Womens Fashion A/C

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Salwar Kameez is a traditional outfit worn both in India and Pakistan. It is the national dress in Pakistan. The word salwar is called as shalwar in Pakistan. It is also popular among women in India. The salwar kameez, or salwar suit consists of a kameez (shirt), salwar (trousers) and dopatta (scraf).

SALWAR: Salwar is a sort of loose pajama like trouser. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the bottom. There is a drawstring at the top of the waistband to hold up the salwar. The pants can be wide and baggy, or they can be cut quite narrow, on the bias. In the latter case, they are known as churidar pajama.

KAMEEZ: The kameez, in salwar kameez suit, is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams are left open below the navel, which gives the wearer greater freedom of movement. The word kameez is derived from the Latin camisia (shirt or tunic), from which it probably made its way into various European languages (see chemise) and also into Arabic, the likely immediate source for kameez. The kameez is usually cut straight and flat.

DUPATTA: When women wear the salwar kameez, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck. For Muslim women, the dupatta is an alternate to scarves. The dupatta is useful when the head must be covered, for hijab or for prayers.

For most women, the dupatta is simply a stylish accessory that can be worn over one shoulder or draped around the chest and over both shoulders.

In Pakistan and India, one can simply visit the local clothing store or local tailor and has a salwar kameez suit made to order. People outside India and Pakistan can order custom salwar kameez suits over the net. One can select the fabric, indicate the style features desired (type of pants, neckline style, embroidery or other decoration desired, type of sleeves, length of tunic, etc.), pays and fills out a measurement form. The prices range of salwar kameez from under $30 to $300 or above. There are also South Asian clothing stores in many larger Western cities. Some ethnic and historic sewing pattern companies sell patterns for salwar kameez, salwar, churidar, kameez, and kurta, to be purchased at fabric stores or over the net.

Why Salwar Kameez?

Comfort: Even Western women admit that salwar kameez is probably the most comfortable dress around. salwar kameez fits you without strangling you. You can breathe easy in it.

Versatility: The salwar kameez is good in just about any weather. Granted, a shawl or sweater are required in cold weather. Salwar Kameez helps keep cool on those hot sweltering days (364 days a year in this country!) as it doesn't cling to the body.

Elegance: The wearer of the salwar kameez suit is bestowed with a graceful feminine charm. Ask anyone and they are very likely to concur.

Availability: There is definitely no shortage of salwar kameez vendors out there! On top of that, the availability of designs is mind-boggling! There are countless designs of salwar kameez and materials to choose from. You can never go wrong with it since salwar kameez suits all occasions. There are casual, formal, Indo-Western, sleeveless, and multitude of other variations for every occasion.

Sizes: The salwar kameez is one outfit which will bring out the best in you no matter what your vital statistics. A loose kameez is the perfect camouflage for those extra layers and vertical prints produce a slimming effect. A small bust can be enhanced by embroidery at the neck or other embellishments such as wooden buttons, beads or bright yokes.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Salwar kameez

Salwar kameez, sometimes written as shalwar kameez or shalwar qameez is one of the most important traditional dress of South Asian women in countries like India and Pakistan. This women's suit consists of three pieces of clothing- Salwar is the bottom piece of clothing, Kurta is the top and a dupatta/chunni which is an accessory taken in different styles with Salwar Kurta suits. Salwar is loose trousers which resembles a pajama.

Salwar

Salwar is loose trousers which resembles a pajama. The legs of traditional salwars are wider at the top which narrow down at the ankle. A salwar ia gathered at the waist and held up by a drawstring. Sometimes an elastic band is also used in place of drawstrings mainly in kids salwar kameez. Many innovations have been made in salwar designs till date. Now the salwar need not necessarily in traditional shape- it can be wide and baggy or more narrow, and even made of fabric cut on the bias which is popularly known as churidar. Other variations of salwar include patiala salwar, parallel salwar, sharara salwar, dhoti salwar, etc.

Kameez

The kurta or kameez included in salwar suits can be defined as a long shirt or a tunic. The traditional kameez has side seams, known as the chaak, which is left open below the waist-line to give the wearer greater freedom of movement. The traditional kameez is usually cut straight and flat. The contemporary kurtas have many types of designs and shapes. It may have deep neclines, cap sleeves, sleeveless kurta designs and many other such variations. Some indo-western salwar kameez have ultra modern looks where they have short kurtas. Kurtas may take any form- straight, A-line, empire waist, frock type, anarkali kurtas etc. Sometimes when a kameez is sewn in transparent fabrics, they are worn with a choli or a cropped camisole (a slip type clothing) underneath it.

Dupatta

Salwar suits are mostly accompanied with a dupatta or chunni. It can be called a very long scarf. It is used as head cloth to cover heads by some women of North Indian region like in Punjab where it is essential to cover the heads before entering a Gurudwara- the holy place for Sikhs. At other times, dupatta/chunni is a fashion statement used for enhancing the beauty of salwar kameez. It can be worn over one shoulder, draped around the chest and over both shoulders or in other style a woman wants to drape it. Sometimes, salwar kurta sets are worn even without dupattas like in Indo-western salwar suits. One more interesting fact related to dupatta is the invention short dupatta which is often worn with kurtas and Indo-Western clothing.

History of Salwar Kameez

Some people believe that salwar kameez dates back to 12th century and owe its origin to Islamic or the Iranian era. It is also believed that during that time, men and women both used to wear salwar kameez as part of their traditional dress. Yet others believe it to have originated in the 16th century in Afghanistan where it was worn by women of higher strata of society. It was invented to keep oneself safe from the dust storms- a regular feature of this country. The Mughals who ruled the South Asian continent in the 17th and 18th centuries did the most to popularize the comfortable and useful salwar kameez attire. However, at that time, salwar kurtas were confined to the Muslim women population only. When the Britishers took over in the late 18th century, salwar kameez took a backseat with the growing popularity of skirts and shirts.

Revival of Salwar Kameez

After seeing a downtime for a very long period, salwar kameez were suddenly revived in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, most interestingly by the leading actresses of Hindi film industry. The bollywood actors sizzled the silver screen with all types of innovative salwar suits and churidar kurta. Young girls and women started replacing their traditional Indian sarees with salwar suits designed according to the latest fashion defined by the Bollywood actresses. These were named Bollywood suit that never lost its status again among the masses.

Popularity of Salwar Kameez

Initially, salwar kameez was popular in the North India, particularly in the states of Kashmir and Punjab only. It was not earlier than 1980s when it started spreading across India. It was also accepted in the South Indian states like Tamil Nadu by replacing its traditional dress pavadi and thavani- or the blouse and half-sari- as daily wear of common woman. Salwar suits are now worn in each and every state of India, in urban as well as rural areas- however, in its various types, forms and designs.

Types Of Salwar Kameez

Salwar Kurta/Punjabi Suit- The most used variety of salwar kameez- the Punjabi suit has traditional designs – a long kurta, salwar made with lots of fabric to give large circumference and a matching dupatta.

Churidar Kurta

It has a legging that looks like a tight pant. The churidar is long than traditional salwars. As such, when worn, the lower end of the pants roll up in shape of many bangles or 'churis' and thus the name churidar.

Parallel Salwar Suit

A parallel salwar has straight cuts just like normal pants. It is different from traditional salwar which has wider upper portion and narrower lower portion. The parallel salwar has similar width for whole length of the salwar.

Patiala Salwar Suit

A patiala salwar is made from much more cloth than traditional salwar. It has many pleats that gather at the waistline and drape below gracefully, giving a beautiful appearance to the salwar.

Pakistani/Pathani Salwar Kameez

"Pathani Suit" got its name because it was originally worn by the Kaabli Pathans of Kabul. It is traditionally a mens dress where the salwar has the traditional form and kurta is longer enough to cover the knees of the wearer. The neck line of kurta has collars and it has long sleeves too. Women's dresses that has such a form is called Pakistani or Pathani salwar kameez.

Sharara Salwar Kameez

Sharara salwar has wider leg pants that has similarity with full skirts. The pants are fitted till the knee, with a big flare from the knee onwards or a kind of loose, trailing pajama. It looks like a lehenga at the lower part but has lesser circumference to make it a sharara.

Custom/Tailored Salwar Kameez

Any salwar kameez that is made according to the specifications of an individual purchaser is the customized salwar kameez.

Salwar Kameez can further be classified on the basis of design, fabric and occasion.

Salwar Kameez by Design

Salwar Kameez by Fabric

Salwar Kameez by Occasion

There is yet another type of salwar kameez- Salwar Kameez by Season

Buy Salwar Kameez Online From Leading Brands and Companies

IndiaMart
Designer Salwar Kameez
Libas Designs
Utsav Salwar Kameez
Sangini Salwar Kameez
Jaipur Bonanza
Indian Attire

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Wedding Sarees , Bridal sarees

The wedding sari or Bridal sari is given a lot of importance in India. Indian Saris come in different fabrics from cotton to silk, from georgettes to crapes. Jewellery obviously highlights the look of the bride but the wedding saree is given a lot of emphasis. In India there is no greater event in a family than a wedding.

This allows you to explore and also create a new idea each time. Weddings are also about pujas and here one could go for the simple but rich cotton saris that have the exquisite work in the border with matching blouses. One should use a comfortable neck length and a mid back which can be conservative or deep again depending on the occasion. If it is mandatory for you to use the pallu over your head then keep the pleats arranged and hairstyle convenient so that the look is maintained.

Apart from the traditional prints and weaves, nowadays designers are creating fresh and innovative designs. They also are altering the way the Indian saree is draped over the shoulder. It all depends on the kind of work done on what is known as the ‘palav’ – this is that part of the saree, which is thrown over the shoulder.

Today saris have a lot of work done on them. Zari, embroidery, organza, zardosy, sequence, cut work, mirror work, patchwork, pearl work, kasab, kundan, are all different kinds of work, which beautify the sari.

Shaina.N.C. is a well known designer today, there is so much demand for her attractive and redefined saris.

In India some professionals offer Bridal Trousseau Packing services for Indian bridal sarees. Here, wedding sarees & other items of the wedding trousseau are neatly packed into suitcases & decorated.

Salwar Kameez

Indian dresses

always have a demand in the international fashion market because of its unique and outstanding styles and types of garments. While the saree is considered sensuous attire, the other commonly worn Indian garment is the salwar kameez.

This garment is essentially a three-piece attire consisting of:

-Salwar (bottom, or the pajama)

-Kameez (top, also known as kurta)

-Duppata (scarf

)

Generally the salwar kameez is long, going below the knees. It is straight and has two slits on either side. The salwar is flared with a horizontal band at the end. The duppata or scarf is rectangle in shape and worn in front with the sides falling at the back from over the shoulders. This is the basic description of what a salwar kameez usually is. However, there are modifications of this garment in terms of the length of the kameez.

Salwar kameez retains its feminine charm with newer appeal with designs each season. Corset pattern would be the ultimate design.

During a large earlier part of the 1900s, say between the 1920s to the 1960s the women usually wore a short kameez that was somewhere between the hip and the knee. They were generally made from cotton or khadi (jute). Actually the fit resembled that of a long shirt. The difference being that it would be straight with a slit on either side. The salwar then was widely flared with a narrow horizontal band at the end.

Post 1970s the salwar kameez styles seemed to have expanded to uncountable numbers. In fact very rarely would one come across people wearing common designs and patterns. The variations were in the fabrics being used, the kind of work being done, as well as the cuts. Apart from the straight-cut kameez, there the frock styles of varying lengths – short, knee length, as well as those that flow down to the ankle.

Tradition always had an impact on Indian fashion. First came the Indian sari, which will always be a fashion statement, then came the ‘Indian salwaar kameez’ or Indian salwar khameez.

The salwar is preferred and is a favorite among the younger generation, as it is easier to carry out. Indian salwaar kameez is comfortable & fashion clothing for women and so it is worn at home & even outdoors. In other words, it is used for formal and casual occasions

Indian Fashion

Indian fashion varies from one village to another village, from one city to another city. India's fashion heritage is rich in tradition, vibrant in colors and prepossessing. Bold colors created by the inventive drapes of these textiles catches the imagination like no other contemporary clothing.

Indian Fashion - ancient fashion in India

Ancient Indian fashion garments generally used no stitching although Indians knew about sewing. Most clothes were ready to wear as soon as they left the loom. The traditional Indian Dhoti, the Scarf or Uttariya, and the popular Turban are still visible India and continue to be part of Indian fashion. Likewise, for women, the Dhoti or the Sari as the lower garments, combined with a Stanapatta forms the basic ensemble, and once again consists of garments that do not have to be stitched, the stanapatta being simply fastened in a knot at the back. And the Dhoti or the Sari worn covering both legs at the same time or, in the alternative, with one end of it passed between the legs and tucked at the back in the fashion that is still prevalent in large area of India. Indian men and women for these garments in the usually hot Indian climate. - dhoti when he speaks of 'turbans used for trousers', and a kaupina when he is speaking of 'a rag of two fingers' breadth bound over the loins.

Indian sari remains the traditional clothing of Indian women. Worn in varied styles, it is a long piece of flat cotton, silk or other fabric woven in different textures with different patterns. The sari has a lasting charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size.

This graceful feminine attire can also be worn in several ways and its manner of wearing as well as its color and texture are indicative of the status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman.

The tightly fitted, short blouse worn under a sari is called a choli. The choli evolved as a form of Indian clothing around the tenth century AD and the first cholis were only front covering; the back was always bare.

Another popular attire of women in Indian clothing is the Indian salwar-kameez. This popular Indian dress evolved as a comfortable and respectable garment for women in Kashmir and Punjab region, but is now immensely popular in all regions of India. Salwars are pyjama-like trousers drawn tightly in at the waist and the ankles. Over the salwars, women wear a long and loose tunic known as a kameez. One might occasionally come across women wearing a churidar instead of a salwar. A churidar is similar to the salwar but is tighter fitting at the hips, thighs and ankles. Over this, one might wear a collarless or mandarin-collar tunic called a kurta.

Though the majority of Indian women wear traditional Indian dresses, the men in India can be found in more conventional western clothing like shirts and trousers.

However, men in Indian villages are still more comfortable in traditional attire like kurtas, lungis, dhotis and pyjamas. Indian dresses & styles are marked by many variations, both religious and regional and one is likely to witness a plethora of colors, textures and styles in garments worn by the Indians.

Use of Gold in Indian Fashion: For this reason, some gold ornament is usually worn against the skin at all times. Indian Gold ornaments are popular because the metal is believed to have the power purify anything it touches.

Ornaments of gold and other metals, often combined with precious and semi-precious gems and beads, are popular with both men and women in India.

Traditionally, Indian ornaments had economic significance for women too. The ornaments given to her at her wedding constituted a daughter's inheritance from her father ( Dowry).

Customarily land and other property was divided among the sons, though this no longer holds true. In addition, a bride's ornaments were financial security throughout her life.

Ornaments of Indian Fashion :

Nose pin: More common than a nose ring, both are symbols of purity & marriage, though today many unmarried Indian girls wear this adornment.

Necklace: These are very popular fashion accessories across India amongst girls and women of all ages. Necklaces are made of a variety of materials, ranging from glass beads to gold and diamonds. One special necklace is the mangalasutra, worn only by married Indian women. It is the Indian equivalent of the western wedding ring. Traditionally a woman wore it during her wedding ceremony and took it off only if her husband died.

Bangles: Worn on the wrist, bangles are believed to be protective bands and women always wore them as symbolic guards over their husbands. As with other ornaments, bangles today are worn by women of all ages all over India and are made of silver, gold, wood, glass, and plastic, among other materials.

Ear rings: Rings, studs and other ornaments worn in the ears are popular all over the country. In fact, a girl's ears are usually pierced before her first birthday.

Other important ornaments are finger rings, toe rings and anklets. Rings for the fingers are again, of various materials and designs and worn by unmarried and married women. Since the ring has become a common adornment, it is no longer considered a symbol in Indian marriages.

However, toe rings and anklets are still worn mostly by married women. Ornaments for the feet are usually made of silver because gold, being a 'pure' metal, was not supposed to be worn on the feet. This privilege was given only to women of royal Indian families.

In addition to these ornaments is the 'mangatika' or 'tikli'. This ornament, worn at the top of the forehead in the parting of the hair, is usually a small pendant on the end of a chain that is clasped to the hair. Although traditionally this ornament was also worn as a symbol of marriage, today it is not so commonly worn even by married women.

Kajal or Eyeliner : From the time a child is six days old, its mother applies kajal to its eyes and also a small black dot on the forehead to mar the child's beauty. This 'imperfection' is said to protect from evil.

Sindoor : dot on forehead of woman indicating married status of Indian Women, power, protection for her husband. It is applied by the husband as part of wedding ceremony.