Walking past a boutique in Lucky Garden Bangsar recently, I was drawn to one of their embroidered blouses hanging against the wall. I had to go inside to take a closer look and the shop assistant was really friendly and warm. My eyes were glued to a rack of beautiful (mostly pastel) blouses which are semi-sheer. The shop assistant informed me that these were chikan embroidered blouses from Lucknow, India. I’d never heard of this method of embroidery before but it’s very well known in India because it was developed centuries ago during the Mughal era.
Believed to have been introduced by Nur Jehan, the favourite and most beloved wife of Emperor Jahangir (father of Shah Jehan), chikan is meticulous and fine hand embroidery on a variety of materials such as muslin, silk, chiffon and organza. These are all suitable and ideal materials for warm weather.
While Till You Drop offers a lot more than just chikan embroidered blouses, I’d like to feature these gorgeous blouses first as I think that they deserve to be noticed.
The materials used for chikan embrodery have to be light as the embroidery needle cannot pierce through materials which are too thick or hard. Prices of the chikan blouses at Till You Drop range from RM69 (sleeveless) to RM129 (long sleeves).
Till You Drop is located adjacent to Lucky Laundrette at 16, Persiaran Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden, Bangsar, KL.
