A beautiful piece of versatile Indian female clothing is that of the sari. Traditionally the rich would wear a silk sari whilst the poor would adorn a cotton sari. The sign of a silk sari was that it could pass unaided through the centre of a jewellery ring. Originally, all saris were fashioned by hand and considerable time was spent weaving the fabric.

A Beautiful Silk Sari

A sari consists of a piece of fabric (up to 9 metres in length) that is unstitched and draped about the body in a variety of styles. A popular arrangement is to wrap the fabric around the waist and draped over the shoulder leaving the stomach bare.

The silk sari can be worn with a blouse (a choli or a ravika) over a petticoat (pavada). The choli is cropped with a low neck and short sleeves and is a comfortable, stylish form of clothing for the summers in South Asia.

Women wear a sari no matter who they are and what they do in India… even women in the military wear a uniform based on the sari. How fitting that the sari is considered a symbol for India.

Saris can be worn in a variety of styles across the countries of Asia including Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In Bangladesh, saris are worn made from silk or cotton with the most popular being that from Jamdani Tanta Cotton.

When in Nepal, women wear a sari called a Haku Patasi. This type of sari requires a special kind of draping which is around the waist with a shawl that covers the upper part of the sari.

In Sri Lanka, there are a number of ways the ladies choose to wear their saris. The most popular ways to wear a sari include the Indian way and the Kandyan way. The differences between the two are that with the latter a full blouse is worn to cover the stomach with the tail pleated rather than worn loose. To wear the sari in the Khandyan style is what is considered to form the basis of the national dress for Sinhalese ladies and is the uniform for Sri Lankan Airlines cabin crew.

In Pakistan, the sari isn’t generally the clothing of choice with shalwar kameez (traditional tunic and pyjama-like trouser ensemble favoured by women and men alike) more popularly preferred. Saris are worn for formal occasions however.