Fashions
Trends From India - Talk Fashions
Sari - Lehenga - Salwar Suits - Sherwani - Indian Bridal Dresses
Fashion World - Fashions from India
Indian Fashions - Sari's -
Salwar Suits - Jewellery 
Indian fashions today have become popular all over the world.
Fashion designers have modified the traditional
Indian dresses to suit western needs.
For instance the six yard sari's have given birth to long skirts that give the image of wearing an elegant sari but use only a fraction of the cloth.
Even in India one of the popular formal dresses today is called a Lehenga. While in the past women in India usually wore a sari as a wedding dress, the Lehenga has now become the choice of many brides.
A Lehenga custom ordered can cost as much as five lakh rupees (US$ 12500) depending on the work done on the Lehenga.
The Lehenga Choli is a popular combination amongst teenagers in India and abroad. Hundreds of thousands of Indians now live abroad and Indian fashions are in style worldwide.
Sari - The most popular traditional dress of
India.
Sari's have been always identified with India. As soon as a women is seen wearing a sari overseas the first thing that comes to mind is that the person wearing the sari must be from India. However many other countries also identify themselves with the Sari dress. Pakistan being one of them.
There are various styles to wear a sari. Sari's are worn with a blouse and there are numerous styles of blouses that keep coming out. Blouses with sleeves, without sleeves, semi back or full open back.
Sari's come in a variety of cloths and are usually enhanced by various styles of needle hand work.
Sari's are made of a six yard long piece of cloth. How does one wear a sari.
There is no simple answer to this. Many different
states in India have different styles and sometimes I hear that people
can identify the origin of a person from the way she is wearing a sari.
The photograph shown above is supposed to be a sari worn in a style that
is popular in the Indian state of Gujarat.
The photograph on the right shows a sari worn in a different style. The sari shown on the right has embroidery work done on it.
As most embroidery is done by hand the cost of a sari goes up with the amount of hand work done on it.
Saris that are made from silk are popular in places such as Bangalore a city in India. Bangalore silk sari's are a popular variety of silk sari's.
When one talks of silk sari's there are several different varieties of silk. Different parts of India have their own varieties of silk. Some sari's are also made with artificial silk. These are cheaper and when buying a silk sari you should remember that the it is up to the customer to ensure they are getting what they are paying for.
Salwar Kameez Suits
Salwar Kameez suits another dress that is identified with India. Salwar suits are also popular in Pakistan.
This dress has gone through many changes in style as the years go by.
Contrary to popular belief that only women wear Salwar Kameez suits. Some men also wear suits called Salwar Kameez. The stitching styles of course are different for men and women.
Many women prefer Salwar suits than as they feel that Sari's are often considered a formal dress mode. For a casual look some women prefer the Salwar Kameez suit. These suits supposedly give more freedom of movement than a sari does.
The Salwar suits are somewhat comparable to the
modern pant suits.
With new styles coming out it sometimes is difficult to distinguish
between a Salwar Kameez and a pant suit.
Salwar Kameez suits consist of the upper part called the Kameez and the pant part called the Salwar.
There is also a stole
called 'Chunni' that traditionally was a part of the Salwar Kameez set.
However many women choose not to use the Chunni.
Salwar suits also are made with a variety of cloths. The price depends on the type of cloth material used and the extra work like embroidery etc done on the garments.
Many retailers are now selling Salwar suits online as internet sales of such goods have become popular.
As in sari's there are many different styles o
f
Salwar Suits and some of the different styles depend on the geographical
part where the style is prominent.
Salwar suits for instance made in Pakistan are slightly different from those made in India. Those who wear such suits can tell the difference by just looking at the style of the garments.
Salwar suits come in different lengths depending on the choice of customers.
In India women usually had Salwar Suits custom
tailored.
This trend is gradually changing and today many shops sell ready made
suits. Ready made garments are indeed quite popular as new styles are
introduced quite often. While in the past tailoring costs were quite
cheap in India, costs are gradually going up for tailoring and in many
cases it is now cheaper to buy readymade garments than to get them
stitched. With ready made garments you have the advantage of trying the
garment to see the exact fit before buying. Where as when it comes to
custom made the finished product would depend on the tailors skill and
one cannot complain after the garment has been stitched.
Lehenga Choli
Lehenga Choli is another popular dress that has started to become very popular in the last few years especially with teenagers.
There are so many forms of this dress which resembles a blouse and a long skirt worn in the west. Sometimes a stole is also used with Lehenga Choli dress as an accessory.
Lehenga Choli is considered a casual type of wear and
quite trendy.
Lehenga's are now becoming quite popular with new brides as a form of Indian wedding dress.
In the past brides wore a sari for their wedding ceremony but this has changed for many modern brides who prefer to wear the Lehenga for their memorable day.
Lehenga's made for weddings can cost a large amount of money. I have heard figures of even five lakh Rupees (US$12500) for some custom made Lehenga.
Many ethnic clothing shops in the western countries sell wedding Lehenga's in the price range of a few hundred dollars. The cost of the Lehenga is also depend on the amount of hand work done on the garment and the material used.
Indian Dhoti Dress
The Dhoti is
usually worn by men. Dhotis are however not commonly worn by the younger
generation and is associated more with the past dress traditions in
India.
Dhotis are some what like a sari but there is no overlap over the shoulders. Perhaps not the best description but the photograph on the left should help explain the concept of wearing a Dhoti.
I guess Dhoti's were worn when pants etc were unheard of. Some people still use them and of course some still wear them to make a fashion statement of their own.
A long shirt is worn over a dhoti and is called a Kurta.
Kurtas are also worn with pajamas and this combination is called Kurta Pajama.
Kurta Pajama dress is still quite popular in India.
Due to the hot weather in the summer months Kurta Pajamas are considered
quite comfortable.
The city of Lucknow located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is quite popular for their Kurta Pajamas.
While in the past many Indians used the Kurta Pajama dress as night wear. Today Kurta Pajama dresses are available for casual as well as formal occasions.
Kurta Pajamas also come in a variety of styles. They are made in different colors of different cloth types and prices depend on the material used.
A Kurta Pajama dress can be bought for as low Rupees 200 (US$5) in some places. During my recent visit to Delhi I found that the best prices for Kurta Pajamas are at a store called 'Raunak' in the Karol Bagh market of Delhi. They offer the best prices and there is no bargaining at this store.
Kurta Pajamas are also used by many Indians as night suits because of their loose fit.
While the new trend is for women to wear Lehenga for their wedding. Men are also choosing to stay away from the regular suit and preferring a Sherwani for their wedding ceremony.
Sherwani's are a long coat type dress with a closed collar sometimes referred to as Jodhpur collar.
They are usually worn with a long stole to complement the Sherwani.
During marriages some grooms also prefer to wear a turban instead of using the stole.
WEDDING DRESS FASHIONS IN INDIA
Weddings in India today are a big affair. Some
wedding ceremonies in India last three or four days. Wedding dresses for
Indian weddings can cost thousands of dollars.
Indian grooms today prefer the Sherwani with pajama and kurta. A stole is also used with this dress.
Indian brides favor usually wear the Lehenga Choli dress.
The cost of Sherwani's and Lehenga dresses depends on the material used and the amount of hand work done on the garment.
Some of the handwork on bridal dresses is done with real gold and silver threads. Price of the garment depends on the amount of work and type of material used in making the garment. Labor in cheap in India but the cost of materials is high for many items.
Many Indian citizens living aboard prefer traditional Indian dresses for marriages preformed abroad.
There are several retailers who sell Indian marriage dresses online.
In some of the major cities in North America and
Europe there are ethnic stores that also sell Indian marriage dresses.
PATHANI KURTA
A variation from the traditional 'Kurta' shirt in India.
A Pathani Kurta shown in the photograph worn by Mr. Sunil Bhog of Pune, India.
While owning his own designer boutique Mr. Bhog is also a professional singer.
He was full of praise for the comfort level of wearing Pathani Kurta's especially during the hot summer months.
These Kurta's can be worn with either pants or Salwar style pajamas.
Pathani Kurta's are custom made according to customers measurements and choice of colors.
Cost for material and stitching? a mere Rupees 1500 which turns out to be less than $40.00.