Buying a first saree, without buying wrong
A short and unsentimental guide to judging one from a photograph.
The first saree people buy is usually too heavy. It photographs beautifully, it is difficult to drape, and it stays folded.
Start with weight. A chanderi or a mul cotton sits at three hundred to four hundred grams and forgives a clumsy pleat. A kanjivaram at six hundred and eighty grams holds its shape because it is heavy — which is the point, and also the problem, if it is your first.
Then length. Take 6.3 m with a blouse piece if you are learning; the extra length gives you room to make mistakes with the pleats. 5.5 m is enough once you drape confidently.
Last, colour. Look at the border against the body rather than the body alone. A saree is mostly seen in motion, and the border is what moves.
None of this requires taste. It requires knowing three numbers before you look at a photograph.