Guides
The questions we answer across the counter.
How to drape a saree so it stays up. Which fabric will survive a long day. What the mother of the bride actually wears. What a tailor can and cannot fix. Written by the shop, with links to the pieces and services each one is about.
How to drape a saree, step by step
Six yards and no instructions is how most people feel the first time. The good news is that nearly all of a good drape is preparation: a petticoat that fits, shoes on before you start, and pleats made before you tuck anything in.
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Saree fabrics explained: chiffon, georgette, art silk, Banarasi and Kanjivaram
Two sarees can look almost identical on a phone screen and behave nothing alike on a body. The fabric decides how it falls, how heavy it feels by the end of the evening, whether your pleats stay put, and how carefully it has to be kept.
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Salwar kameez: stitched, semi-stitched or unstitched?
The same suit can be sold in three states, and the difference is not quality — it is how much tailoring is left to do. Buying the wrong one is the most common reason an outfit arrives too late, or does not fit, or both.
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What to wear as mother of the bride or groom
You are not there to look like a second bride, and you are not there to disappear either. You will be in photographs all day, greeting guests, sitting through a ceremony and standing in a receiving line — so the outfit has to work for the job, not just for the mirror.
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What to wear to an Irish wedding as an Asian guest
An Irish wedding is still a wedding — you will dress up, and there will be photographs. But the building, the light and the weather are different from a wedding in Lahore, Delhi or Dubai, and the right outfit for a hotel ballroom is not the right outfit for a marquee in November.
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Saree and lehenga alterations: what is possible, what is not
Almost nothing is meant to fit perfectly off the rail. A garment is cut to a size; a fitting makes it yours. But there are real limits to what a needle can do, and knowing them before you hand a piece over saves money, time and disappointment.
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What a page cannot do
Measuring, pinning and matching a colour still happen in person.
We write these guides because they save you a wasted journey, not because they replace one. If you are unsure between two fabrics, or you want to know what a particular alteration will cost, bring the garment to 89/90 Parnell Street — or send a photograph on WhatsApp and we will tell you what we can see.
Shop and services
The pages the guides point at.
If you already know what you are looking for, these are the shortest routes into the shop.
In-house services
Know before you buy
Not sure where to start?
Tell us the occasion. We will narrow it down.
A wedding, a mehndi, a first saree or a suit for work — the answer changes with all three. Message the shop with the date and the venue, and we will point you at the right pieces rather than the whole rail.