Young generation is often blamed to
have followed western culture blindly, but it is true that there are still some
Indian ethnic wear garments, that are all-time favourite and have never lost
their charm even in the crowd of western casual clothes. Best part is even
these ethnic dresses are improvised in terms of comfort and fashion so that
young people who don't wear them very often can carry them off with equal ease.
Let us divide Indian ethnic wear
garments in two categories- for ladies and for men. This will make the further
divisions much easier.
Ethnic Wear for Women
Saree- This piece of garment does not
need any definition. This is a nine yard long fabric which is draped in different
styles according to customs as well as fashion. Saree is worn with blouse or
choli and a petticoat or underskirt. This is the ultimate ethnic wear with
which an Indian women is related to.
Salwar Kameez- This is another
traditional Indian dress which Indian women wear all over the country. If saree
is related to women, salwar kameez is worn mainly by young girls. Usually,
girls change to saree mainly after their marriage. There are different forms of
salwar kameez. Kameez is a long tunic type top which is worn with salwar,
churidar, Patiala salwar and leggings. Even kameez are of different types,
known as kurta, kurti, Anarkali and so on.
 |
| Ethnic Indian Silk Sarees available online |
Lehenga Choli- This is mainly an
occasional Indian ethnic wear. Young girls wear it for wedding. This is a long
flowing skirt with embellished and intricate works, worn with tight-fitting
blouse called choli. A dupatta or a 3 yard long scarf is draped to cover the
upper torso. However, in some parts of India like Gujarat and Rajasthan, women
wear lehenga or ghaghra choli with mirror and thread work.
Apart from these, there are several
other regional dresses that are intrinsically Indian ethnic wear garments but
not as popular like lehenga choli, saree or salwar suit. Some of these are:
Pavada which the little girls in Tamil
Nadu wear.
Mekhala-sador- the traditional two
piece dress of Assam
Mundum Neriyathum- worn in Kerala which is
usually white or pale yellow in colour with golden or bright colour border.
Indian Ethnic Wear for Men
No matter how much we have developed
and changed, basic wear for women in India is still saree or salwar suits. But
men have shifted to western dresses conveniently and they are more seen in
shirts, trousers or t shirts than in Indian traditional dresses. Yet, on
festivals when they don the all-time favourite ethnic wears, they steal the
show. Some of the most popular ethnic wears are as follows:
Kurta Pyjama- This is the most common
and a favourite Indian ethnic wear. Kurta is a long shirt with round neck or
small collar. Pyjama is a loose fitted trouser with strings or elastic. Kurtas
come in various fabrics like satin, silk, tussar etc but pyjamas are mainly of
cotton. Usually kurtas are of vibrant colours, with embroidery work, and even
hand paint and look est when worn with plain white pyjamas. Different regions
of India have different types of Kurtas in terms of length, designs and
patterns. Kurta looks best when teamed up with half jacket.
Dhoti- Dhoti was almost forgotten in
urban India and was worn only in villages by elderly people. Thanks to the new
generation fashion designers who have revived this six feet long cloth piece
which is wrapped around the waist. It is worn with kurta.
Sherwani- This is the most
favourite Indian ethnic wear of young generation. This is a long jacket that
falls right below the knee. It comes in light colours, embroidered with silver
and/or gold, has thin collar and it is worn with churidar pyjama. This is the
wedding attire of metrosexual urban groom which he teams with uttariya or
dupatta.
