Sarees Under ₹6,000

Sarees Under ₹6,000 — Printed, Embroidered and Zari Sarees

This is the band a saree actually gets worn in: light enough to drape for a full day, worked enough for a family function, and not so precious that it lives in a box. Printed and embroidered georgette, chiffon and blended silks, with zari and sequin borders — the everyday and occasion saree, rather than the once-a-decade one.

What kind of saree do you get in this band?

Machine embroidery and printed surfaces on georgette, chiffon, satin, organza and silk blends, with borders in zari, gota or sequin work. Pure handloom silk — Kanjeevaram, Banarasi woven on a pit loom — sits above this band, because the weave itself is the cost there. What you get instead is drape and wearability: these are the sarees that are easy to carry for eight hours and easy to look after.

Which fabric is easiest to drape?

Georgette, first and clearly. It has grip, so the pleats stay where you set them and the pallu does not slide off the shoulder — which is why it is the usual answer for anyone who does not drape a saree every week. Chiffon is lighter and more slippery, and looks best when it is allowed to fall rather than pinned tightly. Satin and silk blends are smooth and need more pins. Cotton holds a crisp pleat and is the coolest for daytime, though it needs starching to look its best.

How do you judge a saree from photographs?

Look at the border and the pallu, not the middle. A woven border continues into the body of the saree; a stuck-on border sits on top of it and is the first thing to come away. Check whether the embroidery is dense enough to hide the base fabric behind it, and whether the pallu's work is placed to fall over the shoulder rather than cut off by the pleats. On a printed saree, look at where the print meets the border — a print that runs off at the join is the giveaway.

Which saree for which occasion?

For a daytime function or an office festival day, cotton, chiffon and light printed georgette in lighter shades. For an evening — sangeet, reception, a party — satin, organza and silk blends with sequin, zari or mirror work, because they need artificial light to show what they are. For a puja, cotton or a light silk blend in a traditional colour with a woven border. Our party wear sarees and silk sarees sort the same range by that decision.

How do you care for a worked saree?

Dry clean anything with zari, sequin or heavy embroidery — water lifts the thread and dulls metallic yarn. Store it folded in a cotton or muslin cloth, never in plastic, and refold it along a different line every few months so a permanent crease never sets in one place. Keep the blouse with the saree. For a zari saree, a sheet of butter paper along the fold keeps the metal from rubbing itself dull.

Where to look next

For the whole range at every price, sarees. For a wedding you are attending, wedding sarees, and for other budget pages, ethnic wear under ₹6,000.