All You Need To Know About An Indian Sarees

The clothing in India is widely associated with climate, temperature, culture, and religion. The traditional Indian clothing is saris, salwar kameez, and lehenga choli. Women wear sari which is a long 5 to 6 yards of clothing and is draped in different styles at different places accompanied by a blouse and a petticoat. The trend of wearing a sari in a simple yet innovative manner is still followed in rural areas, though it is changing in the urban areas nowadays. Before attaining the age of puberty girls wear a long skirt which is called lehenga and a short blouse, known as choli. Girls in their teenage wear half saris, as a lehenga, a choli and a stole wrapped around the body as a sari. Women especially the married ones wear full long Indian sarees which go down till the ankle.

A saree or sari is female clothing that is worn by the women of the Indian subcontinent as their staple dress. The word sari is derived from the Sanskrit language which means 'strip of a cloth', and which was corrupted to sari in the Hindi language. There is an end of the fabric that is held loose in many styles of draping it and this loose end is decorated with sequins, a stone, embroidery, etc. and this loose end is known as palla. It is generally pinned and pleated on to the one side of the shoulder or it is left loose at one end and draped over the arm.

A saree is solely ancient Indian apparel that has not lost its charm till now. It can be worn in various styles and patterns of fabric. Different materials are used for different kinds of sarees. Embroidered, beaded, stonework or sequined are many various sarees you'll be able to see nowadays in various stores and online. Designers have crafted different sarees for various occasions and themes. A designer label surely brings up an excellent piece of art and exotic, delicate and inventive work on the saree itself. So, women can purchase them without any second thought.

Every place in India is famous for its fabric and the carving and the way a sari is crafted. The most popular and traditional types of sarees are the Kanjeevaram (Kanchipuram), from south India. This sari is made of heavy silk from the silkworm and has a broad border and contrasting colors. Patterns on the sari pallu are derived from temples, palaces, and paintings.

Another one is the Banarasi sari, which is handwoven in Banaras. These saris are known for their colorful dyed silk fabric. Designs of villages, flowers, and temples are carved on the saree.

Another type of sari is the bright tie-dyed Bandhani/Bandhej saris from Rajasthan and Gujarat, cotton Gadhwal saris with silk borders and pallu from Andhra Pradesh, and the fine silk and gold weaved Paithani saree with peacock designs from Maharastra.

The most vibrant feature in a sari is the zari (gold thread) work in them. This gold thread is woven through the sari, mostly on the borders and pallu. The trend of zari traditionally comes from Surat, in the state of Gujurat.

One can pick up a saree for just rupees 150 but one needs to fetch a little more if to go for good quality. To buy a beautiful sari in India it is not expensive as compared to the West. The price of a sari is affected by the type of fabric that it’s made out of. Printed silk saris are available from 1,500 rupees to 2000 rupees. A sari which has thread work embroidery into it costs more, with the increase in the embroidery done on the saree and the vice versa. If the sari has zari in it, the cost is higher according to the amount of effort put in it.

We can see lots of imitated sarees can be for Kanjeevaram saree too. The important thing to check while seeing whether the saree is real or not is the quality of the silk and zari in the sari. When checked closely, the silk may be felt thick and glossy near the palla but inside allover the sari, one may find that the silk is half in thickness as compared with the silk in the palla. Various weaver and retailers use two-ply silk instead of three-ply for weaving and fake gold thread for the zari work.

The zari used for a Kanjeevaram sari is a silk thread which is covered with a silver in the center, and gold on the outer surface. To test whether the zari is fake or artificial, scratch or scrape it and if red silk doesn't emerge, then the sari is not a true Kanjeevaram sari. Besides, the border, body, and palla of a genuine Kanjeevaram silk saree are woven separately and then attached.

This attire is in style since 1000 years ago for the simple reason of its simplicity, uniqueness and practical usage with the women of today's fast-moving world.