All over the world, India is well known for its diversity, spices and jewelry. Not only that, but India’s traditional attire has also earned distinguishing admiration from all over the globe. It can rightly be said that these dresses have evolved through the diverse geography of India – each state in India has its own culture and style, which has helped pave a way towards different kinds of traditional Indian clothing. The credit, however, goes to the artisans that have created these dresses, requiring a really hardworking labor and a lot of attention to detail, with such incredible craftsmanship. Let’s look at some of these creations and get to know the touch of trends and developments each outfit has received.
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Sari/Saree
One of the most wonderful traditional dresses of India, Sari is probably the outfit that describes and depicts an Indian woman. Generally talking about Indian women makes you picture a beautiful young woman clad in a gorgeous sari.
What is a sari? A sari is basically a four to nine meters of unstitched clothing that a woman drapes on her body in numerous ways. The most common draping style is wrapping the sari around the waist with the pallu (one end) diagonally draped to one side covering the chest. Underneath the sari, women wear a petticoat or a blouse, which is a fitted crop top.
The popular varieties of sari include Northern, Eastern, Central, Southern and Bangladeshi saris, which divide into further categories relating to geographical locations. Sari is one traditional dress of India that hasn’t evolved much over time, but the modern sari has certainly changed in terms of designs, fabric, embellishments, weaving styles and patterns. The modern sari definitely makes choosing one out of the many options available hard, as each one is to die for.
Shalwar Kameez
Commonly referred to as a Punjabi suit, the shalwarkameez is an amazingly decent outfit, which gives a really graceful look. The pathans of Kabul were the ones who introduced this dress in South Asia and now the shalwarkameez is consistently evolving with more innovative styles, designs and patterns. Normally the shalwar refers to a loose fit pyjama, narrow from the bottom and wide from the top, with pleats at the waist, held by a drawstring or an elastic belt.
On the other hand, the kameez is a long tunic that is open from the sides starting from underneath the waist line. The modern Punjabi suits, however, are different because of their cuts and shapes. The former shalwarkameez has transformed into Patiala shalwar suits (Patiala shalwar is like the normal shalwar, but with a greater number of pleats), churidar suits (churidar is a trouser like pyjama with excess length at the bottom arranged as bangles), trouser suits (trousers are tightly fitting pyjamas) with varying kameez lengths.
All in all, shalwarkameez, teamed with a dupatta (long scarf), is a classy ethnic ensemble that is comfortable as well as an elegant pick.
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Lehenga Choli or Ghagra Choli
Famous in most of Northern India like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, lehnga choli or ghagra choli is possibly the heart-throb of every Indian woman. This traditional dress with its unique style and design is definitely worth the admiration and status it has achieved.
Talking about what a lehnga or ghagra actually is, let me tell you that it is a long pleated skirt. What sets it apart from other western skirts is the fabric, embroidery and fancy motif work its clothing deals with. The choli is a blouse, just like the one worn with the sari. These two are then grouped with a dupatta that can be draped in any way preferred: over the shoulder, wrapped at the waist, tucked into the skirt, draped halfway like a sari, worn over the neck, etc. Once all the setting up has finished, the final look of the lehnga choli or ghagra choli is perfect for almost every fancy celebration, but is mostly favored for Indian wedding ceremonies. Lehnga or ghagra hasn’t modernized much other than the fact that its fabric, embellishment and dupatta draping style keeps on alternating and getting better and better. To sum up, lehnga choli or ghagra choli is a traditional Indian dress that surely won’t disappoint.
If you’re an Indian women then you already know that all of these traditional Indian dresses are a must have, so why wait? And if you want to try something new, then try the modern looks of these traditional attires, so that you keep up with the latest trends and fashions all the while looking beautiful as ever.
If you’re a non-Indian women, then after reading this article and looking at the images, you must be witnessing an urge to get yourself all of the abovementioned clothing. So, get to shopping ASAP and try all of these dresses to grasp flattering compliments from family and friends.
Author Bio:
At The Saree Palace, Heeral Thakkar commenced with the vision of inspiring the world with her fabulous and stylish clothing line. Heeral is a pioneer in providing an Indian culture and tradition in California. Presently, people from all over the country are interested in shopping from this first ever Indian bridal boutique. With experience in hand and unique fashion trends in mind, Heeral has become one of the most exquisite fashion designer in the country.
Feature Image – Saree.guide
