Gulnar
Kota Silk Chikankari 3-Piece Stitched Suit in Hot Pink

Kota Doria is Rajasthan’s signature silk-cotton weave: named for Kota city on the Chambal River, the fabric is characterised by the khat — the tiny square check formed by the alternating tension in the weave structure, visible as a grid of slightly different sheen across the full cloth. The khat gives Kota its specific surface: not smooth like mulberry silk, not textured like tussar, but patterned at a microscopic scale by the weave itself. The fabric is the lightest wearable silk in the Indian tradition: a full suit in Kota weighs significantly less than the same suit in any other silk, and the open khat weave allows air circulation that no other silk achieves. In the hot pink of Gulnar, the Kota surface reads as both matte and luminous simultaneously — the khat catching and releasing the light as the fabric moves.
The Chikankari embroidery on the kurta front is tonal: pink thread on pink Kota silk. This is the most refined embroidery decision in the collection. Tonal embroidery is visible only as texture, not as colour contrast — the embroidered areas catching the light differently from the unembroidered ground, the pattern present as a surface difference rather than a colour difference. From a normal viewing distance, the kurta front reads as a richly textured pink surface. At close range, the specific elements of the composition become legible: the center front panel carries large floral bouquet motifs running the full length, each bouquet built from multiple Chikankari stitch types; the side panels carry a dense all-over jaal (trailing vine and daisy) pattern covering the full surface; a zigzag border embroidery separates center from side panels; the neckline carries its own border embroidery with the decorative pleat detail that is Kota Chikankari’s neckline vocabulary.
The back of the kurta carries small Chikankari buti scattered across the back body and a back neckline border. The cuffs carry embroidered borders in the same vocabulary as the front. The palazzo is in the same hot pink Kota, matching the kurta exactly. The dupatta is the lightest component: Kota silk or net in the same hot pink, its weight so minimal that it moves with any air current and drapes in continuous motion when worn. The entire suit — kurta, palazzo, dupatta — is in the same magenta that the pomegranate flower is in before the fruit arrives. The name is Gulnar: the blossom before the harvest.

Gulnar brings together two regional traditions that have never shared a garment in the collection until now. The Kota Doria weave belongs to Rajasthan: the handloom weavers of Kota city have been producing the khat-check silk-cotton cloth since the 17th century, when the craft was established under the patronage of the Kota royal court. The Chikankari embroidery belongs to Lucknow: the embroidery tradition documented from the Mughal period, practised in the mohallas of Old Lucknow for generations. The fabric traveled from Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh, the Chikankari needlewoman brought her tradition to a new ground, and the result is a piece that carries two geographies in a single garment.
Kota Doria as a Chikankari base presents the needlewoman with specific challenges. The khat weave — the microscopic square check of the fabric structure — means the ground is not a completely smooth surface. The Chikankari stitches, which on cotton or georgette sit flat against a uniform ground, on Kota sit against a surface that has its own structural texture. The tonal pink thread on the tonal pink khat ground produces the specific depth visible in the flat-lay reference image: the embroidery and the ground in the same colour family, the khat and the stitch creating two different surface textures that catch the light at slightly different angles. The embroidery is most visible in raking light — the side light that emphasises surface variation. In direct light, the tonal embroidery on Kota silk has a depth that no other fabric in the collection produces.

• Wash: Dry clean recommended. The tonal Chikankari on Kota silk and the hot pink dye both benefit from professional care.
• Hand wash (if needed): Cold water, mild detergent, no soaking. Kota silk is more robust than mulberry silk but still requires gentle care.
• Hot pink dye: May release slight colour on first wash. Wash separately. Dry clean for the first wash.
• Kota silk: Do not wring or twist. The khat structure can distort if the fabric is pulled while wet. Press water out gently between dry towels.
• Chikankari: Do not scrub the embroidered areas. The shadow stitch elements at petal interiors are vulnerable to abrasion.
• Do not: Machine wash, bleach.
• Iron: Low heat. The Kota silk benefits from careful ironing which sharpens the khat check. Iron the kurta from the reverse side. Low heat on the embroidered areas from the reverse side only.
• Dry: In shade. The hot pink is UV-sensitive.
• Store: Folded in clean muslin. Separate each piece. Store in dry place as specified on the product care card.