How not to wear a sari

Samsara

Last evening I was talking with another Australian woman about what to wear to a party. I said to her I might wear a sari. She got excited and said, I have a sari, I might wear one too. She got it years ago in a holiday in Singapore. Anyway, I was asking her what it was like and I got really startled at her reply.

She had only worn it once and then with the help of someone else who pinned her sari together with safety pins. Also she had chopped her petticoat off to the knee and put elastic in the waist.
I asked her why on earth she did that and she said it was so narrow and constricting, it wasn't a wide and flowing skirt like I thought it would be. I said it was meant to be narrow as the sari has a narrow shape and you can't tie a sari with elastic at the waist. I said there is meant to be a tie at the waist and you tie it at a certain tension so you can tuck the sari in and it won't fall out and you don't use safety pins to drape a sari. She said but wouldn't that be really uncomfortable, having it so tight at the waist? I said, just think of the Victorians, they did it with their corsets but anyway you get used to it.

I think perhaps she didn't get the tie that threads through at the waist band because the sari merchants sell you the petticoat without the tie (I don't know why and I don't know where to get the ties).

Then she said, oh and I got a shawl to match the sari. I said, why on earth would they sell you a shawl with the sari? It must have been the bodice (choli) piece. (Sari merchants, if you want, will sell you an end piece of the sari, like an offcut, which you can then get a tailor to make up into a bodice or choli to match the sari). It turned out it was the bodice piece from her description (same material as the sari) and all along she had thought it was a shawl!

Anyway, her petticoat is now useless to tie a sari so I'll lend her one of mine. I think she was thinking of a Rajasthani skirt when she was thinking what the petticoat should be like.

beach

There is an Indi pop song showing how to wear a sari!!
(The hero helping the frustrated heroin, especially the knot)

wonderwomanusa

You should be able to tear an inch-wide strip off any cloth for a tie for your petticoat, Samsara. In Bhopal, little boys were selling 10-meter pieces of that tie stuff -- it was very cheap.

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Samsara

Thanks for the tip, wwwusua. I have a couple of new petticoats with no ties. It's one of the mysteries of the universe why they don't come with ties. I mean, you're right, any cloth will do but it's not really a good look , is it, to have a mismatching torn piece of tie in a pristine new petticoat. Why, oh why, don't they send petticoats with ties? I emailed my seller about where I could buy ties (I didn't want to be direct and say why the hell don't you sell ties when you sell everything else!) but I mysteriously got no answer...

harshita

These two website describe how to wear a sari pretty

well

http://www.shijucreation.com/wearingasari.htm

http://www.kerala.com/fashion/hwsari.htm

Harshita

guerik

I've never bought a sari petticoat (have only owned a sari for a couple of weeks anyway), but if the same cord that you would use on salwar kamiz pants would work in a petticoat, and you're in an indian market, the thing to ask for is a "nala". You can apparently also buy a little hook to pull it through with.

picklepak

Well I have no idea what any of you ladies are talking about, since I'm a guy. But it is still entertaining to read your musings, especially after an Indian man once had to show me how to tie my simple sarong (me a doofus, I musta had it wrong). Anyway it's always great to see foreigners wearing saris!! Tight on the waist, definitely, but go light on the elastic!

Samsara

That's great you got a sari, guerik. And good on you, picklepak for being interested in women's fashion.

You can also use a big safety pin to push the cord through. It's not really a cord, as the cord is flat, which makes it more comfortable.

There are lots of different ways to tie a sari, depending on the region, tradition, etc.

And nowadays, you can get the automatic sari! This is a sari tailored for you when you order it to just hook. So I think it wraps around once and hooks at the waist and you just throw the remainder over your shoulder. I don't have one, as I like draping my saris. But you can do a google search for automatic sari.

guerik

The thing I like best about a sari is that it really will fit you forever! Unless you somehow become more than 6-feet wide, in which case you probably have other things to worry about.
An automatic sari would take all the fun out

wonderwomanusa

>>you can get the automatic sari! This is a sari tailored for you when you order it to just hook. So I think it wraps around once and hooks at the waist and you just throw the remainder over your shoulder.<<

The dhobi who called at the late and much-missed Mrs. Colaco's used to iron the pleats into the saree, so all I had to do was tuck it in!

tukat

I always relace that string in the pants of a salvar chamiz with elastic to make it more comfortable & practical. i was thinking of doing that to my saree petticoat too, but I almost never wear sarees so didn't bother. My saree strategy is let a sister or mother in law dress me like a doll! The automatic saree sounds intriguing though.

DianeN.

I'm certainly no expert, but if you put elastic in your sari petticoat then perhaps it wouldn't be "tight" enough to hold the sorry inside when it is tucked in. I think the elastic would have too much lee-way.
but I think it is a brilliant idea to do that to the salvar kameez. I think I might do that, myself.
I have a number of saris, but cannot put them on myself--always need someone else to do it for me.

Samsara

Dianne is right, you can't put elastic in a sari petticoat as then it would be way too loose to hold the sari up, you would find it would slip down down down...as the sari weight is quite heavy. You need the firm tension of a firmly tied cord to hold the sari up and drape it properly.

But it's fine to put elastic in the waist of a salwar kameez, as they are just trousers, as long as the elastic is not too loose.

Worn salwar kameezes are great as lounge wear and winter pyjamas. I find them really comfortable for that purpose.

Poonam

It is delightful to read this thread and I must say Samsara you have got your facts right. I first wore a sari at 6yrs of age for my doll's wedding. Ofcourse my mom's saree which had to be doubled to fit me.

jjacquemain

I too have several saris and salwar Kameez but for me it's always a matter of trying to find a reason or place to wear them. I wear them at home quite often and would love to wear them out, however, being a white girl in Cleveland, you kinda stick out.
Samsara's right about the salwar kameez being good for lounge wear.....I always feel like I'm in my P.J.'s when I do wear them out!

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