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Updated May 25th, 2023 at 19:38 IST

Cannes 2023: Aimee Baruah honours her Assamese roots in pat silk Mekhela chador

Aimee Baruah represented India at Cannes in a pat silk Mekhela chador, a traditional Assamese outfit. The Mekhela chador is a sarong worn by local women.

Reported by: Anjali Negi
Cannes 2023
Aimee Baruah wore pat silk Mekhela chador on Cannes red carpet. (Image: Aimee Baruah/Instagram) | Image:self
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Actor-filmmaker Aimee Baruah made her Cannes red carpet appearance on Wednesday. She represented India on the global stage in a pat silk Mekhela chador, a traditional Assamese outfit. The Mekhela chador is a sarong traditionally worn by Assamese women. 

Aspiring designer Adityam designed Aimee's saree, which was made locally by weavers and artisans from Jalukbari. Talking about her choice of apparel for the red carpet, Aimee told ANI, "At the red carpet you either choose to wear a gown or can wear a traditional outfit. I choose to showcase before the world, the rich tradition of my home state Assam. Last year I wore a muga silk Mekhela and this year it's pat silk that I chose."

 

Aimee Baruah wore pat silk Mekhela chador on Cannes red carpet 

 

The significance of pat silk Mekhela chador

Pat silk is the Assamese mulberry silk that is used to create textiles like Mekhela chador. The silk is populatr for its tenacity and glossy texture. Tt has a slight natural white tint. Women dress in these silk gowns for weddings and other significant celebrations and traditional gatherings. 

Mekhela chador, on the other hand, is a long piece of fabric separated into a two-piece. Mekhela is the bottom part of the dress, which is draped from the waist down, folded into pleats and tucked in. The Chador, the upper portion of the dress, is a long length of fabric that is wrapped around the body after being tucked into the Mekhela at one end. The Mekhela chadors' decorative patterns are customarily woven rather than printed. Sometimes a woven design known as the paari is embroidered at the bottom of a Mekhela or the sides of a chador. The designs feature animal, avian, human, floral, diamond, and celestial phenomena elements.

Last year, Aimee Baruah was invited to Cannes for the screening of her directorial Semkhor at the Indian Pavilion. She was the first Assamese actor to achieve that milestone. In 2023, Aimee attended the film festival as a part of the Indian contingent. 

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Published May 25th, 2023 at 19:38 IST

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