Mysore Silk Saris are the quintessence of Indian wear for women. Feminine without being fussy, delicately gilded without being frippery, they come in rich colors and drape with a flare that is at once gorgeous and chaste.
To buy these elegant fabrics, come to Purnima Mysore Silks. A 15-year-old store with a modest faade, it monopolizes Mysore silk retailing in Hyderabad. The garments are priced between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 10,000. Apart from silk, the Mysore patterns also adorn chiffons, crepes and georgettes.
PM has four collections: bridal, traditionals, innovations and reshams. For its part, the Indian cottage industry evidently does its share of merchandising, apparent from the imaginative names and classification of designs: Nirupama, Charulatha, Apsara, Ragamalika, Jahnvi!
Shashirekha is a dark green silk sari with silver zari. Hema is a blood red silk sari with sunrise gold and mustard designs on the border. It comes with a "fancy
pallu", and has large, repetitive geometric designs that give it a haughty, bold and young look.
The bridal collection has brocade and Kalamkari tissue work, and is priced Rs. 7,000 onwards. For a classy and elegant look at a wedding rather than the heavily tinseled, celebratory one, go for Mysore silk.
Within "Traditionals", Purnima has an unexpectedly rich range of rarely seen and very clever sari designs. They are called skirts, half saris, patlis etc. These have a contrasting pattern on the pleats of the sari, which shows clearly when draped.
Saris designed to unfurl a new pattern at every step of the draping process - pleats, main
pallu, back
pallu etc. - are another surprise. And then, there is the traditional Mysore patli. Don't miss them; they are a whole new world!
All-in-all, one of the better stores when it comes to range in Mysore silk. If you are sure you want Mysore silk and no other, then pick this store instead of a
Nalli or a
Kalanjali. You might be able to make a happy purchase, given their exhaustive range.