Clothing in India and Indian dresses designs

                          Clothing in India

   Clothing in India varies from region to region depending on the ethnicity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of the people of that region. Historically, men and women's clothing has evolved from simple Langotas and loincloths to cover the body to elaborate costumes not only used in daily wear but also on festive occasions as well as rituals and dance performances. In urban areas, western clothing is common and uniformly worn by people of all strata. India also has a great diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colors and material of clothing. Color codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. For instance, Hindus wear white clothes to indicate mourning while Parsis and Christians wear white to weddings.

History
                    

     India's recorded history of clothing goes back to the 5th millennium BC in the Indus Valley Civilisation where cotton was spun, woven and dyed. Bone needles and wooden spindles have been unearthed in excavations at the site. The cotton industry in ancient India was well developed, and several of the methods survive until today.Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian described Indian cotton as 'a wool exceeding in beauty and goodness that of sheep'. Indian cotton clothing was well adapted to the dry, hot summers of the subcontinent. Most of the present knowledge of ancient Indian clothing comes from rock sculptures and paintings in cave monuments such as Ellora. 

These images show dancers and goddesses wearing what appears to be a dhoti wrap, a predecessor to the modern sari.The upper castes dressed themselves in fine muslin and wore gold ornamentsThe Indus civilisation also knew the process of silk production. Recent analysis of Harappan silk fibres in beads have shown that silk was made by the process of reeling, a process known only to China until the early centuries AD

                              Women's clothing

 

     

In India, women's clothing varies widely and is closely associated with the local culture, religion and climate.

Traditional Indian clothing for women in the north and west are saris or gaghra cholis and (lehengas)^{[citation needed]} while many south Indian women traditionally wear pattu pavadai.^{[citation needed]} Saris made out of silk are considered the most elegant. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is one of India's fashion capitals.

 In many rural parts of India, traditional clothing is worn. Women wear a sari, a long sheet of colorful cloth, draped over a simple or fancy blouse. Little girls wear a pavada. Both are often patterned. Bindi is a part of women's make-up.^{[citation needed]} Indo-western clothing is the fusion of Western and Subcontinental fashion. Churidar, dupatta,Khara Dupatta, gamchha, kurta, mundum neriyathum, sherwani are among other clothes.

The traditional style of clothing in India varies with male or female distinctions. This is still followed in the rural areas, though is changing in the urban areas. Girls before puberty wear a long skirt (called langa/paawada in Andhra) and a short blouse, called a choli, above it.

                                   Saree

A saree or sari is a female garment in the Indian subcontinent. A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length, that is draped over the body in various styles. There are various traditional styles of saree: Sambalpuri Saree from East,Kanchipuram from South, Paithani from West and Banarasi from North among others.

The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder baring the midriff. The sari is usually worn over a petticoat.^]Blouse may be "backless" or of a halter neck style. These are usually more dressy with a lot of embellishments such as mirrors or embroidery and may be worn on special occasions. Women in the armed forces, when wearing a sari uniform, don a half-sleeve shirt tucked in at the waist. Teenage girls wear half-sarees, a three piece set consisting of a langa, a choli and a stole wrapped over it like a saree. Women usually wear full sarees.

Saris are known with different names in different places. In Kerala, white saris with golden border, are known as kavanis and are worn on special occasions. A simple white sari, worn as a daily wear, is called a mundu. Saris are called pudavai in Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka, saris are called kupsas.

                              Ghagra Choli

A Ghagra Choli or a Lehenga Choli is the traditional clothing of women in Rajasthan andGujarat.^{[citation needed]} It is a combination of lehenga, a tight choli and a odhani. A lehenga is a form of long skirt which is pleated. It is usually embroidered or has a thick border at the bottom. A choli is a blouse shell garment, which is cut to fit to the body and has short sleeves and a low neck.

Different styles of ghagra cholis are worn by the women, ranging from a simple cotton lehenga choli as a daily wear, a traditional ghagra with mirrors embellished usually worn during navratri for the garba dance or a fully embroidered lehenga worn during marriage ceremonies by the bride.

Popular among unmarried women other than shalwar kameez are Gagra choli and Langa odhani

Salwar Kameez

The salwar kameez is the traditional wear of women in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir and has become the most popular dress for females. It consists of loose trousers (the salwar) narrow at the ankles, topped by a tunic top (the kameez). It is often misnamed as "Punjabi suit" or simply "shalwar" in the north and "churidaar" in Southern India. Women generally wear a dupatta or odani (Veil) with salwar kameez to cover their head and shoulders. 

It was introduced by the Muslims and originates from theIslamic era or old Iranian culture. It is very common in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is always worn with a scarf called a dupatta, which is used to cover the head and drawn over the bosom. The material for thedupatta usually depends upon that of the suit, and is generally of cotton, georgette, silk, chiffon among others.^{[citation needed]} This dress is worn by almost every teenage girl in lieu of western clothes. The salwar kameez is most common in the northwestern part of India. Many actresses wear the salwar kameez in Bollywood movies.

                          Churidaar Kurta

Churidaar is a version of salwar, which is loose up to knees and then fits the calf below. A salwar is a baggy pyjama with pleats which gets narrow at the ankles whereas churidaar fits below the knees with horizontal gathers near the ankles.Usually a long kurta, which goes below the knees, is worn with the churidaar.

Pattu Pavadai(Tamil) or Langa davani

( Kannada) or Langa Oni (Telugu)

     Pattu Pavadai or Langa davani is a traditional dress in south India, usually worn by teenage and small girls. The pavada is a cone-shaped garment, usually of silk, that hangs down from the waist to the toes. It normally has a golden border at the bottom.

Girls in south India often wear pattu pavadai or Langa davani during traditional functions.

                     Mundum Neriyathum

             Mundum Neriyathum is the oldest remnant of the ancient form of the saree which covered only the lower part of the body, a traditional dress of women in Kerala, South India.  

The basic traditional piece is the mundu or lower garment which is the ancient form of the saree denoted inMalayalam as 'Thuni' (meaning cloth), while the neriyathu forms the upper garment the mundu.

                                                                       ^{Mens Clothing}

^{Men Clothings}  

     For men, traditional clothes are the Sherwani, Lungi, Kurta and Dhoti orPajama.

Dhoti

A dhoti is a six feet long white strip of cotton. This traditional attire is mainly worn by men in villages. It is held in place with the help of a belt, ornamental and embroidered or a flat and simple one, around the waist.  

In south India men wear long, white sarong like sheets of cloth known as Mundu. In north and central Indian languages like Hindi, Marathi and Oriya, these are called dhothi, while in Telugu they are called Pancha ,in Tamil they are called 'veshti ' and in Kannada it is called Panche/Lungi. Over the dhoti, men wear shirts.

                                    Lungi

           

   A Lungi, also known as sarong, is a traditional garment of India. A Mundu is a lungi except that, it is always white. It is either tucked in, over the waist, up to knee-length or is allowed to lay over and reach up to the ankle. It is usually tucked in when the person is working, in fields or workshops, and left open usually as a mark of respect, in worship places or when the person is around dignitaries.

Lungis, generally, are of two types: the open lungi and the stitched lungi. The open lungi is a plain sheet of cotton or silk, whereas, the stitched one has both of its open ends stitched together to form a tube like structure.

Though mostly worn by men, elderly women also prefer lungi to other garments owing to its good aeration. It is mostly popular in south India, though people of Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Somalia also can be seen in lungis, because of the heat and humidity, which create an unpleasant climate for trousers, though trousers have now become common outside the house.

Sherwani

                              A Sherwani is a long coat-boss jacket fastened with buttons. It comes to just below the knees, somewhere high on the calf. The jacket has a Nehru collar, which is a collar that stands up. The Sherwani is worn with tighter fitting pants or trousers calledchuridars. Churidars are trousers that are loose around the hips and thighs, but are tight and gathered around the ankle.


 Sherwani is usually worn during the wedding ceremonies by the groom and is usually cream, light ivory, or gold colored. It may be embroidered with gold or silver. A scarf is sometimes added to the sherwani.

Headgear

                              The Indian turban or the pagri is worn in many regions in the country, incorporating various styles and designs depending on the place. Other types of headgear such as the Taqiyah and Gandhi cap are worn by different communities within the country to signify a common ideology or interest.

                               Dastar 

  

The Dastar is a turban worn by the Sikh community of India. It is a symbol of faith representing values such as valour, honour and spirituality among others. It is worn to protect the Sikh's long, uncut hair, theKesh which is one of the Five Ks of Sikhism. Over the years, the dastar has evolved into different styles pertaining to the various sects of Sikhism such as the Nihang and the Namdhari.

Pheta

Pheta is the Marathi name for turbans worn in the state of Maharashtra. Its usually worn during traditional ceremonies and occasions. It was a mandatory part of clothing in the past and have evolved into various styles in different regions. The main types are the Puneri Pagadi, Kolhapuri and Mawali pheta.

]MYSORE PETA

   Originally worn by the kings of Mysore during formal meeting in durbar and in ceremonial processions during festivals, and meeting with foreign dignitaries, the Mysore peta has come to signify the cultural tradition of the Mysore and Kodagu district.The Mysore University replaced the conventional  mortarboard used in graduation ceremonies with the traditional peta.

Turbans

       Turbans in Rajasthan are called pagari. They are distinctive in style and colour, and indicate the caste, social class and region of the wearer. In the hot and dry regions, turbans are large and loose. The paggar is traditional in Mewar while the safa is to Marwar. The colour of the pagaris have special importance and so does the pagari itself. In the past, saffron stood for valour and chivalry. A white turban stood for mourning. The exchange of a turban meant undying friendship.

Gandhi cap

The Gandhi cap, a white coloured cap made of khadi was popularised by Mahatma Gandhiduring the Indian independence movement. The practice of wearing a Gandhi cap was carried on even after independence and became a symbolic tradition for politicians and social activists. The cap has been worn throughout history in many states such as Gujarat,Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and is still worn by many people without political significance.

Contemporary clothing

Western clothing made its foray into the Indian society during the times of the British Raj. Indian professionals opted to wear western clothing due to its relative comfort or due to regulations set then. By the turn of the 21st century, both western and Indian clothing had intermingled creating a unique style of clothing for the typical urban Indian population. 

Women started wearing more comfortable clothing and exposure to international fashion led to a fusion of western and Indian styles of clothing. Following the economic liberalisation, more jobs opened up, and created a demand for formal wear.

Women's clothing nowadays consist of both formal and casual wear such as gowns, pants, shirts and tops. 

Traditional Indian clothing such as the kurti have been combined with jeans to form part of casual attire. Fashion designers in India have blended several elements of Indian traditional designs into conventional western wear to create a unique style of contemporary Indian fashion. Both skirts and jeans are worn extensively by women in and around urban areas.