Kanchli (or bra) c. 1925

This Kanchli, or bra, shimmers with an anonymous maker's care and time. Look at the ground: a buttery yellow sprinkled with tiny red and black sprigs. The silver circles create their own rhythm, bouncing light like a disco ball, and the pink and silver trim adds a playful complexity. The fabric looks thin, suggesting a delicacy, but it's the details that catch my eye. Each stitch, each carefully placed mirror, speaks of a process, a conversation between the maker and the materials. I wonder about the story behind each tiny, joyful mark and the way the maker carefully considered the placement of each element. The choice of yellow reminds me of Hilma af Klint, a painter who, like the maker of this bra, experimented with abstract form. The yellow ground offers a space of warmth and light, inviting the silver to playfully reflect. Art, like clothing, is a process of ongoing conversation and exchange, and this beautiful bra is an invitation to look closer and to find joy in the act of making.