The saree is an iconic clothing that has cultural significance and every woman has a right to wear it and represent her country. apart from this it also acts as an elegant and classic piece of clothing that shows feminism as every woman wears it with grace.
This 6-9 yard fabric has a famed past and has become recognizable throughout the world as a unique clothing that represents India.
Wearing this appealing garment and getting it right does take much practice and with time we are sure you will master the skill. If you are a first-timer and not a common wearer of the saree, we have a list of steps to help you along your adventure.
Every aspect of wearing a saree has certain ways that it must be done to get it right, but being prepared for any disasters, and having a backup plan is essential.
Plan ahead
Prior to wearing a saree, you should plan ahead and have all of your items ready and at hand. These include the garments to be worn under the saree, the petticoat, and the saree blouse.
Another thing to keep ready is the safety pins that will be used to hold the saree in place, make sure that you have all sizes of safety pins for all the delicate pinning that needs to be done.
Lastly keep the saree dry cleaned and ready to wear, check the saree well in advance to make sure that there are no loose beads or decorations that will make you look tacky. Have an idea of hairstyles and makeup looks to match with your outfit. Everything should be well planned to avoid a last moment rush.
Saree Blouse
The blouse acts as an attractive feature of the overall look and you can make your outfit look better by going for a designer decorated blouse instead of a simple metallic or colored one. It is a way of showing off decorative skills, but it should not be at the sacrifice of your comfort.
There are other designer blouse templates that consist of cold shoulder design, halter neck design, thin strap designs, so feel free to pick the one you are most comfortable with wearing for a long period of time. It should perfectly match your saree but not steal all the attention.
Petticoat
The petticoat is an important garment that will be worn beneath the saree, to pull this off successfully, the petticoat needs to match the saree color perfectly to not seem like an odd match.
The material should be a cotton one that will make you comfortable and keep you cool if you are wearing the saree for a long function in hot outdoor conditions.
Saree Type
The best part of wearing a saree is that you have several options to choose from, based on color, brand, fabric, or price. For a first time wearer, you should try to buy a saree that is made from a flexible material that will be easy to pleat and wrap around your body snugly and does not require too much maintenance care.
A stiff material will just create more problems and will not be easy to wear so avoid these at any cost. Fabrics that are not stiffy and easy to wear are georgette and silk.
Neat Pleats
Perfecting the pleats is a task that nobody gets right the first time, it is a skill that comes with experience. For starters just try to make sure that the pleats are not larger than 4 inches wide as this may throw off the entire saree look.
In addition to this, the pleats should be made of all the same size. After this, you will have to use a safety pin to make sure that each pleat has been carefully pinned together to avoid it coming loose and causing an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.
Pallu design to impress
The pallu is known to be the most attractive part of the saree and it will be important to make sure that you display this vital element when wearing your saree, this can be done by draping the saree pallu in a different style.
The Gujarati style draping is known to show off the pallu in the best way, by draping it across the front of the blouse. Another way is to let the pallu hanging down from the back. The pallu is known to have several decorations on the surfaces, embroidery, patchwork, stonework, and beadwork, it would be a shame to not show all admirers the craftsmanship that has gone into making this work of art.
Draping Technique
Several draping techniques can be used to make you look more beautiful as well as to show off the stunning saree you are wearing. There are two types of techniques, traditional and modern and the one to select is based upon the event that you will be attending.
A part or lavish wedding requires something stylish and modern while a religious function will be better suited to a traditional method of draping to lay emphasis on our cultural backgrounds. Also, a saree can be draped in such a way to look slimmer or taller, so be aware of such dressing illusions if you are curvy or short.
Shoes matter
Before wearing the saree you should keep in mind which shoes you are going to wear. Wearing them during the draping process will let you know how much fabric to tuck in as it will adjust the length of the bottom fabric.
Having an excess of fabric at the bottom may lead you to trip or the saree getting damaged, dirty, or hooked onto something. The shoe choice should cater to comfort as well as the style requirement.
It does not matter if you don’t get it right on the first try. To get ahead of this you should practice before the actual event and follow all of these tips and tricks to get it done better than the first attempt.
Angelique Chrisafis is the Guardian’s Paris correspondent. She is responsible for churning out quality articles based on her research while keeping an eye on the tech world. She likes technology, gadgets, and food. Works as an individual contributor to the team.
