Figure 1.-- The sari is a garment worn by Indian women of any condition and religion.. This image taken in the 1940s, probably in a rural area. We see a very basic version: a cloth wrapped around the body without any other garment. Probably this was very simolsar to the early sari worn 5,000 years ago t the dawn of Indin cuvikization. /i>

Indian fashions for women are well estabkished and have inluences fashions in many other countries. The classic Indian garment for women and girls is the sari/saree which we see here (figure 1). It is a female garment wudely worn througout the Indian subcontinent. It is arguably the oldest garment still in popular use. The earliest textile clothing would hve been drped garments. Fashion experts date the sari back 5,000 yearsmeaning basically it is as old as Indian Civilization itself. It seems tgo hve been worn in the Indus River civilization (3300–1300 BC). The Vedas, the oldest Hindu religious texts, refer to it. The sari is a wrapped garment, a strip of unstitched cloth which can range from 4-9 meters in length, depending on the sizeof the wiman abd hiw the cloyth is draped. There are various draping styles. Spme of the best known are the Sambalpuri Saree from theast, Mysore silk and Ilkal of Karnataka and, Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu from te outh, Paithani from Maharashtra, and Banarasi from the North, but there are many others. The most common draping stylke for the sari to be first wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff. The sari today is commonly wrn over a petticoat. We are not sure when this cinvention developed, probably duriung the British Raj. Sari may also be worn with a kind of blouse top. This may be '"backless' or halter neck. These are often ore dressy sari with fancy embellishments such as decorative mirrors or embroidery wore for special occasions. There are even unifirm for saris worn in the military. Fir thee thereus usully a half-sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist. Teenagers often wear half-sari -- a three piece set consisting of a langa, a choli and a stole wrapped over it giving a ari look. Women usually wear full sarus. Wedding saris are typically red or pink, a tradition that goes back centuries. [Ramdya, p.45.] Saris are usually known with different names in different places. there are also different names for differebt types.

Sources

Ramdya, Kavita (2010). Bollywood Weddings: Dating, Engagement, and Marriage in Hindu America.(Lanham: Lexington Books, 2010).

Created: 7:19 PM 7/30/2022
Last updated: 7:19 PM 7/30/2022