How To Wear An Indian Sari

Wearing a Sari is an important part of being an Indian woman. It is a classic and elegant piece of clothing and hugely versatile. It is also one of the few pieces of clothing that is both comfortable and graceful.

When you buy your first sari, you don't have to worry about your size or height, one size fits all. It can hide your shape or accentuate your curves. It is all a matter of how you choose to wear it.

For some one who has never worn a sari, the process of dressing yourself may look difficult. But let us take you through dressing in the traditional style step by step.

Step one.

First of all, you will need a blouse that ends just below the bust and a floor length petticoat tied tightly to your waist. Make sure these two pieces match and compliment the color of the sari.

Step two.

Starting with the plain end of the sari, wrap it once around your waist and come back to your starting point. All the while make sure you are tucking the sari into your petticoat and make sure the hem touches the ground and is even and adjusted. You may want to make a few pleats to begin with to tuck into your petticoat. This will help secure it.

Step three.

Gather the pallu (the decorated end of the sari) and fold it into pleats. Bring this end once around your waist and drop it over your left shoulder. The length usually goes down to the back of the knee. Some people like to have it shorter or longer. It all depends on your personal preference.

Step four.

Next, you will work with the fabric rested on the front of your chest and wrap it around you, under your right arm, to make sure it is tight and worn well.

Step five.

Now you will have all the excess fabric of the sari in front of you, pulled tight and at waist height. Take the excess fabric and work with the right end, which will be the plain end, and begin to make pleats. The pleats will want to be about five inches across.

Wrap the sari between your thumb and little finger. This will give you the right sized pleats. Make about seven to ten pleats and then hold them up together so that they fall straight and even. Finally tuck the pleats into your waist, just left of your navel.

Step six.

Congratulations, you are now wearing your sari. Having the sari resting over your left shoulder will give you room to move around and use your hands. But if you are going to a nice weeding and you want to show off your pallu, then you might want to lower it from your shoulder and hold it in your hand.

Tips.

Make sure you are wearing your heels before you start dressing yourself in the sari.

You might want to use a safety pin to secure the pleats together near the navel and also at the shoulder to keep those pleats secure.  Jennifer R Scott