Festive Saree - Drape Over India’s Pride

Saree is one of the most sensuous as well as comfortable attire of Indian women. India being a country of diverse geography, culture and religion has varied adaptations of this nine yard wonder.

Every state and region has its own style of saree which is not only popular in India but also across the globe as people are becoming increasingly interested in India’s this ethnic wear due to its style and comfort. Saree is indispensable part of any Indian woman’s wardrobe. 

It suits every body shape and age. Saree is the most preferred garment worn by Indian women on religious as well as festive occasions. So, without further ado, let’s have a look at variety of festive sarees of India.

Banarasi Saree
Banarasi saree is the first love of any Indian woman. The holy city of Banaras which is now known as Varanasi is the home of these gorgeous sarees. The city produces the finest quality of Banarasi sarees with intricate embroideries, weave, zari and brocade work. These traditional and age-old sarees can be worn on both religious as well as festive occasions.

Banarasi saree has the signature fringe like pattern along the inner and outer border called Jhhalar and elaborate engravings of figures, floral patterns, animals and other architectural ornamentation. Such patterns display craftsmanship of Mughal era and has let the tradition keep alive. Banarasi saree is the perfect blend of premium silk and rich embroidery. This piece of art is a must-have for every saree enthusiast.

Silk Saree
The silk fabric is considered as the best for sarees. There is huge variety of silk sarees ranging from region to region. Silk saree looks glamorous and rich as silk fabric has inbuilt luster in it. Commonly known as Resham, silk thread is extracted from the silk worms and is woven to make the fabric.

Silk saree is known for its texture, color variety, print and designs. Famous silk sarees include Bhagalpur silk, Mysore silk, Kanchipuram silk saree, raw silk, pure silk etc.

Kanchipuram Saree
This saree needs no introduction. This silk saree grace every Indian woman’s closet irrespective of the region. The saree is named after the small town Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu which is its place of origin.

The main characteristic of this saree is its gold dipped silver thread woven over best quality of silk. It’s traditional and classic and never goes out of vogue. It is highly expensive due to its durability, premium quality of thick silk base and of-course its beautiful adornments. It’s a popular wear for weddings in South India.

Jamavar and Organza saree
Both these sarees are originated in Uttar Pradesh. Jamavar has a typical zari thread work and jacquard weave. Generally, the weave is done in bright colors like green, orange and red. Jamavar looks extremely stylish if draped properly.

Another popular festive sari of this region is Organza saree. This is also called as Organdy. Organza sarees are made of light weight and transparent cotton and is adorned with chicken and Lukhnavi embroideries.

Chanderi Saree
Chanderi saree is the blend of silk and cotton fabric. Originated in Madhya Pradesh, it’s very ideal as its light weight, translucence, airy and easy to carry. The weave and designs on chanderi saree is subtle and minimalistic and is usually made in pastel colours.

Chanderi saree has a signature striped border and small butties all over the saree. Perfect for summers, chanderi sarees has two variants like cotton chanderi and silk chanderi and both are equally popular. With its graceful texture, chanderi saree makes a good option for festivities.

Tant Saree
Another famous festive saree includes Tant saree which was originated in West Bengal. Tant means, ’Made on the Loom’ and is hand-woven. These are not only beautiful but also a source of income for many underprivileged people living in districts of West Bengal.

The best part about having a Tant saree is that it serves both the purposes and can be worn on casual as well as formal occasions. Available in large colour palate, this light, fluffy, transparent and crisp muslin saree with silk thread border is preferred by women not only in West Bengal but pan India. If you love cotton sarees, this one is for you.

Sambalpuri Saree
Known as ‘Pride of Orissa’, Sambalpuri saree speaks volume about its grace and beauty. This is pure joy to wear as it is made of silk and cotton and is a handloom saree. This saree needs five weeks just to dye its fibres that too with natural colours.

Imagine how long it will take to be a finished product. It is the oldest form of textile decoration in the world. Also, known as ‘Ikat’, this saree has a traditional strip of an unstitched cloth from 5 to 9 meter in length. The purpose of this fabric is that it can be wrapped around the body in as many styles as you want. Ikat weave generally has geometric patterns of threadwork pallus and borders.

Chiffon Saree
Chiffon saree is the most elite saree among the lot. Chiffon fabric is a blend of synthetic fibre along with silk and cotton.

Chiffon sarees come in myriad designs, colours and embroideries and are apt for parties and other formal functions. Its flowy drape makes it the first choice of young girls.

Shaded Coral Chiffon Saree

Net Saree
Net sarees are a rage among young women. This is far beyond traditional saree and has a modern appeal to it. Net fabric comes in both soft and hard material and is dyed in different colours.

The embroidery on net saree looks amazing. It’s classy and glamorous and that is why net saree is loved by young girls and ladies.

Golden Net Saree

Georgette Saree
Georgette saree is affordable and beautiful at the same time. It’s evergreen in terms of season and occasion and can be worn on formal events.

The best part about having a georgette saree is that is easy to maintain and can be washed at home. It comes in variations like semi-georgette and pure georgette with different types of embroideries, borders and stylish pallus.

Neon Pink Georgette Saree

Bandhani Saree
From the heart of royal state of Rajasthan, Bandhani or Bandhej saree is one of the most loved festive saree. This saree is known for its tie and dye designing.

There is huge variety of colors and patterns in tie and dye are available and it is a pocket-friendly saree. Jaipur is the hub of Lehariya, Bandhani and Garchola sarees.

I’m sure you are well aware now about the different types of festive sarees of India. So, what are you waiting for? Get a fabulous saree of your choice and soak your soul in festivities!
Image Sources: www.shop.tamilnadu.com, www.craftsvilla.com, www.chanderisarees.in

Popular Indian Casual Wear for Summer 2015

The Indian casual wear has gone through huge transformation. The picture of Indian wear today will be very different from what people used to wear a hundred years ago. Today’s Indian casual wear has borrowed from western fashion heavily and what we see are attires which have Indian embroidery, techniques and cuts, but they give you the flexibility of western wear. When you walk down any street in a city in India, and observe people, you will see them in ethnic casual wear or western casual wear.

Let’s first have a look at the ladies’ Indian casual wear. The ethnic casual wear for ladies includes casual cotton and synthetic sarees or salwaar kameez. You can never go wrong with a saree because a saree is the most versatile piece of attire in India. You can wear it casually, formally or to a red carpet event as well. It is a very common casual wear for women in India especially the elderly prefer it. Saree is also more popular in the southern states and the East. Traditionally people in the north used to wear salwaar kameez.

However, nowadays it has found acceptance across different regions, cultures and age groups due to the ease of movement that it offers. Western casuals are more popular with the younger crowd. In colleges of the major metropolises in India, we can see the latest western trends. The western casual wear will include skirts, summery dresses, jeans, tops and tunics. These days we can see women donning very Indian tunics with western stretchable leggings and skin tight jeans.

Purple hand-woven saree

Sea green Tunic 

Red Checks top 

Orange pleated skirt and top

From the days of dhoti/ lungi the Indian casual wear for men has evolved a lot. Today his casual ethnic attire will be mostly a kurta with churidar or cotton trousers/ jeans pants. The kurta itself has lot of modifications; it can be long or short. If the kurta is knee length, has pockets across chest and is worn with salwaar, it is called a ‘pathani’.

The Indian Islamic men are commonly seen in Pathanis but others in general are also open to adopting it as casual wear or as an outfit for semi-formal events. The modern Indian man is mostly seen in western wear, which includes a shirt with a pair of trousers or a T-shirt with denims. Lot of international brands are entering the Indian market due to the huge demand of casual as well as formal western wear. We can see Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Arrow, Polo, Marks and Spencer and many more in the men’s fashion segment.

Source: projectfashion

Source: Jabong

Casual Kurta

Pathani Source: Lakme fashion week facebook

When we move away from the metropolis, to the interior rural India, we still see more traditional outfits worn by men, women and kids. The rural Indian casual wear has still kept our roots alive by using lot of traditional weaves and crafts, which find its way into our modern wardrobe. The modern day Indian designers also take a lot of inspiration from the village casual attire like mirror work, etc.


Today’s Indian casual wear is a perfect blend of old ethnic charm and modern day versatility in carrying out our daily activities. The cottony Indian casual wear cools you off in the tropical summer heat of the country. Maybe this comfort factor makes our Bollywood shake a leg on a whim!

Indian Sarees for Weddings and Innovative Draping Styles to Try

A diverse country with varied traditions and different customs, to say that India is a complex nation would be just to state the tip of the iceberg. In a country with a rich heritage of thousands of years, change has been a constant. But there have been some aspects of our lifestyle that have never really died down. Like women wearing the saree for an auspicious occasion, especially weddings. Wearing Indian sarees for weddings is something that most women look forward to.

Donning Indian sarees for weddings can imbue you with a grace that is difficult to achieve in any other outfit. And while you may think that it can get a tad too mundane with the conventionally tried and tested draping style, the reality is that the six-yard wonder, especially exquisite Indian sarees for weddings, are clothing options that you can wear innovatively every time without ever getting bored. We tell you our favourite styles of draping this fabulous outfit.

Indian Sarees for Weddings in a Bengali Style

If you are a fan of the Shahrukh Khan version of Devdas, then chances are that you loved the typical Bengali look that Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai sported in the movie. Feminine, classic, and with an ethereal quality about them, they took your breath away. Try the drape they wore in the movie.

Unlike a conventional saree, the pallu of an Indian saree for a wedding when worn the Bengali style is draped over the left side, brought in from behind and under the right arm, and then draped over the right shoulder. Of all the different draping options for Indian sarees for weddings, this style stands out for its simplicity and elegance.

The Gujarati Style of Draping the Indian Sarees for Weddings

A couple of years ago, Indian television was taken over by series featuring Gujarati households, and if you have always found their saree draping style interesting, then you should definitely give it a try. The difference in this style for wearing Indian sarees for weddings? Instead of pleating the saree on the left side, it’s pleated and tucked in on the right side and the pallu of the saree is draped from the back to the front on the right side. This draping style is the perfect option when you want to highlight an elaborate border on the saree.

Draping Indian Sarees for Weddings the Half-Saree Style

Want to channel Deepika Padukone’s look from Chennai Express, then this is the style to master. Not only does it look gorgeous, it also makes your waistline look slimmer. Win-win, we say! How do you achieve this look? Well, pleat and drape the saree as you would normally. Now pleat the pallu and bring it over your left shoulder, pinning it there. Take one corner of the pallu, wrap it around your waist, and pin it under the pleats on the right side, forming a V in the front.  Traditionally associated with younger girls, it is a drape that can look beautiful even on older women when tried with Indian sarees for weddings.

The Mumtaz-style Drape for Indian Sarees for Weddings

Remember the cult classic ‘aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche’ featuring Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz? The way she draped her saree in that song started a movement which is seen time and again to this date. Opt for a vintage-inspired look with this draping style. Wrap your saree tightly around your lower body several times to give it a narrow look and then fling the pallu over your shoulder. This is great option for Indian sarees for weddings when you want to wear them to pre-wedding event like a cocktail party.

Indian Sarees for Weddings and The Modern Drape

Are you more of a world bride? Someone who mixes the Indian with the global? Do you want this to reflect in your draping style? Then this drape would be perfect for you. Wear your traditional Indian saree for a wedding with a polo neck top instead of a blouse and a pair of slim-fit trousers instead of an underskirt. Draped like a dhoti but worn with a pallu like a saree, it can be a showstopper of an outfit.

While these are some of the most popular styles for draping Indian sarees for weddings, there are many more variants out there that you can experiment with. It’s just a matter of getting the drape right. Because once that happens, you are sure to steal the limelight.