Anala – Chilli Red Banana Silk Saree

Chilli Red banana silk, brush printed with a paisley-and-lotus vine in coral, indigo and green and finished with a fine gold zari edge. Part of the Poongodi range for the festive season.

What banana silk actually is. Not silkworm silk. The yarn is drawn from the pseudostem of the banana plant — the trunk left standing once the fruit is cut, which would otherwise be discarded. In Tamil Nadu it is called vaazhai naar pattu. The stem is stripped by hand, sun-dried, softened and spun. It earns the word silk from its lustre and its fall, not from its origin.

About the brush print. The motif is brushed onto the cloth rather than rolled, so the colour sits with depth and the edge of each petal stays soft. It is slower and dearer than a flat machine print, and it is why the flowers read as painted rather than stamped.

How it wears. Banana fibre is light and dry to the touch, closer to a fine cotton than to a slippery art silk. It holds a pleat without help and does not cling. Cool enough for a long South Indian afternoon — a temple visit, a morning muhurtham, a family function — while the zari border carries it into the evening.

What arrives. 5.5m saree with a matching 0.8m blouse piece, unstitched.

Care. Dry clean recommended, especially for the zari border. If hand washing, use cold water and a mild detergent, do not wring, and dry in shade. Iron on low with a cloth over the zari.

Photographed in daylight. Screens vary, so the colour may sit a shade away from the fabric in your hands. Slight irregularity in a plant fibre is the fibre, not a flaw.