We were asked recently why a couture lehenga takes eleven weeks when a similar-looking garment can be bought the same afternoon. The honest answer is that most of those eleven weeks are spent on decisions, not stitches.
Weeks one and two: the drawing
Nothing is cut. The silhouette is drawn, redrawn against the client’s measurements, and tested in a cotton toile that is thrown away.
Weeks three to nine: the frame
The embroidery frame is set up once and does not move. Two karigars work the hem outward, and the density is checked in daylight every third day.
Weeks ten and eleven: the fit
Construction, first trial, adjustment, second trial, finishing. The last three days are entirely hand-finishing — hems, hooks, linings, the parts nobody photographs.
