There is usually just one Indian dress that defines Indian dresses for the outer world, and that is a saree. And probably Indian cinemas, media and celebrities have played an important role in this. But not only a saree, there are a number of other dresses depending upon the region a person belongs to. So many Indian states, and each has a different dress.
Saree is definitely one of the most important Indian dresses but that is not all. Even if we don’t consider all the dresses worn by the different states, there are some dresses that are worn mostly by all. And here is this article, discussing those dresses.
A Guide to Indian Dresses
Saree
There are many reasons why saree happens to be a popular choice among global women, and one thing that definitely works is the pronunciation, which is much easier to manage than a lehenga or a salwar kameez.
The traditional 6.5-yard beauties are draped in beautiful styles that are stunning and super stylish too. To help out the modern women, pre-stitched designer sarees with flares and ruffles in various materials like net, satin, cedar silk, soft silk, apart from the traditional silk or Benarasi sarees. Women tend to experiment with the dresses they wear. Not only do they mix and match with blouses and accessories, they find out various new styles of wearing sarees.
Western designers like Hermes, and previously Valentino, have also tried their hands in creating a saree-inspired look, which further popularised this apparel in the West.
The most commonly seen draping style is to tuck one end of the saree to the petticoat, wrapping it around the waist, drape the other end, known as the pallu, over the left shoulder, and tucking the rest of the saree into the petticoat in pleats.
Salwar Kameez
While Sarees definitely play a very important role in establishing the identity of Indian attires, there are also a number of local clothes that Indian women wear on casual as well as ceremonial occasions.
Outfits like a humble Salwar Kameez that can both be an everyday wear and a party wear. While Sarees are more common in the South and Eastern parts of India, Salwar Kameez are prevalent more in the North and West.
There are so many types and so many different styles of everyday wear that it becomes to chalk out which style really is trending. White the size of the kurti or top-wear varies, the shapes and sizes of the bottom-wear varies too, ranging from salwars, churidars, palazzos and so on.
Lehenga Choli
No matter what happens, women never miss an opportunity to wear Indian outfits no matter how much they prefer wearing western outfits on a regular basis.
Traditional wedding dresses are food for most Indian designers. While sarees, both traditional as well as the designer ones, remain the eternal favourite among brides, guests, friends and relatives, a stylish embroidered or embellished lehenga choli too play an important role. There is no hassle of draping it, all you need to do is slip it on. An adorned skirt, a designer blouse and dupatta. That’s it.
Designers have been experimenting with lehengas and blending western elements into lehenga styles, like pairing a shirt or boots with lehenga skirts. For the bold divas, different stylish cuts of blouses also help in styling of the outfit.
Anarkali Suits
It is indeed marvellous that something which started to grow popular in the Mughal ages. Is still popular and favoured at present. An Anarkali Suit or dress, had derived its name from the beautiful Mughal courtesan Anarkali. These flour-touching flared kurtas look super gorgeous. It can be paired both with fitted or flared trousers.
Sharara Suits
Among so many options of salwar suits, Sharara is a popular option. Sharara is more like bell-bottomed pants, but just the Indian version. Short kurtis with Sharara pants give major retro vibes.
Now you know some of the most commonly worn Indian outfits. But trust me, these are just a few and there many more dresses that women want to dress themselves in. There is absolutely no end to styling Indian clothes and creating newer outfits.
