The Beauty and Elegance of Traditional Indian Dresses

Though fashion around the world is making its way, India stands out with them. The first thing tourists would discover while traveling to India, the Land of Colour and Wonder, is their sense of fashion. In particular, women have a unique way of expressing their sense of fashion, and that is through the various styles of dresses they wear.

The spectacular patterns and colours of Indian Dresses are something that the whole world appreciates. In this country, women’s clothing styles differ widely depending on the location, local culture, religion, and urban or rural settings. India has a great range of fabrics, weaves, and colours that make it unique to every clothing piece.

We may assume that all Indian women’s dresses are the same, and the only distinction we see is the designs and colours they’re wearing. But if you look better, there are many styles and varieties. Here are the four styles of Indian women’s apparel to give you an idea:

Saree:

The Indian saree is a long, typically patterned, unstitched fabric that drapes around and over the body. It is worn with a fitted blouse. This garment length ranges from 4 to 9 meters, and we can see it in women widely in urban and rural areas across India. It is considered a staple of clothing for Indian women.

In certain places around India, the draping style of the sari varies, but the most common way is to wrap the fabric around one end of the waist and let the other rest on the back. With a halter style string drape, the saree’s blouse is mostly backless.

Salwar Kameez

The Salwar Kameez is mainly worn in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh in India’s northern parts. It consists of the salwar and the kameez (loose pants which are narrow at the ankles). This type of style is called the Punjabi suit or simply salwar in Southern India. From teenage girls and many celebrities wear this dress a lot.

There is also a salwar kameez combined with a dupatta. A dupatta is a scarf that is used to cover the head and shoulders in a traditional way. Or more often, it is drawn over the shoulders, although it is now widely used as a fashion accessory. The content varies from cotton, georgette, silk, chiffon, and others and depends on the one used for the suit.

Lehenga Choli

The traditional dress in Northern India, such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, is the Lehenga Choli.

Embroidered and pleated long skirt is the lehenga. A choli is a midriff-bearing blouse worn with a sari as well as it is fitted with short sleeves and a low neck to suit the body tightly. Eventually, to complete the look, women wear a dupatta. It is tucked into the skirt, then tied at the waist, and then draped similarly to a sari over the shoulder.

There are different styles of lehenga cholis, going from cotton to georgette for regular wear, adorned for festivals, or totally embroidered for marriage ceremonies.

Kurtis

A Kurti is simply a long blouse or shirt that falls below the waist and below the knees at times. This one is perfect for regular casual use or even as office-wear. It is also followed by a dupatta or scarf several times. A Kurti is often combined with salwar pants, churidar pants that are typically narrow across the leg, leggings, or even jeans.

Significance of Indian Clothes in The World Market

Due to falling quality levels, high costs, lack of creativity, and increased popularity of western wear, Indian ethnic wear for women have experienced a sharp decline in the recent past. There was a time when ethnic wear was not deemed trendy enough to fit the modern background. But Indian ethnic wear has once again undergone a revival in India and around the world. Cross culture marriages in Australia, UK, USA and Canada have led to a revival of Indian dressing style especially on festive and wedding times.

The beauty and charm of Indian dresses are loved all over the world. And the glamour and magnificence of the typical ethnic outfits – saree, salwar suit, and lehenga – have always fascinated Western culture. Talented fashion designers introduced new trends that fused western and ethnic sensibilities with creativity and gave birth to fusion wear that surprised the global fashion arena. Western wear’s sophisticated styles, cuts, and comfort were mixed with traditional finery and glamour, and the success of Indian ethnic wear on the global market was inevitably notched up.

There are several trends and styles that originated in India and then were internationally popularized later. Indian online clothing is very accessible because of its high popularity and excellence, as now you can easily have Indian clothes from any distant location.

Traditional outfits have always been the favorite during festive occasions. Asians living abroad often tend to dress during the festive season in traditional outfits with a touch of innovative style to celebrate the occasions in their true spirit.

Why are Ethnic Indian Clothes Popular?

Indian culture is rich because of its diversity. There are different cultures, customs, languages, religions, ethics, etc., all in one area. No matter how many different cultures and sub-cultures prevail, all customs and practices’ main goal is to do good deeds and spread good vibes worldwide.

In any part of India, vividness and diversity can easily be seen, which is considered the best part of Indian culture. You can easily see these characteristics in food, people, places, and clothes. For their cultural events and customs, every state has numerous costumes.

There are many types of ethnic wear, and all have become versatile and creative with time as can be seen on Fabricoz store. The Lehenga Sarees, for example, are one of those clothes that have a modern twist and are simple to wear and bring away. On the other hand, dhoti Sarees and Dhoti Pants are also trending and are chosen for formal events that present a traditional yet fashionable look, and that is why they are irresistible.