Saree - the 9 meter wonder

According to dear ol' wiki, a sari or saree or shari is a female garment in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff. The sari is usually worn over a petticoat with a blouse known as a choli forming the upper garment.

In the good old days, saris were woven of silk or cotton. The rich could afford finely-woven, diaphanous (like the chiffon net sarees you see around nowadays too :P )silk saris that, according to folklore, could be passed through a finger-ring.

Saris are patterned with checks or stripes woven into the cloth, with block printing using carved wooden blocks and vegetable dyes, or tie-dyeing, known as bhandani work. Ikkat, Zardosii, Resham work, Swarovski crystals and various other forms of embriodery are also used.

I was quire amused to read that some researchers believe that blouses were unknown before the British arrived in India, and that they were introduced to satisfy Victorian ideas of modesty. They must have been so broad-minded! And now - we keep talking about how much Mallika Sherawat exposes…

I even found a video on youtube explaining how to wear a saree:


Saree keeps coming backing in vogue, no matter whatever the fashion / season may be. No shaadi, no trousseau is complete without it. Even today, most of the fashionistas would happily discard their LBD’s for a sexy chiffon sari with, but ofcourse, the lil’est of blouses. After all, nothing can beat a sari in the matter of sheer oomph. It’s the only garment which bares a midriff with such elegance!
No wonder you have our own Kareena’s and Rani’s and Kajol’s and Aish wearing it..it’s the perfect counterpart to the western gown…the dress for red carpet...

So wear your own demure / elegant / sultry wrap next time you want to realllyyy shine, coz, trust me, no matter what your age, size or skin tone, if chosen with care, a saree will never let you down.

Till next time... :)