Indian Women & Embroidery Touch New Global Heights

Indian Fashion, particularly said, traditional Indian fashion has touched new international heights. Karnataka's kasuti (embroidery), which is used to embellish the Kanjeevaram Sarees and Mysore Silk Sarees, will now be seen on western outfits in the boutiques of Amsterdam and London. Not only India's cherished craft of embroidery has gone global but our women- the rural women of India too have gone global with the help of their art. These western clothing with Indian touch will be designed and tailored by women of Hubli, Karnatake, India.

Maharashtra-based NGO Mann Deshi Foundation (MDF) has joined hands with Holland-based NGO Satara Foundation to popularize the traditional form of embroidery. Not only the foundation conducts training in tailoring and kasuti but it also trains the poor women in making hand-embroidered folders, pouches, saris, jeans, tops and newborn baby suits. Although, the main aim is to empower women, it is taking Indian fashion to the international levels through new roads. This will help the women of low income group in earning a steady income by creating international market for their products.

The Dutch volunteers from the prestigious Amsterdam Fashion Institute are training 15 women on the intricacies of western outfits. These women were earlier trained in tailoring by MDF who plans to set up a production unit in Hubli. The NGO will then export the designer clothing to the Netherlands and London. They will be marketed with the help of NGOs and fashion institutes. Now, this is called fashion with social cause!

Different Drapes of Saree

Saree- the most favorite clothing of Indian women is the most elegant one too. A woman looks attractive and beautiful in a saree. No matter whether a sari is draped in the traditional way or in some regional style, it definitely will lend its unique charm. However, if draped in the wrong way, it can play havoc on one's personality. Those who use saree as their daily wear find it very easy to drape it the right way but the ones who wear saree occasionally have to put in much effort. The style of sari draping depends on one's region or the latest trends. Sometimes it is festivals that dictate the style of saree wearing. For example, one likes to wear a saree in Maharashtrian style during Ganeshotsava while in Bengali or Gujarati style during Navarartri. Learn through step-by-step instructions about how to drape saree in different ways

Red Saree- The Choice of Indian Brides

Red has always remained the symbol of Indian wedding - the color of bridal sarees! Most of the brides from all over India wear red on their wedding day.


Tamil Brides like to wear heavy Kanjeevaram Sarees. The uniqueness of saree is matched by the bridal jewelery that is mostly in gold. The combination of red and golden color makes the south Indian bride more beautiful.

Bengali Bride in red richly worked upon handloom saree, so well portrayed by Aishwarya Rai, is no hidden secret. The distinguishing feature of a bengali bride is the white head crown. The white color of this crown, against all over red, makes the face of bengali bride glow with beauty.
However, not all Indian brides wear red but yes there is always a stint of red color in their attire. For example, Gujarati brides wear the combination of red and white as their bridal dress. But the fever of red has caught the Gujarati bride too. More and more of them are now dressing less traditionally and wearing red or blue or gold. The above portrait of Rani Mukherjee shows the elegant golden yellow Gujarati bridal wear with a combination of red shade.

Indian wedding is not confined to the wedding day only. There are many other rituals that go along with it spanning many days before and after the big day. In all the other associated functions, the Indian bride loves to wear red which is considered the color of 'suhagan' or the married woman. The above green saree in silk with rich brocade work embellished with sequins, stones, resham and zardosi features the red pallu in crepe with sequins and resham embroidery work- true delight of any Indian Bride.

There are many regions where saree is not the bridal dress but the bridal lehengas are worn like in Rajasthan. However, as the Indian women can't leave the temptation of wearing a red saree, the Rajasthani bride fulfills her wish by wearing red or maroon bridal sarees. This maroon Georgette saree is heavily designed with sequins, stones, beads, zari and floral motifs on the border to give the new bride a feel of Red Indian Bridal Sarees.

How to Buy Sarees?

Indian saree is truly a six yards magic. It can amazingly change a woman's personality. This is for the elegance of Indian sarees that they are liked by women all over the world. However, saree is so charming and beautiful only if it is worn in the right way. Apart from the right wearing of saree, the selection of saree according to occasion is very essential. A wrong saree in wrong season can make the wearer irritable and instead of looking attractive, she will make a mess of herself. The length of saree is also very important. Too short or too long and wide saree can make one funny. Therefore, it is very important to know the right techniques of identifying a saree according to one's needs. Read Buying Guide for Indian Saree for selecting the right saree and for that perfect look!

Indian Women Clothing- The Myths!

Indian women clothing has been a fascination for not only Indians but worldwide. However, nowadays, it seems Indian woman is slowly distancing herself from the traditional Indian sarees and other Indian dresses. With due respect to all western and other clothes adopted by the women in India, it seems that she has certain misconceptions about the dresses of her own country. This article brings out the reality behind these fashion myths about Indian clothing.

Myth#1 Saree is so unprofessional!

Reality It is true that it takes a little longer to drape a saree and it also requires more care and maintenance. However, sari can never be said unprofessional. If draped properly, saree brings an unparalleled grace to one's personality. How else can you justify the charm of great personalities like Indira Gandhi, Gayatri Devi and more contemporary Sonia Gandhi? True, they are politicians and need to be seen as true Indian and so they can't shed the traditional Indian clothing! Then how will you justify the business personalities like Chanda Kochhar, the Joint MD of ICICI Bank and Neelam Dhawan, the MD, Microsoft India who are rarely seen in other dresses than saree. And no one can debate over how professional and successful top business executives are they!

Myth#2 Salwar Kameez is not for modern women!

Reality There you see a girl clad in salwar kameez and here you give her the tag 'behen ji'. However, every girl secretly admires the fabulous churidars and patialas worn by their fellow beings. Fashion designers are doing more and more experiments with this fabulous attire of India. Models on ramps flaunt their designer salwar kameez. How could it happen then? If its not for today's woman, why the fashion industry wasting so much of its manpower and money on designing these salwar kameez? And I thought business runs on demand and supply principle and also that today's woman is 100 percent a modern woman.

Myth#3 Wearing skirts is non Indian!

Reality Here people don't accept the salwar kameez and there they say that skirts are against traditional values of India! But look at them carefully, don't you find any resemblance between Indian skirts and lehenga? The long skirts are more like lehengas but with a little lesser diameter. Yes, one more difference- skirt is worn with shirts while lengha is worn with choli and dupatta. Did I hear someone saying stoles with skirts?

Myth#4 If you are slim, you'll look good in any clothing!

Reality This myth prevails all over the world and not only in India. Although being slim provides an advantage of looking good in most of the dresses but if you wear a saree without proper pleets and pallu setting, I swear, you'll not like yourself in the mirror! Wear a blouse which is either too loose or too tight, and you finish off the whole charm of an elegant saree. And just try a badly stitched salwar kameez to see how it coverts you in a hanger with clothes on it instead of a girl with lovely curves! The mantra to look good is ofcourse a good figure and properly stitched and worn dresses, whether Indian or western.

Indian Bridal Wear- Trends 2009!

India is famous for its weddings among other reasons! India's wedding season is about to start which runs from late September till December. However, the market booms quiet before that. People have started buying wedding jewelery and clothing. If you are getting married this season, you ought to know the hottest trends of Indian bridal wear for this year 2009!

Read Indian Bridal Dresses- Trends 2009!

How to Look Slim In Indian Clothing?

Who doesn't want to look slim and gorgeous! If you are very heavy or a slight heavier- its always best to cut off your fat and lose weight but by the time you achieve your goal and be really slim, follow these tips to look slim while wearing the adorable Indian women clothing!

Highlight your body assets: First of all research a little about your body assets and faults too. Look in the mirror, ask your friends, do anything but discover your "pretty area" – everyone has at least one of it. It can be a firm and ample bust, round hips, a small waist, long thin legs or toned arms- anything. When wearing clothes, try to accentuate these parts and camouflage the faults. If you have toned arms, wear a sleeveless blouse with saree. If you have nice legs, don't hesitate in wearing knee length skirt with a basic shirt to draw more attention to the legs. If you have a beautiful slender neck, but a bulky waistline, draw attention to your neck by wearing a blouse with delicate neck line or an eye catching necklace.

Avoid frills, gathers, and broader belts: Top-heavy women should avoid clingy fabrics on the top area like frills in the neckline or shoulders of blouses. Bottom heavy women should avoid salwars with heavy gatherings. Choose raglan sleeves or bell shaped sleeves for larger arms. Churidars or narrow salwars are good alternative to bulky Patiala salwar. Wear slightly loose Indian ladies kurtas. They should not be body fitted and also not clingy but made of slightly stiff material. The kurta should cover the hips well enough. When buying salwar kameez, avoid large patterns, polka dots or horizontal stripes. Vertical stripes, small dots and delicate prints give slimmer look. To give an impression of slim waistline, wear blouses and dresses with a thin belt. Kurtas with empire waist line are also good for heavier ladies.

Choose saree and lehengas carefully: A plain sari with a good border and pallu, without any prints give a slimmer look. Heavy silk or brocade saree give a bulky look. Chiffon, Georgette, and delicately hand embroidered sarees give slender look to the wearer. Accompanying blouses should be well matched with the saree. Blouses should fit properly- not too loose or too tight. A blouse with a knot or back open blouses also give slim look by drawing attention to your back. Always remember to drape the saree properly. When it comes to lehengas, a fishnet lehenga will accentuate your body curves in a great way. Straight or A-line lehengas also bring out the body curves very well. Lehenga with too much gatherings or frills will make you look more fat.

General rules for looking slim: Black is the quick fix color solution for heavily built ladies. If it allows, wear a black blouse with a saree or a black churidar with A-line or tunic style kurta. Blacks are great but sometimes a bit boring. If you feel so, go for monochromatic outfits. Mix textures and shades of a color to keep the look interesting. Other colors like blue marine, prune, brown, dark red and dark green also give slimming effect. Never wear anything shiny or bright over an area that you want to hide. Avoid wearing small sized clothes. Give attention to hairdo and footwear too. Avoid a very fluffy frizzy hair do which adds volume to the upper part of body. In stead, have a high bun or high ponytail. Wear well heeled comfortable footwear, particularly with Indian dresses like saris. Use fashion accessories intelligently. Long earrings and thin long chain around the neck with a pendant gives a slim tall look.

Most importantly, learn to choose clothes that flatter your figure. Don't go for a clothing just because it’s hot and in. Modify it to highlight your good bits and look slim in Indian women clothing!