How to drape a Chettinad cotton saree

A Chettinad cotton has body. Where a silk falls into place, cotton holds the shape you give it — which is exactly why the drape rewards a little patience at the start.

Begin with a starched, well-pressed saree and a fitted blouse. Tuck the plain end at the right hip and take one full turn around the waist, keeping the lower border level with the floor rather than the waistband.

Make five to seven pleats of equal width, matching the check lines so the pattern stays unbroken. Press each pleat between your fingers before tucking — cotton keeps that memory.

Take the remaining fabric around to the front, bring it over the left shoulder, and set the pallu length at knee level. Pin at the shoulder through a single pleat so the border edge stays crisp.

Finish by running your palm down the pleats once. With cotton, the drape settles rather than slides, so it will look the same at dinner as it did in the morning.