Why I love Sarees and how I wear them?
Saree, an exquisite combination of style, glamor and couture.. Something that is cherished equally on a ramp and in day to day life.
I have always loved wearing sarees.
I remember, as a little girl, I would wrap my mother’s or grandmother’s saree around me and pose in front of the mirror, till one of them discovered what I was up to. Nothing much has changed since then. I still drape these around me and pose; the only difference is; now my kids catch me and they laugh about it with my mother.
This sari belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to my mother when she got married and my mother passed it on to me. I could never wear it the way it was, as the base fabric had no life left and the sari would fall apart the moment one would pick it up. The original color was Red, but I transferred the sari on black Georgette. It came out to be a stunner.
What entices me about sarees is that it can make you look graceful, elegant, sexy and trendy, all at the same time; it suits any body type, in fact flatters all body type; there are so many ways to wear it (unfortunately I only wear it one way) and there are so many kinds available, each as beautiful and gorgeous as the other.. In India, every state has a saree dedicated to it, and then we have sarees from neighbouring countries. So, I guess, for saree lovers like me, more is never enough.
No matter how beautiful an outfit, it has to be worn properly; some rules have to be followed.
I have so often seen people clad in the finest of sarees and yet, it looks atrocious. Why? Because they just don’t know how to wear it; there is a mismatched underskirt seen from one side, pleats resemble frills and a safety pin peeps out from some corner to say hello. For them it’s just a piece of unstitched fabric that needs to be wrapped somehow and pinned at a few random spots and its done.
NO!
That’s not how you wear this 6 yard beauty. Follow the rule.
Here, these are the rules I always follow:
- I make sure my sari is clean and ironed.
- I then get a blouse to go with it. I pair it with so many things, from a deep cut blouse, backless choli to a strapless top or a tube, a shirt, kurtis, long sleeve blouses…….. and the list is endless.
This is a ‘Banarasi’ sari, which I bought recently.
- I never ignore the petticoat (underskirt). I always match it to the saree color; I always get it in a soft flowing fabric as the saree drapes better; the length of the petticoat is from waist (where I tie the saree) till my ankle; I never get too many gathers done in it, as I feel it makes me look like a balloon.
- Draping the saree correctly is very important. There is no harm in asking people who know it well or looking up the internet. (Internet has a huge storehouse of hows and ways to wear a saree)
- While draping, I make sure the saree, after you tuck it in the petticoat, is half an inch longer. Nothing is more unflattering than the underskirt showing from beneath the saree folds.
A Paithani sari
- The pleats need to be in symmetry. I use my right hand fingers to keep them equally wide and left hand to hold them in place. Once done I pin them from inside and then tuck them in. I again pin the pleats and the underskirt together in a way that the pins don’t show.
- The pins are to keep the pleats and the saree in place, not to act as an accessory; so I make sure the pins know it and stay hidden. I always use the baby nappy pins as they are really convenient.
- The ‘anchal’, the part that goes on the shoulder and the lose end hangs, needs to be paid some attention to. It has to be graceful, but always make sure it’s comfortable. Just because a whole spread out anchal looks good, doesn’t mean I’ll wear it that way and spoil my whole evening. I go for comfort.
A Tussar Sari, with Madhubani print, hand-painted on it. This is one of those unique pieces that I really want to preserve and pass on to my children.
- Unless I get a flat stomach, I make sure as little of my stomach is revealed as possible. (This is totally my choice and my thinking. I totally respect any contrary thoughts)
- I love to wear jewelry and with sarees I tend to get a little overboard. So I follow what Coco Chanel said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.”
This is purple and gold Kanjivaram Sari, with intricate and beautiful weave. I have worn the “Mangtikka” very low; it kind of hangs right above my eyes. I have been told by people to avoid doing so, but I really love it like this. The jewellery is called ‘Temple Jewellery’; its belongs to South of India.
- Makeup is always simple.
Whenever I wear a saree, unless it’s a wedding or a festival, people ask me “Why a saree?’ and my answer very often is “why Not?”
Saree adds grace and elegance; it highlights all the curves and hides what should be hidden; it pulls out the enticing feminine side of a woman so effortlessly, it never gets repetitive and add a pinch of glamour to it, and it’s unbeatable.
So next time, try a saree for a work meeting or a dinner and see how many heads you turn. Let your imagination run a little wild with pairing it and you will come up with something spectacular, your own style of draping a saree, and you are bound to fall in love with it.