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Step 1
Two essential
pieces of garments, that go along with the Sari, need to be chosen
carefully to compliment the Sari. These are:
-
A
petticoat
- which is a waist-to-floor garment, tied tightly at the waist by a
drawstring.
The petticoat color should match the base sari color as closely as
possible. No part of
the petticoat, of course, is visible outside the Sari, after having
worn it.
- A
blouse
- which needs to be tight-fitting and whose color needs to be chosen
keeping
the look of the sari in mind, can be short sleeved or sleeveless,
with a variety of neck-
lines. The blouse ends just below the bust.
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Step 2
Start wearing
the sari by tucking its plain/upper end into the petticoat, at a
position which is
a little bit to the right of the navel. Make sure that the lower end of
the sari should touch the
floor, and that the whole length of the sari comes on the left-hand
side. Now wrap the sari
around yourself once, with the sari now coming back in the front, on
your right side.
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Step 3
Make about 5
to 7 pleats of equal width of 5 inches, starting at the tucked-in end.
Gather the
pleats together, neatly, ensuring that the lower edge of the pleats are
even and just off the
ground and that the pleats fall straight and evenly. A safety pin may be
used to stop the pleats
from scattering.
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Step 4
Neatly tuck
the pleats into the petticoat, at the waist, slightly to the left of the
navel, in such
a manner that they open to your left.
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Step 5
Drape the
remaining fabric around yourself once more left to right, and bring it
round your
hips to the front, holding the top edge of the sari.
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Step 6
Slightly raise
the remaining portion of the Sari on your back, bringing it up under the
right
arm and over the left shoulder so that the end of the Sari falls to
about the level of your knees.
The end
portion thus draped, from the left shoulder onwards, is called the
Pallav or the Pallu,
and can be prevented from slipping off tte shoulder, by fastening it at
the shoulder to the blouse
with a small safety pin.
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Other Indian Ways of Wearing a
Sari (Saree)
Different regions of India have
their own distinct forms of draping a Sari. Some of these are outlined
below:
- Gujarati
version: This
version of draping, ccommonly known as the seedha pallu way,
is also found in
parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. Instead
of opening to the left, the pleats
are tucked so that they open to the right. Then, the pallu is taken
to the back and brought over the right shoulder. It is then spread
across the chest, and the left edge is tucked in the petticoat at
the back.
- Maharashtra
version: Instead
of the usual five-and-a-half meters, the sari in this version
measures eight meters. One portion of the sari is drawn up between
the legs and tucked in behind at the waist, while
another portion is draped as a pallu over the bosom. Thus it forms a
kind of divided sari, allowing
greater freedom of movement.
- Tamilian
way: Like the
Maharashtra version, the sare in this version, too, measures eight
meters. After wrapping around the waist, the pleats are positioned
along the left leg. The rest of the sari is taken over
the left shoulder, wrapped once again round the waist and tucked on
the left side.
- Bengali
version: The sari is worn
pleatless; it is wrapped around the waist, brought back to the right
side
and the pallu is thrown over the left shoulder. The pallu is then
brought up under the right arm and once again cast over the left
shoulder.
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