How to store a zardozi blouse so it survives ten years

The two things that destroy hand embroidery in storage are gravity and trapped moisture. A full-jaal blouse can weigh close to a kilogram, and hanging it for a year pulls the shoulder seams out of shape permanently. Store heavy pieces flat, work facing inward, in a drawer or a shelf where nothing is stacked on top of them.

Plastic and polythene trap humidity against metal. Zardozi wire tarnishes, kundan foil backings cloud, and silk develops spots that no cleaner will lift. Wrap in unbleached muslin or butter paper instead, and put a cloth-wrapped silica sachet or a dry neem leaf in the fold — never naphthalene in direct contact with the fabric.

Then leave it alone, but not forever: take it out every four to six months and air it for a few hours. That single habit does more for the life of a bridal blouse than anything you can buy.