Saris are forever…
Fashion in clothing is an ever-changing phenomenon, which varies every year with the changing of the seasons. Much of the Western fashion has gained inspiration from traditional clothing from other cultures, particularly those from the East. Last summer we saw traditional batik design which originated from Rajasthan and Gujarat in Western India, hit the top London stores with the designs being printed on skirts, shawls, handbags, tops, pyjamas, just to name a few! One piece of clothing however, which has stood the test of the seasonal changes of the shop rails and shelves, is the Sari.
April 30th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Yes the Sari is beautiful, but let’s be honest - it’s not the most comfortable garb in the world! At any function you see all the women fiddling with the palo, adjusting it and tucking and retucking. The modern woman has recourse to pins, which disturb the natural fall of the cloth but render it more functional. I wonder what women did beofre the invention of the pin?
I wear a sari for important occasions but on less formal occasions I prefer the comfort of the churidar.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:04 am
You’re right the sari is timeless….and magical……
In India though sartorial preferences are changing.Some weeks back ,we had Shashi Tharoor lamenting in his weekly column ,that more and more women are giving up on tradition –opting for the more practical salwar-kameez and other western outfits.Coming from a three-piece suit attired ,gentleman, it was a bit rich ,and going by his defensive posture in the next weeks column ,he was(rightfully imo) lynched ,but still the fact remains…..
The sari, like our language may not survive western cultural imperialism.Bollywood is of course ,the trend setter ,and in the more elite circle’s its considered “behenji-ish” to be seen adorning any traditional outfit.One can only hope that middle-class pride will stop this vastra-haran/vastra shedding.
Hypocrite Indian men who insist on seeing their women in saris ,would do well to take a look at Finance minister P.Chidambaram.However rotten his taste in choice of party,his crisp shirts and pristine white lungis ,spells class and pride…..
Its time for Indians to shed their slave mentality not their tradional outfit……..
Best Wishes
_CS
April 30th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
As a guy i wouldn’t mind wearing traditional Indian men’s wear, especially in the summer, but question is where to find them and won’t it be expensive?
April 30th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
“As a guy i wouldn’t mind wearing traditional Indian men’s wear, especially in the summer, but question is where to find them and won’t it be expensive?”
Not at all, if it’s expensive then you would all see the farmers in India in jeans and suits which is not the case at all, infact they are much cheaper than jeans and other clothes, plus they are much more suited to Indian climate.
April 30th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Personally, I always take any given opportunity to dress in Indian clothing, be that a simple kurta pyjama, a dhoti, a ‘Jodhpuri suit’, an achkan, or anything else, depending on the type of function. Even at Balls and the like where my white colleagues were, of course, dressed in DJs and tuxedos (and the occasional kilt), I generally prefer to wear something Indian.
Actually, I have been quite encouraged to note, over the past 5-10 years or so, the number of people I see wearing Indian clothes, at least at Indian functions (say weddings, pujas, etc.) has been steadily increasing. Having said all this, of course, clothes make not the man, and it is all really down to personal preference. I happen to prefer Indian clothes as I find them more comfortable and in my view aesthetically far more appealing.
Reference women’s clothing also, I personally think that Indian clothing - whether sari, lehnga, shalwar kameez, or any other - looks beautiful and elegant to a degree that, for me, is nowhere near matched by even the most graceful of Ball gowns or dresses. Meaning no offence, but apart from anything else, Indian women’s clothes are far better in general than their Western counterparts at hiding a multitude of sins - this, of course, is a mixed blessing!
Since Eastern Eye has been mentioned in this forum before, I assume the editors have no problem with my mentioning a perhaps rival publication; I recall some 12-14 years ago, they published the results of a survey in which ‘Asian’ youths were asked to judge a variety of different types of dress - for both males and females, Indian clothing was fairly unanimously judged to be by far the most attractive.
On the issue of where to find traditional Indian clothes, most large urban centres in Britain have stores that sell such clothing; otherwise, many people get them from India. As for the cost, I think I would probably be justified in saying that whatever level of clothing you are looking for, it will be cheaper than the Western alternative. There is very cheap clothing available that is useful for nightwear or wearing around the house. At the upper end of the scale, there are some quite costly Jodhpuris, sherwanis, and the like, but when compared to the equivalent level of, say, designer tuxedos or coat and tails, the Indian clothes still work out cheaper. So I guess my secret’s out - it’s not that I’m traditional; I’m just a cheap git :p
May 1st, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Good piece!!
Shame on the men, incl. myself for givig up the dhoti!!
Women delicately dressed in their pleeted pieces of art should save both genders!!
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I think Saree is gorgeous and the Indian women who wear Sarees look equally gorgeous in them. Fashions may come and go but saree will go on for ever..Even Western girls who have married Asians want to wear sarees to acquire and establish their new identity. Having said all that I think sarees should be worn on aupicios, special and formal occassions. For more mundane occassions anything more practical and acceptable albeit less attractive would do. As far as men are concerned they should strive to enhance their personalities through good deeds rather than attire. Devinder thakur
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
“As far as men are concerned they should strive to enhance their personalities through good deeds rather than attire. Devinder thakur”
Screw the double standards, women have conserved the sari so far, why don’t men do something about their clothes for a change instead of always justifying disowning everything Indian, as long as we don’t get rid of this slave mentality that associates Indian clothes with backwardness (which is what many in India do) then that just means that we are mentally still under British rule.
May 4th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
In many sports clubs and gymkhanas of India, Indians who wear INDIAN clothes (dhoti and kurta) are not allowed entry into the INDIAN clubs. This is in INDIA, not any foreign country.
Sometimes, I think we haven’t achieved complete independence from British rule.
For those men who say western clothes are more practical than the “lousy dhoti”, Indian men fought wars in dhotis. Learn how to wear it right.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:20 am
yeah, like you wear a dhoti all the time Vig.
shut your face …..
May 18th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Ravi Sharma, ur a moron and just cuz u wear white clothes doesn’t mean some Dhoti wearing guy won’t come and steal ur girl.