Sonam Kapoor is certainly living the best days of her life on both her professional and personal front. The actress recently graced the centre stage at King Charles III’s coronation concert at Windsor Castle on May 7, 2023. Undoubtedly it is a proud moment for herself and her fans. The actress looked stunning in a floor-length off-shoulder gown with chintz prints all over. However, although the actress radiated elegance with her exclusive gown designed by Anamika Khanna and Emilia Wickstead, half of the internet started trolling Sonam by naming her outfit a 'bedsheet'. Recently, a fashion blogger, Aamir Ali Shah, took to his social media handle to talk about the fabric and its unique history in a lengthy post, and Sonam Kapoor thanked him for the same.
Taking to his IG handle Aamir Ali Shah explained what was so extraordinary about Sonam Kapoor's chintz printed dress. Talking about the history of such fabric, the fashion blogger said that it definitely resembles a bedsheet. In present-day times, it is widely used for bed sheets, curtains, and upholstery. The fashion blogger then talked about the uniqueness of such prints and said these prints were previously known as 'cheent' throughout India's Coromandel coast. He shared that such fabric received admiration globally and contributed to a global revolution in fashion and design. An excerpt from Aamir's post can be read as:
"Read a comment below this photo of Sonam Kapoor saying what's extraordinary in this. It looks like a bedsheet. Well the thing is these "Chintz" prints now commonly used for bed sheets, curtains and upholstery originated as cheent along the Coromandel coast of India. (Cheent in hindi meaning spotted). Once highly prized the world over, chintz helped revolutionise fashion and design globally."
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Then the fashion blogger said that Cheent was a simple weave glazed cotton fabric painted or printed in vibrant colours. It was also traded for years before Europe arrived and attempted to "claim" these prints. Aamir then shed some light upon how Europeans embraced the "indiene" style to fill their homes with brilliant madder and indigo hues that depicted exotic flora and fauna. Aamir wrote:
"Before Europe came to “claim” these prints, cheent a plain weave glazed cotton fabric was printed, or painted in vivid colors and was traded across seas for decades. Europeans lapped up 'indiene' design to make their homes lush with vibrant madder and indigo colors depicting exotic flora and fauna, which was a necessity given the weather outside was often grey and cloudy."
Further in the post, Aamir talked about the unique history of cheent prints. He shared how the European fabric manufacturers rioted and protested against such cotton produced by 'Heathen and Pagans'. He said that then the colonial government prohibited such cotton from India, leading to the production of fake 'chtinz' in the Netherlands, Britain, and France, which later gradually incorporated into the motifs and designs of European birds and plants. A part of his post can be read as:
"Until 17th century trade in these Indian printed cottons flourished then European fabric manufacturers protested and even rioted against ‘the tawdry, bespotted’ cottons made by ‘Heathens and Pagans’.Colonial enterprises banned cotton from India, leading to imitation chtinz being produced in Netherlands, Britain and France. It was only then that the motifs and designs were slowly made to depict European birds and plants."
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The fashion blogger added, as per some scholars, that back in time, such old or damaged household textiles were given to the maids, and they would fashion them into dresses. He added that several lawn brands now use such prints without having proper historical knowledge about the same. In his words:
"Some scholars believe that chintz began to be used for garments when maids were given old or damaged household textiles, which they would fashion into dresses. Lots of lawn brands use these prints today in Pakistan, many not having an iota of knowledge about this fabric's unique history."
The unique history behind such amazing fabric is delightful to know about. Now reacting to the lengthy post, Sonam Kapoor took to the comment section and thanked the fashion blogger. Her comment can be read as:
"Thank you for getting the whole point of this. Anamika designed the print."
What are your views on the unique history of chintz prints? Let us know.
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