Banarasi Lehenga Choli with Net Dupatta

The craft

BanarasibanarasiSilk woven in Banaras (Varanasi) with real silver-gilt zari worked into the cloth itself, not added on top. silk is woven, not embroidered or printed — the pattern is built into the fabric itself using gold and silver zarizariGold or silver thread spun fine enough to weave into silk — the metallic shimmer in a Banarasi pallu. thread interlaced with the silk warp, a technique specific to Varanasi's weaving clusters. This is what gives Banarasi fabric its characteristic sheen and why it's historically been reserved for the most formal occasions in Indian dressing; the net dupattadupattaThe long scarf-stole that completes a lehenga or kurta set — draped over the chest, shoulder, or head. here is chosen precisely because it doesn't compete with the weave.