Female Traditional Costumes

The traditional Indian dress is the Sari which can be worn in many ways. Underneath the sari one wears a Petticoat: - a waist-to-floor length skirt, tied tightly at the waist by a drawstring and a Choli : a blouse that ends just below the bust. The Salwar Kameej is the second most popular dress and is gaining in popularity fast with the younger generation. The Salwar Kameej too has had many design changes. The new designers have come up with great variations of the Salwar Kameej. Women also wear Lehangas.

Bengali

In the traditional Bengali style, the sari is draped around the body without pleats and the pallu is left loose by hanging over the left shoulder often with a bunch of keys attached to it. The earlier generations of Bengali women preferred the style because of its sheer simplicity and utmost comfort.

Gujarati

The Gujarati woman sports a distinctive style, as she wears a sari with a neatly pleated pallu brought in front over the right shoulder with one end tucked around the waist to the left.

Maharashtrian

A nine-yard sari called the nawwadi is the traditional style very similar to the men’s dhoti. The pleats of the sari are placed between the legs and tucked in the centre back. Fisherwomen in the coastal regions of Maharashtra still wear a nawwadi and well, it is worn without a petticoat!

Madrasi

This style is very similar to the Maharashtrian nawwadi or the nine-yard sari. The pallu is quite long and wrapped around the waist and tucked in.

Styles of wearing a sari

Step to wear a Sari

The Sari

The age old Sari has kept its popularity throughout the centuries because of its total simplicity and practical comfort, combined with the sense of luxury and sense of sexuality a woman experiences. For a single length of material, the sari is the most versatile garment in existence. A sari is a rectangular piece of cloth which is five to six yards in length. The style, color and texture of this cloth varies and it might be made from cotton, silk or one of the several man-made materials. The sari has an ageless charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size.

Tie the petticoat tightly at the waist. Tuck the top right corner of the sari into the petticoat at the navel and wrap it around the waist anti clockwise once. Make sure the lower end of the sari touches the floor

At the tucked-in end hold the top edge of the sari with right hand between stretched forefinger and thumb and start making pleats. Make about 6 pleats of about 6 inches wide each, hold them together at the navel level and ensure they fall evenly on the floor. Crease the pleats with your hand to ensure that they stay that way

Tuck the pleats together into the petticoat, keeping the navel at the center of the pleats. The tucked-in pleats should spread like a Chinese fan as they fall towards the floor. (Its a good idea to pin your pleats together at the top with a big 'safety' pin before tucking into the petticoat).

Drape the remaining fabric around the waist anti-clockwise once more and take it over your left shoulder so that it falls on your back and goes down till your knees.

Secure the portion of the fabric on your left shoulder by pinning it to the blouse at the shoulder with a small 'safety' pin. This helps keep the "pallu" in place.

Salwar Kameez:

It is the outfit commonly worn by Indian women and is second in line after the sari. The outfit is probably born out of Islamic influence especially that of Arabic and Persian cultures. Women all over the country prefer this dress mainly because of the comfort and ease of movement that it offers, besides near zero maintenance.

A salwar is a pair of loose pyjamas held together with a drawstring around the waist. It also comes in another version – very tight and narrow at the bottom with numerous extra folds gathered at the ankles. This is popularly known as a churidar. In Punjab, the women wear a patiala salwar which falls around the legs in innumerable pleats resembling a dhoti. A kameez is a long shirt, either loose or tight-fitting and comes in a straight or A-line shape. It is slit along the sides to allow freedom of movement. A salwar kameez is incomplete without a dupatta, which is a long piece of cloth to cover the bosom, but mostly used like a scarf.

Ghaghra / Lehenga Choli:

A ghagra or a lehenga is a long gathered gypsy skirt with dazzling embroidery or mirror work and comes in vibrant colours. It is worn with a choli, which is a short closely fitted woman’s blouse that shows off the midriff, or a kurti (shorter version of a kurta). Some cholis can be fastened at the back by means of narrow strips of cloth or chords. An odhni or a dupatta (scarf) with intricate designs complements the outfit. Women in Rajasthan and Gujarat don this beautiful and highly sensuous outfit. Dressier versions are teamed with chunky silver jewellery during festivals and other important occasions.