Kota Doria Dress Material Pastel Lilac Gota Floral

This cotton dress material comes from Kaithoon near Kota in Rajasthan the home of the sheer khat square check weave of cotton and silk The pastel lilac top is striped with fine woven gold zari lines and centred on a floral spray worked in gold gota patti embroidery with a soft grey blue fabric rosette stitched at its heart The matching sheer dupatta is scattered with small gold gota leaves and finished with a delicate gold sequinned border The handwork is easy to read once you know the tells Gota patti is made from flat metallic ribbon that is cut folded and stitched down by hand so each gold leaf stands slightly raised off the cloth catches the light and differs a little from the next turn the fabric over and you will see the stitching that holds it The zari stripes are woven into the Kota not printed on top and the rosette is a separate hand made flower applied by hand A machine gold print or foil version lies completely flat repeats every leaf identically sits only on the surface and tends to crack or peel Against the light the khat squares glow unevenly the silk catching a faint sheen Kota Doria is a GI protected weave and gota patti is a Rajasthani court embroidery tradition built for festive dress Even with the gold work the cloth stays light and airy because the open Kota ground does the breathing This is a dressier piece stitch it for a sangeet a daytime wedding function or a festive evening with the sheer dupatta carrying the gold across the shoulder The pastel lilac keeps the look soft while the gota patti adds quiet shine