Indian Sari

Sari is one of the most wonderful dresses worn by Indian women. Infact, when one thinks of a typical Indian woman, the first thing that strikes the mind is a woman clad in sari, who is wearing the solah shringar including bindi, chudi, kajal and many more. Apart from highlighting the characteristic image of an Indian woman, the Indian dress saree also adds grace to a woman's personality. To know as to how as wear a Sari, read on.

Well, Saree is an unstitched piece of clothing usually four to nine metres long depending on the style in which you want to drape it. Though, there can be numerous ways of draping a Sari, but the most common style resorted to by the women in India involves wrapping Sari around the waist, with its one end draped over the shoulder (pallu), thereby covering the chest. Sari is wrapped over the petticoat and blouse.

In North India, petticoat is more often referred to as lehnga/ghagra, whereas in South India, it is known as pavada/pavadai and in Eastern parts of the country, it is popularly called shaya. Blouse is usually known by the name choli/ ravika. The fitting of blouse is of paramount importance, as many times, ill fitting blouses have been blamed for spoiling the whole look. When it comes to blouse designing and styling, it provides a wide scope for experimentation.

The fashion of wearing sari has and will always be in vogue. Infact, the glamour girls like air hostesses, models, actresses have been increasingly endorsing and popularizing sari in India. India is a land of diversities, which is also reflected in its sari draping styles. Infact, today, almost every region has come up with some distinctive style of sari draping. Thus, Sari is one attire that offers such a fabulous variety in terms of style, design and fabric that women are bound to get confused pondering over which sari to go in for.

Popular Varieties of Saris

On the basis of fabric, motif, weaving style and patterns, some of the popular varieties of saris available are:

Northern styles:

• Banarasi - Benares
• Bandhani - Gujarat and Rajasthan
• Chikan - Lucknow
• Jamdani
• Kota doria Rajasthan
• Tanchoi
• Tant

Eastern styles:

• Baluchari West Bengal
• Kantha - West Bengal

Central styles:

• Chanderi - Madhya Pradesh
• Ikat - Orissa
• Paithani - Maharashtra

Southern styles:

• Balarampuram - Kerala
• Chettinad - Tamil Nadu
• Coimbatore - Tamil Nadu
• Gadwal - Andhra Pradesh
• Guntur - Andhra Pradesh
• Ilkal saree - Karnataka
• Kanchipuram (locally called Kanjivaram) - Tamil Nadu
• Mangalagiri - Andhra Pradesh
• Mysore Silk - Karnataka
• Narayanpet - Andhra Pradesh
• Pochampalli Andhra Pradesh
• Venkatagiri - Andhra Pradesh

Bangladeshi saris:

• Dhakai Benarosi
• Jamdani
• Katan Sari
• Pabna
• Rajshahi Silk
• Tangail Tanter Sari

How to Wear a Sari