Kota Doria Dress Material Orange Peach Floral Jaal

This two piece unstitched dress material kurta top and dupatta is woven the sheer graph check cotton from Kaithoon near Kota in Rajasthan The top glows in a warm orange peach worked all over with a tone on tone flowering jaal of curving stems and blossoms so the pattern reads as texture rather than contrast the matching sheer dupatta repeats the floral work with a finer cream and orange vine along its borders The surest way to read a true Kota Doria is its khat a grid of tiny squares made by alternating groups of fine and slightly coarser cotton yarn during weaving Handwoven the squares shift by a fraction across the cloth beaten in by hand they are alive rather than mechanical Hold it to the light and the open weave glows on a powerloom copy the check is dead even the cloth heavier and a synthetic stiffener replaces the traditional onion water and rice starch that give real Kota its weightless crispness Run a hand over the flowers and you feel raised thread not a flat printed surface Kota Doria is GI protected and historically a cotton and silk blend though everyday sets like this keep to a fine cotton for ease of wear The weave s reputation rests on a paradox the artisans have kept for centuries cloth light enough to fold into a small square yet strong enough to drape and hold a clean line Made up as a straight kurta the tonal orange jaal gives a rich all over warmth that needs little jewellery pair the dupatta for festive lunches haldi mornings and sunny day functions The breezy weave suits the heat and the orange peach palette pairs softly with gold ivory or deep brown