Clothes in Kerala

Wonko

I'm sure this must have been asked before but I can't find where.

My Girlfriend and I will be on honeymoon in Kerala in December. However she is extremely worried that her wardrobe may not be suitable. Will she need to coverup all skin. Will her Irish summer wardrobe be very unsuiatable. Vest tops, t-shirts etc. I noticed else where that flip flops are poorly regarded in India. It will be very difficult for her to cover from head to toe in that heat. What would people reccommend.

You must take into account that buying cloths in India will not be an option for her as she is 6 foot tall.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Nick-H

Dress in India has been much discussed on the site!

If you visit Kovalam, you will find it hardly distinguishable from a hot, sunny, European beach! You will see plenty of exposed female flesh.

Away from the beach you should be prepared to be a little conservative. But this is not like visiting a taliban-controlled state! And there is no question of covering everything up.

Many people in India wear flipflops.

Tailoring in India is cheap: it will be easy for your girlfriend to by cloth and get it made.

The sari is the true one-size-fits-all garment, if she facies giving it a go.

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Wonko

for the prompt reply

pundabee

I would definitely recommend covering up from head to toe. I see plenty of tourists in Kerala wearing t-shirts and jeans, and they all have one thing in common: they are struggling. I think a lot of people don't realise that the weather in Kerala's lowlands is tropical, i.e. it is humid. The best way to dress is to wear loose fitting, thin cotton. The loose fit will create a natural airflow between the cotton and the skin thereby limiting the impact of humidity.

As mentioned you can get away with some bare skin in places like Kovalam, but anywhere else exposure of skin is likely to raise an eyebrow.

tasuray

In Kovalam, bikinis are very common.In other places you can use long skirts,loose cotton tops,jeans,capris,sleevless t-shirts etc.Don't think that you are visiting Afganistan.
Happy honeymoon.

federica

She would have to look around a little bit more, but I am almost the same size and never had problems to find clothes in Kerala

Diana

Dressing in cotton salwar kameez and saris suited me best in Kerala (though draping the sari took some time to master!) I was there May - August (heat and monsoon) and almost never wore any of the "lightweight" American clothes I'd brought (skirts and t-shirt type tops) as they don't "breathe" like the traditional clothing and when washed, they took days to dry!

Fabric for a very nice outfit runs between 600-3000 rupees (depending on the fabric, embroidery, and such) and comes already matched (pants-salwar + top-kameez+ scarf-dupatta) so all she'll have to do it take the fabric to one of the many Tailor to get it stitched for about 100 rupees.

Besides, I found that the people there really liked it that I wore "traditional dress." And it's just so much prettier in my perspective. Not to mention, more comfortable.

As for shoes, yup, lots of flip flops (but mostly I saws those indoors). More common are slide-on sandals in all kinds of styles and colors. Low or flat heels for the most part.

Congrats on the wedding and have a blast in Kerala.