Source(google.com.pk)
Women Clothing in India varies widely and is closely related to local culture, religion and climate.
Traditional Indian clothing for women are the saris or the salwar kameez and also Ghaghra Cholis (Lehengas). For men, traditional clothes are the Dhoti, Lungi or Kurta. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is one of India's fashion capitals. In some village parts of India, traditional clothing mostly will be worn. In southern India the men wear long, white sheets of cloth called dhoti in north Indian languages like Hindi and Bengali and veshti in Tamil. Over the dhoti, men wear shirts, t-shirts, or anything else. Women wear a sari, a long sheet of colourful cloth with patterns. This is draped over a simple or fancy blouse. This is worn by young ladies and woman. Little girls wear a pavada. A pavada is a long skirt worn under a blouse. Both are often daily patterned. Bindi is part of the women's make-up. Indo-western clothing is the fusion of Western and Subcontinental fashion. Churidar, Dupatta, Gamchha, Kurta, Mundum Neriyathum, Sherwani are among other clothes.
India – known for its hand-woven textiles, richly embroidered fabrics, authentic drapes in exclusive designs have been prized by western civilization for centuries. Indian men and women have always loved to dress up in their traditional costumes, attires and accessories during festivals and other occasions which are an integral part of Indian life. Recently, Indian costumes have been successful in attracting the attention of and capturing the global market.
Indian clothing has been influenced by diverse cultural influences since time immemorial. The sari itself, historians say dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization which flourished in 2800-1800 BC, in the north-western part of India. In fact studies show that the men’s dhoti is a prototype of the sari and both the sexes wore the former till the 14th century. The choli or the woman’s blouse is believed to have come into existence with the various European colonial powers that once occupied a major portion of the Indian subcontinent. The British did influence women’s clothing to a great extent. Indian high society ladies started wearing long-sleeved blouses with frills, very similar to the Victorian upper garment, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Historians say that the achkan, a long-sleeved coat worn mainly by Muslim men even today, originated in Central Asia, more specifically, it was the court costume for Persian and Turkish nobles. The achkan can reach down to the knees or even lower, and is buttoned in the front.
The Sari
The sari is the traditional garment of an Indian woman. It is an unstitched piece of cloth, which varies from five to nine yards in length and can be worn in different styles. A sari is worn over a petticoat and a short-sleeved midriff-baring blouse. The most popular style of wearing a sari is by tucking one end into the petticoat at the waist while a major portion of it is pleated neatly and tucked in the front. The rest of the sari, which is known as the pallu or pallav is taken over the left shoulder. The pallu is the most fascinating and striking feature of a sari, it is often heavily embellished with woven motifs or embroidery.
However, this authentic Indian garment has lost some of its popularity as daily wear in the recent past. The western outfits have made an inroad into the Indian woman’s wardrobe due to a shift towards rapid globalization and emerging corporate culture. Today, women prefer to wear clothes that offer ease of movement in addition to style. Also, with the boom in the retail industry Indians have a wider variety of options to pick and choose from and women are being increasingly seen in designer outfits western style outfits.
The Saris of India
This elegant drape of India comes in varied textures and styles. For most formal occasions one finds women both the middle-class and the elite looking their best – in a graceful sari! The materials may vary from crisp cottons, rich silks to synthetics and chiffons, but the final overall look is simply elegant and matchless. Did you know that every region of India has a distinct sari of its own, very much influenced by their particular social milieu and culture?
Some well-known regional styles of wearing a sari:
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.
Some important varieties of Indian saris:
Banarasi: These saris are made of finely woven silk and have intricate designs done in golden thread (zari). Benarasi saris are relatively heavy and worn by Indian women on important occasions. The trousseau of any Indian bride is deemed incomplete without the customary red Benarasi sari. In fact in most states the Benarasi is the sari that the bride wears for the wedding ceremony
Baluchari: The Baluchari sari of Vishnupur in West Bengal is made of silk and woven on special looms. The borders and pallu of the sari are very striking because of its use of intricate thread work to depict stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Chanderi: Chanderi, a small town located in Madhya Pradesh has long been famous for its hand woven sarees. Silk or cotton is used to make a chanderi which is combined to create beautiful saris with artistic borders that are practically weightless. They generally have a rich gold border and the exclusive ones have gold checks with butis (round shaped motifs) all over.
Dhakai: The dhakai jamdani sari originated in the region now known as Bangladesh and is made with superior quality cotton. It was originally woven as the legendary dhakai muslin and woven with beautiful, eye-catching patterns.
Kantha: Literally speaking, kantha is a style of embroidery that uses the simple running stitch which is nothing but passing the needle in and out of the fabric to produce beautiful floral or abstract patterns. Did you know that it all started as a form of recycling of old cloth to produce the traditional quilts and bedspreads made from old saris and large pieces of used cloth. This type of embroidery was an art practiced by Bengali women in their spare time. In the small town of Bolpur in West Bengal, famous for producing saris with kantha embroidery, each sari is a labour of love, taking a long time to complete, as much depends on the skill and precision of the artisans.
Dhonekhali, and Begumpuri are other popular styles of saris made on handlooms in Bengal. Dhonekhali is known for its stripes and checks. Bengal being a coastal state, the fish is a much loved and commonplace motif. Consequently Dhonekhali sarees often depict rows of fish running across in horizontal stripes throughout the piece of textile. Over the years, the distinctive patterns have merged as weavers started experimenting with various combinations of design and yarn, so much so, it is now difficult to distinguish between the various styles, unless one is an expert on texture.
Some other tribal outfits of India
The Bhils residing in southwestern Rajasthan are one of the oldest tribes in India. The dry and arid weather of the region have very much influenced the clothing habits of this region. Men are usually comfortable in a loincloth and embroidered waistcoats coupled with turbans and traditional Rajasthani shoes, curled up at the toes. Bhil women wear a single stretch of cloth that is tucked around the waist while the rest is used to cover the head. Wearing a blouse among bhils is a status symbol and only married women are expected to wear one. A variety of jewellery ranging from beaded chokers, colourful bangles, nose-rings and an ornament suspended from the hair to the forehead, is an essential part of a Bhil women’s dress.
The Warlis of the Western Ghats, more popularly known as ghatis are scattered over the coast of Maharashtra, Surat in Gujarat and Daman. The tribe believes in minimal clothing and men can be found in short dhotis and embroidered waistcoats. Warli women wear saris that are short in length, with a half-sleeved embroidered choli that is tied in a knot in the front.
The Todas of the Nilgiris in South India are a small population now faced with the threat of extinction. The men of this community wear a long, loose-flowing garment covering the entire body from shoulder to toe. This is usually in white with red and blue borders. The women also wear the same hand-woven garment except in the style of a sari. Their jewellery is restricted to silver, beads and shells.
The Santhals of West Bengal, Bihar and parts of Orissa are basically cultivators by occupation. Santhal outfits are again minimal where men wear a lungi whereas women wear a short sari without a blouse, but worn to fit their bodies snugly, without getting undone even in the most trying of circumstances.
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
Indian women In Saree Without Blouse Indian Sarees 2014 Designs Online For Kids Images Design Patterns Online Shopping Wedding Blouse Designs
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