Handloom silk is something else; you won’t find anything like it anywhere. I remember hearing these words one day, although in a context that shouldn’t have happened. Wondering how handloom silk sarees got into a family drama? Well, here’s how it happened- my mother was a huge fan of sarees, like many other women (duh!), and had a habit of periodically buying sarees to stock up her wardrobe. My father indulged this habit, although even he had his limitations. She had left her job to marry him and then raise me. So, this meant that she was not financially independent for the longest time.
Now, what happened on this specific day was something like this- one of my mother’s best friends had purchased a few handloom silk sarees in Kanchipuram sometime back. After seeing them, my mother went completely gaga over them. Upon seeing her interest, this friend said that she could give her one of these beauties for a certain amount, and my mother agreed. The problem took place when my father returned from work and learnt that a huge sum of money had just been spent on a saree, enough to buy a mobile phone, as he said! This is when my mother retorted with her statement that handloom silk is something else; you won’t find anything like it anywhere. This is original.
My father rebuffed the statement, and they did quarrel over it for quite a few days. Later, they did make up (much to my relief!), although nothing was ever said about it anymore. My mother also stopped her saree purchases for several months, before she eventually took up a part-time job again once I started going to college (to pay for my only passion- sarees, as she used to say). She even started buying handloom sarees online from several brands, although she was rarely happy with the quality or the genuineness of these fabrics. 99% of them were sent back with a full refund, and she ultimately resorted to buying her favorite handloom silk from 2-3 stores in Kolkata, which charged exorbitant amounts and did not directly source it from the weavers.
How I Bought My First Handloom Silk Saree
By this time, I had been working for 2-3 years and had fallen in love with these handloom silk sarees myself. I learnt about their rich legacy, the sheer amount of painstaking labor and skill that goes into the making of each saree, the artistic and cultural traditions they carry on, the weavers who spend hours to create magic, their unmatched fabric quality, and so on. This led me to buy handloom sarees online as a first step towards building up my own collection.
However, suffice to say, it was not a very good experience. I still have that saree, although I’m unsure whether it’s the actual thing or not. The brand did not give me any certification or mark of authenticity, although the pattern is decent. The material does not feel fully original, but the color is to my liking. So, you can call it my first handloom silk saree, until I found the right solution for indulging my passions.
Where You Can Buy Handloom Sarees Online
While looking for a place to buy the best handloom sarees online, I was eventually referred to this platform called Tamal Boutique. This was given to me by a friend who had previously bought a handloom silk herself from the brand. She gushed about their delivery, authenticity, fabric quality, and huge handloom collection to me and my mother one evening at our house (she’d come for a visit after a long time). We were both hooked, and instantly started browsing the collections after my friend left for home.
Needless to say, we found some of the best handlooms here, and that too at reasonable prices. And then I realized that they source it directly from the weavers, which is why the prices seemed fair. This also excited my mother, who wanted to buy 1 or 2 sarees right away. So, we went ahead the next day and placed our orders. They arrived and voila! The authenticity mark was there, the material was perfect, the condition was impeccable, and the delivery was prompt. We had finally found the best place to buy handloom silk sarees in Kolkata! Today, we are regular customers, ordering almost every alternate month. My mother keeps gushing about how low the prices are for the quality that she gets. I, on my part, am happy about making a small difference in preserving these ancient traditions of craftsmanship with my purchases. So, if you want a recommendation and are equally passionate about handloom silks, then Tamal Boutique is definitely the place to visit. There is no two ways about it!