Anecdotes: The Saga of Salwar Kameez and Sarees
Indian fashion industry is vast and truly evolving in the sense that it has changed over the years from being conservatively traditional to audaciously modern. With the traditional veil of the saree, age old practices have also been lifted and now Indian fashion has become a major player in the global scene. Although Indian fashion is now dominated by Western silhouettes, it would be impossible to talk about it without the quintessential elements of Indian wedding clothing that is, saree and salwar kameez.
The saree is apparently almost 5000 years old. It’s been mentioned in the Rig Veda as a three piece apparel worn together, namely, uttariya, stanpatta and antariya that is, veil over the shoulder, chest band and inner garment respectively. With time, saree evolved and started being worn with a blouse and a petticoat underneath. Now, saree has become a globally celebrated attire to be worn in many alternative ways.
Saree can be worn on any occasion from casual to formal in numerous ways. In certain regions of India, the saree is in fact the most common form of clothing. In West Bengal, even school uniforms for girls consists of plain white saree with colored borders. This attire does not only hold traditional value but emotional values as well. Beautiful handmade sarees are passed on from generation to generation as a legacy. Every girl grows into a woman admiring her mother’s saree that eventually she will possess someday.
Although traditional Indian sarees are a celebrated possession for Indian women, it is also true that with constantly changing trends the need to be different keeps arising. Contemporary movement in clothing has also brought about a change in wearing traditional silhouettes. Saree is a good canvas for designers to manipulate and experiment on in terms of fabrics, weaves, ornamentation, techniques and styles. Modern styles like lehenga saree, half and half have become extremely popular in a short span of time. Even quirky experiments like the dhoti style saree are adapted by the masses readily. Creative twists such as pairing up a traditional woven saree with a shirt, kurti, jacket or even a crop top are just some of the ways that the saree is embraced in. If records are to be believed then there are more than 80 different ways to drape a saree.
Other than saree, another attire that is a major part of Indian clothing is the salwar kameez. It is believed that the salwar kameez evolved out of the anarkali suit which in turn was influenced by the royal Mughal costumes circa 13th century. It transformed and was even adapted as school uniform for girls in government schools during mid-20th century. The most common form of the salwar kameez is Patiala suit which is named after the city Patiala in Punjab. These salwars are generously pleated so as to give a voluminous fall which is clearly visible due to the small length of the kameez or kurti. The traditional kameez did not have slits like they do today. They were added later to facilitate movement. Some other traditional styles other than Patiala are Afghani, churidar, harem and sharara that are all influenced by Pakistani roots.
The salwar traditionally consists of three components; kameez, salwar and dupatta that is, tunic, trousers and scarf respectively. The styles that are popular today are an amalgamation of the new and the inherited. Different Indian as well as Western elements of clothing are mixed and matched together to create avant-garde attire. Recent styles like the anarkali and palazzo, long kameez with straight cut pants, asymmetrical salwar kameez are influenced by Western silhouettes put together into combinations that are categorically called Indo-Western styles. These are glamorous, sensuous and ooze of femininity. Like the saree, salwar suit can also be worn to any occasion in any style of choice. Different kinds of ornamented salwar suits are available for one to choose from.
Today, Indian fashion industry has reached immense heights. Indian designers have marked their presence all over the world. The evolution of Indian fashion has been phenomenal in terms of the union of the East and West and creative development as seen in the changing clothing trends of the crowd.
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