India, Jan. 31 -- It's happening already, isn't it? We're borrowing grandma's Kanjeevaram or uncle's chikan kurta for special occasions. We don't want to return mum's luminous Banarasi stole or dad's dapper achkan, and are hoping they won't notice (Oh, they will!). And we're starting to think about building our own collection of handloom finds.

Here's where it gets complicated. More weavers are collaborating with big stores. Handloom fairs sell light weaves we'll actually wear. There's more to buy than the five regional styles our families knew about. And online and off it, there are more ways to be duped, or just confused.

So, we asked handloom-revival experts, indigenous textile advocates, and designers for their best hacks for first-...