Varanasi wove it. Lucknow embroidered it. And somewhere in between, someone decided to add pearl
embellishments by hand because apparently that wasn't enough already.
The Zardozi is classic Lucknow a Persian craft that Mughal emperors brought to India and never let
go of. Kaddana added the fine metallic detail. Knot work tied everything together, literally. And the wide
structured gold border on both sides? That's the loom doing what Varanasi loomers have been doing
since the 14th century.
The pearl embellishment on the body is the quiet thing you notice last. And then can't stop looking at.
