How to wear a Sari

Wearing a saree is perceived differently by women of different ages and of different backgrounds. For many women it is as easy as wearing a salwar. Mostly moms above 50s and young ladies who grew up wearing sarees regularly come in this category. Majority of the younger generation today find it as a big challenge to wear a saree. Saree is not a day to day dress for them because they find it uncomfortable. Saree is only for special occasions for this category.

The most common style of wearing saree is by wrapping one end of it around the waist with pleats in front and pinning the neatly folded other end on the left shoulder over the blouse. This is also known as Nivi style.  Different parts of the country have various styles of wearing the Sari also like Bengali style, Maharashtrian style, Gujarati style etc.

Two essential parts of the attire, which go along with sari, need to be chosen carefully to compliment the sari. These are

·         A petticoat / inskirt which is a waist to floor garment, tied tightly at the waist by a drawstring. The petticoat color should match the base sari color as closely as possible. No part of the inskirt should be visible outside the Sari after having worn it.

·         A blouse which needs to be tight fitting and whose color needs to be chosen keeping the look of the sari in mind.

Step 1

First step is tucking one end of the Saree in the petticoat/inskirt and wrap one full round. If you wear high heels the height of the heels is important in determining where the bottom of the saree should reach.

Step 2

Take the top end of your saree in your right hand and circle it around your waist till you come to the front. Make sure you maintain the same height as you wrap it around waistline. Now tuck the top edge of the Saree inside the petticoat. 

Step 3

Make about 5 to 7 pleats of equal width of 5 inches, starting at the tucked-in end. Gather the pleats together, neatly, ensuring that the lower edges of the pleats are even and just off the ground and that the pleats fall straight and evenly. A safety pin may be used to stop the pleats from scattering.

Step 4

Tuck the pleats neatly inside your petticoat and smoothen the pleats to your choice. The pleats should fall straight and even.

Step 5

Take the remaining length and pass it on to your left, gently round your waistline and bring it under your right arm. Pull over the drape to tighten around the hips and waist.

Step 6

Slightly raise the remaining portion of the Sari on your back, bringing it up under the right arm and over the left shoulder so that the end of the Sari falls to about the level of your knees.

The end portion thus draped, from the left shoulder onwards, is called the Pallav or the Pallu, and can be prevented from slipping off the shoulder, by fastening it at the shoulder to the blouse with a small safety pin.

You can read about the history of indian sarees here

Related Links  Kancheepuram sarees  , Kerala Sarees