On the first day we arrived in India we went out to a store that specializes in Sarees. It was three stories tall and full of people looking to buy and others trying to sell. The top floor was “running fabric.” We didn’t visit it but I believe it is for people who are looking to buy large fabric pieces. The next floor was the thin silks and cottons. This is where we spent our time shopping. 

There was so much diversity in color pattern and texture. Some of the cloth was firmly woven cotton with gold woven into the base as an accent, others were made of a soft cotton and silk mix that had hand painted patterns. I looked at one saree that was so thinly woven you could see right through it. It had a floral pattern stitched onto it in thick white sting. I had never seen anything like it. 

Finally, the bottom floor was for fancy occasions. This was where people looked for more formal Sarees with heavy fabric and rich embroidered patterns. It was fascinating for me to see all of the variety in patterns, styles, textures, and prices of different sarees. Before coming to India I did a project for Values class where I researched the history of indian clothes. It was incredible to see in person the things that I had studied. I also appreciated seeing how meaningful the pieces of fabric were to the people shopping.