What to Wear in India..Helpful Hints for Women

Hi! I've found, when travelling in 40+ degrees, that wearing a long-sleeved shirt or tunic can be more comfortable than a t-shirt or tank top. Especially if it's humid or higher elevation. In Tibet I had 2nd degree burns after an hour in the sun, even though I'm olive skinned. So covering up, in addition to sunscreen, might be good when it's hot. Just make sure it's in a gauzy cotton fabric for comfort.

Here it has been 40 or over for most of the past two months. I'm not saying you should not have worn shorts and t-shirts --- but you might not have enjoyed the attention

ok, ok Dazh and Nick
long sleeves and long trousers and a scarf to cover my silver hair.

Ivana,

as you may know, Indian (traditional) fabrics may be far better suited to the climate.

If you thought a Western cotton T-shirt is the breeziest there is, think again. I went in traditional Indian styles instead, and sent all that stuff home. (Or leave behind or give away or whatever, it will find its rightful owner.)

Machadinha, go sleep

I know that Indian fabrics are good

Hi, what type of western/indian clothing would be best suited for 2 weeks in Jodhpur in July followed by Jaipur & Delhi? Also what are the temperatures likely to be, and the weather in general? If I am 5'11" and female, will I have to get clothes tailored? Thank you.

On the weather as such, see also http://www.indiamike.com/india-image...size=_original and India climate chart for a general idea.

What to wear between Jodhpur-Jaipur-Delhi I don't think would matter a great deal.

You can get Indian-city weather forecasts for at least a month from websites like accuweather ---and even the BBC. The actual numbers may not be as accurate as British forecasts, but at least they will give you and idea of whether you will freezing, cooking or swimming

It will be hot in Jodhpur till the end of July....As long as you are not wearing something very revealing then i guess you don't need to tailor your cloths...Skirts, Trousers, Jeans, Tops, Shirts etc anything will work...However, do keep in mind that it will not be cold here so you might want to pack light stuff like tank tops or something...

Ab!

Thank you! I am so excited, I leave for Delhi a week on Friday!

A (not so) short general reply on the question of What to Wear in India from a girl that has been here for 3 months now, because I also had this question when I left for India:

I've been living in Pune, so I can only talk about a city & business environment. At the office there is a business casual dress-code, which didn't mean that I had to dress in Indian clothes but Western office wear was just as acceptable. (Although I got the best reactions when I was wearing a pretty salwar kameez and I'm still gathering courage to wear my sari to the office on my last day ;-p). Correct length of the skirt does seem to be important, because when a friend of mine was wearing dresses that were considered too short this resulted in emails to the HR-lady and a formal warning to my friend.

In my weekends I used to go into the city, both to areas where you will see a lot of foreigners (Koregaon Park and big malls like Phoenix) and areas where they were very surprised to see people with a white skin ;-).

I only brought long skirts (at least over the knee), long pants and mainly shirts and blouses with (short) sleeves with me. This works anywhere and even in shopping streets or cultural sights where there are only Indians walking around I was quite sure they weren't staring because of my clothes (they did because of my skin and hair color, but I can't really help that ;-p). I did notice that a lot of foreigners that are in Pune will wear shorts if they are out in the weekends, which is not an issue if you stick to certain areas or if you are a big guy/with a group/have a car.

In rickshaws I do find it annoying if people can see my skin, because as soon as they see my white arms there will be a group of children around the rickshaw asking for food and money. (Ignoring them doesn't always work and I've already been cursed, slapped and spat on, but that's a different story.) Therefore I have the habit to always wrap myself in a dupatta when traveling (alone) by rickshaw, especially in the evening, which my Indian friends consider to be very funny (asking me if I'm cold ;-p).

I consider covering up the safest way to go, but I must say that when I was going out to some clubs (like KUE bar at the Westin and Miami at the Merriott) the Indian girls will be barely dressed. Very short, tight dresses and high heels seem to be normal for upper class Indian girls. However, when I was wearing a shorter dress myself I did get a lot of (unwanted) attention (from businessmen that thought I would go up to their room for 1 drink ;-p) and I was happy that I was with a group and not alone.


Well, that's just my 2 cents about what to wear in India (with a side-note that I did try to adjust as much as possible. An American friend is often wearing tight spaghetti-tops (while she has a lot to look at ;-p) and she feels completely comfortable in it, so I guess it mainly depends on yourself ;-p.)

Not sure if this post will help anybody, but I think it is good to make a distinction about what to wear between traveling through India or spending time in a city for business.

(I will be leaving next week and I'm already sad to leave :-(.)

Ximenia,

Wow, that's a pretty long advice but i am glad to see your views and which is quite accurate if i may say. It's a shame that you couldn't attend Pune Meetup last week and I am glad that you liked your visit to India... (Atleast I assume so based on your response)

Hope you have a nice last week and enjoy your time around here and hopefully you will come again to India

Ab!

It really depends from place to place. India is such a big country, that you have such vast cultural and social differences from state to state. Forget Foreigners visiting India, even Indian girls like me dress up according to the place and occasion. In a city like Mumbai, you can wear shorts, tank tops, skirts or any western or Indian clothes, and at the most you'll attract a few glance, but most of them will not be offensive. But You cant wear the same shorts or skirts if you are travelling in the suburban parts of Mumbai.
Similarly, when I visit Rajasthan, which is culturally little less modernised than Mumbai, I only wear jeans and not very tight tops with sleeves or India Salwar Kameez.

You also need to be very cautious about your dress when travelling in long distance and local trains in Mumbai. Avoid too much skin show and keep it casual.

Have a good time

Jodhpur is a great place to get clothing made; tailoring there is very inexpensive and there's some beautiful fabric.

As we've discussed in this and other threads, long loose shirts and long pants are the best. They will keep the sun and the bugs off you, and are modest so you won't get stared at or drooled upon.

I am going to be in India for two months from February 5, 2013 and need to have some tailoring done. Upon arrival in Delhi I will go immediately to Mandawa fro two nights and then do the traditional route for the next three weeks. My question is: Does anyone know if Mandawa is good for buying fabric and getting a good tailor? The next stops are Bikaner, Jodphur, Udaipur, but Pushkar will be for two nights. Is it even feasible to think of getting some long, thigh length, tunics made.
Thanks for any information.