Saree fall and pico: what they are and why every saree needs them
Buy a new saree and someone will ask whether you have done the fall and pico yet. For a first-time buyer it is a puzzling question. Both are small finishing jobs that turn a length of mill cloth into a saree you can actually wear well. Here is what they are and why they matter.
What is a fall
A fall is a strip of fabric stitched to the inside of the bottom edge of the saree, along the part that touches the floor. It does two things: it adds a little weight so the saree drapes and pleats cleanly, and it protects the real cloth from the wear and dust of the hemline. On lighter sarees especially, a fall is the difference between a limp drape and a graceful one.
What is pico
Pico is the fine rolled-and-stitched finishing of the raw saree edges so they do not fray. New sarees often come with unfinished edges; pico seals them with a narrow machine roll. Without it, the edge slowly unravels with each wash.
Why a new saree needs both before its first wear
Do them before the first outing, not after the edges have already started to fray. A fall and pico together cost very little at any tailor and take minutes. They protect a saree you may keep for decades, which on good cloth is the whole point.
Doing it yourself versus the tailor
You can hand-stitch a fall at home if you sew, matching the fall colour to the saree border. Most people give it to a tailor along with the pico, because a machine pico is neater than a hand-rolled edge. If you buy from us and ask, we will tell you whether a piece already comes edged.
Ironing a saree without flattening the zari
While we are on finishing: iron cotton sarees while faintly damp on medium heat and they fall like new. For silk and anything with zari, iron on low, on the reverse, with a thin cotton cloth between the iron and the work, so the metal threads are not crushed or scorched. Never run a hot iron straight over zari.
Once your saree is falled, picoed and pressed, the drape itself is the easy part. The saree shelf is here when you are ready for the next one.