Choosing fabric is not really a question of which is finest. It is a question of how you want the garment to move, how long you will be wearing it, and what the weather will be doing while you do.
Silk
Silk holds weight and gives it back as drape. It falls in long, unbroken lines rather than folds, which is why it suits floor-length silhouettes and anything cut on the bias. It also holds colour more deeply than any other fibre we work with. A dyed silk reads richer at the same shade value than the equivalent cotton.
What to know: it creases where it is folded and it is warm. For a full day of wear in summer, it asks something of you.
Chanderi
Chanderi is the compromise we reach for most often. Woven in Madhya Pradesh from a silk warp and cotton weft, it has the sheen of one and the breath of the other. It is light without being flimsy, and it takes hand embroidery well because the weave is stable enough to hold tension in a frame.
What to know: it is sheer. It is meant to be. Lining changes the character of the fabric, so we line only what has to be lined.
Organza
Organza is structure pretending to be air. It is stiff, sheer, and holds a shape rather than falling into one, which makes it right for sleeves, layered skirts, and dupattas you want to stand slightly away from the body.
What to know: it shows every seam and every stitch, so the construction underneath has to be finished as carefully as the outside. It also snags. Treat it as the delicate thing it is.
Choosing between them
- A long evening, indoors, photographed: silk.
- A daytime function in warm weather: chanderi.
- Anything where you want volume without weight: organza, usually layered over one of the other two.
If you are unsure, tell us the occasion and the month. That is usually enough for us to make the call.