The Blouse: Small Garment, Big Difference

A choli is the fitted blouse worn with a saree or lehenga. It descends from the ancient stanapatta, a chest band in early Indian dress that evolved into the choli by around the first century.

A blouse is a fitted garment, and fit is unforgiving - it must sit close to the body, support and shape, and allow movement while finishing cleanly. The invisible work of measurement, pattern, lining and fittings is what separates a designer blouse from an ordinary one.

The main choices are the neckline (boat, sweetheart, V, high or collar), the back (often the design statement, with cuts, ties or embellishment), the sleeves, and the internal structure - lining, padding and closures.

Yes. The modern blouse pairs with lehengas and skirts too, and comes in contemporary styles like corset, off-shoulder, halter and jacket-blouses - it is now often the most designed part of an ethnic outfit.

Kantha is a traditional hand-embroidery from the Bengal region built on the simple running stitch. It began with rural women layering old saris and stitching them into quilts, and grew into an art form used today on saris, dupattas and designer wear.

Kantha originates in rural Bengal — today's West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. In 2008, Nakshi Kantha received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for West Bengal, associated especially with the Birbhum district near Shantiniketan.

The running stitch — the simplest of all embroidery stitches. Repeated with skill, it outlines motifs and fills areas, creating Kantha's soft, rippled, textured surface. Every piece is slightly different because it is entirely hand-worked.

Yes. Kantha and Kantha-inspired detailing appears today on blouses, saris, dupattas, kurtas and jackets. Being hand-done, it gives each garment a genuinely one-of-a-kind, heritage character.