Monday, 28 January 2013

Indian Traditional Dresses

Source : Google.com.pk
Indian Traditional Dresses Biography
Clothing in India varies from region to region depending on theethnicity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of the people of that region. Historically, men and women's clothing has evolved from simple Langotas and loincloths to cover the body to elaborate costumes not only used in daily wear but also on festive occasions as well as rituals and dance performances. In urban areas, western clothing is common and uniformly worn by people of all strata. India also has a great diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colors and material of clothing. Color codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. For instance, Hindus wear white clothes to indicate mourning while Parsis and Christians wear white to weddings.
Women Clothing in India varies widely and is closely related to local culture, religion and climate.
Traditional Indian clothing for women are the saris or the salwar kameez and also Ghaghra Cholis (Lehengas). For men, traditional clothes are the Dhoti, Lungi or Kurta. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is one of India's fashion capitals. In some village parts of India, traditional clothing mostly will be worn. In southern India the men wear long, white sheets of cloth called dhoti in north Indian languages like Hindi and Bengali and veshti in Tamil. Over the dhoti, men wear shirts, t-shirts, or anything else. Women wear a sari, a long sheet of colourful cloth with patterns. This is draped over a simple or fancy blouse. This is worn by young ladies and woman. Little girls wear a pavada. A pavada is a long skirt worn under a blouse. Both are often daily patterned. Bindi is part of the women's make-up. Indo-western clothing is the fusion of Western and Subcontinental fashion. Churidar, Dupatta, Gamchha, Kurta, Mundum Neriyathum, Sherwani are among other clothes.

India – known for its hand-woven textiles, richly embroidered fabrics, authentic drapes in exclusive designs have been prized by western civilization for centuries. Indian men and women have always loved to dress up in their traditional costumes, attires and accessories during festivals and other occasions which are an integral part of Indian life. Recently, Indian costumes have been successful in attracting the attention of and capturing the global market.
Indian clothing has been influenced by diverse cultural influences since time immemorial. The sari itself, historians say dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization which flourished in 2800-1800 BC, in the north-western part of India. In fact studies show that the men’s dhoti is a prototype of the sari and both the sexes wore the former till the 14th century. The choli or the woman’s blouse is believed to have come into existence with the various European colonial powers that once occupied a major portion of the Indian subcontinent. The British did influence women’s clothing to a great extent. Indian high society ladies started wearing long-sleeved blouses with frills, very similar to the Victorian upper garment, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Historians say that the achkan, a long-sleeved coat worn mainly by Muslim men even today, originated in Central Asia, more specifically, it was the court costume for Persian and Turkish nobles. The achkan can reach down to the knees or even lower, and is buttoned in the front.
Gujarati: The Gujarati woman sports a distinctive style, as she wears a sari with a neatly pleated pallu brought in front over the right shoulder with one end tucked around the waist to the left.
Maharashtrian: A nine-yard sari called the nawwadi is the traditional style very similar to the men’s dhoti. The pleats of the sari are placed between the legs and tucked in the centre back. Fisherwomen in the coastal regions of Maharashtra still wear a nawwadi and well, it is worn without a petticoat!
Madrasi: This style is very similar to the Maharashtrian nawwadi or the nine-yard sari. The pallu is quite long and wrapped around the waist and tucked in.
Some important varieties of Indian saris:
Banarasi: These saris are made of finely woven silk and have intricate designs done in golden thread (zari). Benarasi saris are relatively heavy and worn by Indian women on important occasions. The trousseau of any Indian bride is deemed incomplete without the customary red Benarasi sari. In fact in most states the Benarasi is the sari that the bride wears for the wedding ceremony

Baluchari: The Baluchari sari of Vishnupur in West Bengal is made of silk and woven on special looms. The borders and pallu of the sari are very striking because of its use of intricate thread work to depict stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Chanderi: Chanderi, a small town located in Madhya Pradesh has long been famous for its hand woven sarees. Silk or cotton is used to make a chanderi which is combined to create beautiful saris with artistic borders that are practically weightless. They generally have a rich gold border and the exclusive ones have gold checks with butis (round shaped motifs) all over.

Dhakai: The dhakai jamdani sari originated in the region now known as Bangladesh and is made with superior quality cotton. It was originally woven as the legendary dhakai muslin and woven with beautiful, eye-catching patterns.


Indian Traditional Dresses

Indian Traditional Dresses

Indian Traditional Dresses

Indian Traditional Dresses
Indian Traditional Dresses
Indian Traditional Dresses
Indian Traditional Dresses
Indian Traditional Dresses
Indian Traditional Dresses

Indian Traditional Dresses

Indian Traditional Dresses

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