Dress

You can achieve ‘Baby Doll’ look by pleated costumes, and it suits best for college going girls. You can make it stylish by stitching pockets with silk piping. In this minimized design, Peter Pan color and button add an elegant look to frocks. This pattern is cute for small girls also. It’s a light-feel casual wear and gives a vintage English-look, you can add it with your collection of statement formal accessories and use as office wear.

Jump With Collar Up

The off-white colour of set saris can be used to stitch ‘terrific’ shirts. Silk saris or saris with small prints can also be used. For a modern outfit like Jump Suit, a traditional Kerala touch adds extra beauty. It’s a little bit different from normal Hippy style jump suit, and a bit loose comparing Hippy model. You can also use Jump Suit without using shirt.

Formal Wear

You can stitch a stylist office-wear suit from a traditional sari. Sari’s pallu is not used anywhere. Silky checks of sari’s body give an attractive look to this office wear. You can also wear shirt as inner. Avoid blazers, and formal trousers can also be used. Mismatching skirts can also be chosen.

Tips for wardrobe

1. Not only traditional Kerala saris with silk borders, you can also experiment with saris with different colour borders. For accessories, choose contrast combinations to make your Kerala traditional wears attractive.

2. Black metal jewelry for silver border saris give an elegant look.

3. Use only thin cotton cloth for lining. Never use polyester or butter crap.

4. Avoid brassier cups for costumes stitched using Kerala sari. 

Also read: How to make use of old saris?

Read a few articles on recycling old things. Here is the page link. Click on the images in the gallery to read