HOUSE OF CHIKANKARI: Shopping Experience, Website and Product Review

Poetry on Fabric- that is how the people describe Chikankari as, and I cannot agree more. Chikankari is one of India’s oldest and finest embroideries and Lucknow is the city that is known for it. This embroidery is known for its delicacy and elegance, for its exquisiteness and I am a great admirer of this art form. I have lost count how many Chikankari kurtis and sarees I have in my wardrobe, I crave for more.

I came to know about House of Chikankari while just randomly watching a Shark Tank episode on TV. Being a Chikankari lover how could have I not instantly dropped the remote, picked up my phone and quickly visited their website and social media pages!!!
House of Chinakari is the brainchild, heart and soul of Poonam Rawal and Aakriti Rawal, a mother-daughter duo whose mutual love is Chikankari and whose mutual desire was to revive and preserve this exquisite art form and to create a deeper impact on India’s craftsmen during the unprecedented times of 2020. Their aim is to take Chikankari to the world and also to support and provide economic ansd social empowerment to the artisans.

HOVERING OVER HOC WEBSITE: HOW WAS MY SHOPPING EXPERINCE:-
From pristine white and subtle pastels to a palette of vibrant colors; from elegant kurtis to flamboyant dresses, from royal angrakhas to stunning sarees, their collection showcases the grace and grandeur of Chikankari. The fabric range is vast as well; from comfy cottons and buttery rayons to breezy Chanderis and luxurious silks, you name it and they have it. They have an enviable men’s range too. It totally boggled my mind. I could not decide lwhat to order. After spending quite some time adding this and that to the cart, I finally zeroed down to one. The shopping experience was totally seamless. The layout is clean, simple, and easy to navigate, in a word, very user-friendly. Everything is well categorized and sectioned. Hence, placing the order was fuss free and delivery was super-fast.

 
WHAT WAS INSIDE MY HOUSE OF CHIKANKARI BAG:-
I picked up House of Chikankari’s Yamama Chikankari Kurta Set. The kurta set felt so me the moment I glanced upon it on the website; relaxed fit (the way I love my kurtas to be), maroon colored (my favorite) with minimal Chikankari work, just the way I like. When I placed the order, even when I was opening the parcel, little did I know that a surprise was waiting for me. Along with the kurta set House of Chikankari team sent me a pair of white palazzo as well. House of Chikankari, do you have some psychic ability to read minds of others? I am sure you do, because I had been wanting to add a white Chikankari palazzo to my wardrobe for so many years now.

MY THOUGHTS:-
The first thing that I noticed on receiving my order was the lovely packaging. The apparels were neatly packed and they also sent me a Chikankari bag to store them. My House of Chikankari shopping bag also contained a sample of Fae Beauty SPF Juice. They also added a "stitch-guide" to the shopping bag. How thoughtful!

Coming to the Kurta set, I was a little skeptical about it, because it was Rayon and my past experience with Rayon wasn’t great. But OMG! The fabric feels so amazing; light, breezy and buttery soft, it is easy on the skin and is the epitome of comfort, very easy to carry throughout the hectic day. It is so soft that it can literally be squeezed to fit into the pocket. I am not very fond of all body embroidery, hence I chose this kurta set which has minimal work. The work is beautifully hand woven and so gorgeous. The set truly looks and feels effortless, if that makes sense.

Talking about the palazzo, it is the best pair of palazzo I have owned so far. The quality is incredible; so beautiful, delicate, soft with gorgeous work. I love it and it is a wardrobe must have.

I will have to give extra points to the pants. Since my c-section, most of the pants that I wear, they start hurting after sometime. These bottoms are absolutely gorgeous and so comfortable. The elastic bands are neither too loose, nor too tight, feel just perfect and don’t at all hurt my post-partum tummy, even if I wear them 24 x 7.

Now, one thing that might come to your mind is their pricing. Initially, I too found their price a little bit on the higher side, as we are so used to seeing all the Chikankari stuff available in the market at such low rates. But trust me, after wearing these, I can simply say they are worth the price tags. I too have inexpensive Chikankari kurtis bought from different places both online and offline, quality of those justify their prices and the quality of these justify their prices. So, please don’t compare.

The only issue that I faced is with their size chart. I wear L (40) sized kurtis, but intentionally went with XL as I wanted relaxed fit. I went through the size chart carefully and saw that bust measurement for XL is 42”. But what I received is not 42”, but 48” on tape, in spite the tag saying XL. The already relaxed fit kurti turned out to be way too relaxed for me. I had to clip it up at the back for these pictures. But it’s nothing that a quick visit to the tailor cannot fix. Still, I would recommend you to consult with the HOC team once before placing your order. Their customer service team is really helpful and will answer all your queries promptly.

Overall, I am so happy with the products that House of Chikankari lovingly sent to me. They exceeded all my expectations. Everything is so beautiful and cozy, yet luxurious about this kurta-pant set and the white palazzo; the fabric, the design, and just the sheer feel of wearing them. They feel like second skin.

House of Chikankari knows how to give the sophisticated and luxurious feel to their customers. The fabric, the design, the embroidery, the overall quality, their customer service, delivery everything is top notched. So, if you want to indulge yourself in this elegant and royal art form, you know where to stop and shop. Yes, House of Chikankari is your solution for all your Chikankari needs, be it a pretty every day wear or some stunning, timeless festive piece. And for me, ….……………………….. 
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(SYNTAX ERROR! SYNTAX ERROR! Author has vanished from this page and found hovering over House of Chikankari website to shop more for the coming festive season)

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*PR Sample. Opions/Review is 100% honest, as always.

Thank you House of Chikankari and Digiacai, being able to collaborate with you fills us with pride.