Indian Saris and the Different Styles

Ethnic Plus
3 min readJun 30, 2020

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Designer sarees and designer saree blouses are loved by everyone. They are of different styles, patterns, colours, and designs. Do you often wonder how many styles of an Indian sari are accessible? Do you want to know the best one? This article will take you through a journey, showing you different clothing styles available in today’s India. This article will tell you about Indian sarees and help you dress up better.

Some of the most well-known and famous Indian saree styles are:

Nivi Style: This is the most popular style of draping a sari today. In this draping, one end of the piece is tucked into the petticoat’s waistband, which usually is a plain skirt. The cloth is first wrapped around the lower body and then is hand-gathered below the navel, into even pleats. The pleats are then tucked into the waistband, and after one turn the loose-end (Pallu) is draped over the left shoulder, and is worn diagonally in front of the torso.

Gujarati / North Indian Style: Gujarati style, also known as north-Indian style, is very similar to the nivi style. The difference is that in this style, the pallu is draped over the right shoulder, instead of the left one (like Nivi). Another difference is that in this style, the Pallu (the decorative end), is not draped from front to back, but from back to front unlike Nivi. Lehengas

Maharashtrian Style: This traditional style resembles the Maharashtrian dhoti style. This one is very common in places like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. This sari style is different from other sarees as in this one the saree is draped to put the center at the back of the waist, and the end is securely tied in the front, and then the two-ends are wrapped around the legs. The decorative end (Pallu) is draped over the shoulder or torso.

Dravidian Style: This saree draping style is very common in Tamil Nadu. This is draped in two parts. The veshti is used to cover the lower body, while mundu is used as an add-on to yeshti. Yeshti is very simple to drape. It is draped around the waist like a tower, and is then folded in half (lengthwise). Some of these saris are particularly characterized by a pleated badge also called pinkosu at the waist.

Madisaara Style: This is mostly worn by Brahmin ladies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, normally on festive occasions or weddings. A 9-yard saree is required for this kind of draping, which is very different from other ones. It is first clearly wrapped around the waist, with one hand on the right side and the other one on the left. At the left waist, a knot is firmly tied and is neatly tucked into the right side of the waist. The sari’s end is also tucked into the waist. Lehenga

The remaining sari is then folded four to five times. The folded portion is put between the legs and the pleated one is brought to the back. After neatly assembling the folds, they are neatly tucked at the backside of the waist. Next it is gathered to the right side, in front, and is then draped over the left-shoulder. The Pallu is then gathered around the waist and carefully tucked into the left side of the waist.

These are some of the most well-known styles of Indian sarees today. Hopefully you’ll enjoy wearing them and experimenting with the different styles available to you.

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