The history and geography of sarees
Fashion trends keep changing with season and what is in this season might not be in the next. This happens with every clothing item except for a few and in this exclusion saree tops the list. Yes ladies, we are talking about the gorgeous six yards of fabric that makes women look graceful, chic and fabulous just like sarees. Ladies love wearing them be it karwa chauth, durga puja or diwali.
What’s your first choice when you have to show up in your glamorous desi avatar? Saree it is, isnt’it? It oozes sexiness and elegance making women look hot, hot, and hot. No matter how much we love our dresses and skirts, sarees are our first choice when we wish to show that desi charm.
Still wondering why there’s so much brouhaha about sarees? Here are some amazing facts about this gorgeous piece of clothing that has even taken the global fashion world by a storm.
- The story began…
It all began with a 3-piece outfit known as poshak where the antariya has now become the lehenga, uttariya, a shawl that was used to drape over the shoulders is now a dupatta or ghoongat and lastly stanapatta that used to be a chest band that has now become a choli. So you know it now where the roots of your sarees lie.
- What’s in a name?
Saree or sari got its name from the Sanskrit word ‘sati’ that means a strip of cloth. Could you imagine your wardrobe without this strip of cloth? Not possible ha!
- Long and long and long
You probably know how long a saree is, but did you know the length of sarees vary from 4 to 8 meters? That’s right some sarees are 8 meters long.
- Drape it in 100+ styles
Bet you didn’t know it? There are over 100 ways to drape a saree but only 84 have archaeological existence and you were happy just because you know a handful of ways to drape your saree. Don’t just stop at them, learn new ways and try on.
- 5 from every corner of the country
You know about 1 or 2 types of sarees from different states? Well we tell you that there are at least 5 types of sarees you can find from each corner of the country. Honey, time to add some gorgeous pieces to your saree collection!
- Nivi it is
Have some patience, we are getting to it! Nivi is the most common way of draping the saree, yes the way you have draped it right now is called nivi and its origin lies in Andhra Pradesh.
- Saree worn like dhoti
Sarees were initially worn like dhotis and no, we are not kidding. It’s serious business we are talking here ladies! Sarees were worn like dhotis in a way that the drape separates both the legs only because it helped women to work easily even when wearing a saree. You are right, dhoti sarees are so in style these days.
- The global fashion trend
You do know that international fashion designers are fascinated with sarees and it is due to this fascination that sarees have become an international trend? But did you know that saree is the national dress of Bangladeshi women and even in Nepal saree is the most commonly worn garment? One more thing, sarees are flaunted by Indian women all the time but it is not our national dress.
- One-piece, nah! It got layers baby
By layers we don’t mean adding a duppata on top like a bride does. We are talking about traditional sarees that involve more than one long strip of cloth. Khasi style saree is made up of several cloth pieces, Mekhela Chador, an Asamese style saree is a 3-piece garment and so is the Manipuri or Chanderi Saree.
We’re sure you were already fascinated by the six yards of fabric, and if you weren’t you are right now. No matter if you don’t know many draping styles or don’t own many kinds of sarees like Banarasi Silk Saree, one thing’s for sure, sarees are and will always be in vogue so invest in some beautiful pieces and see them get to work their desi charm all around you.
