Suit Your Style With Salwar Suits
June 7, 2008
Salwar kameez or salwar suits the traditional dress worn by both men and women in South Asia, but of course with variations, come in various styles. Worn with or without a stylish long scarf known as dupatta, salwar kameez or salwar suits are comfortable and have become an everyday outfit for most women in India. Salwar suits have even begun to replace the traditional saree in states, such as, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which one thought to be the last bastions of the timeless saree.
A modern version of the very feminine attire of salwar kameez is less of a cover-up than the traditional version. Today, kameezes have plunging necklines, are sewn in diaphanous fabrics, either sleeveless or with cap sleeves. The kameez may be split high up to the waistline with a salwar slung low on the hips. Transparent or semi-transparent kameezes can be worn with camisoles or even a choli underneath for a hip, trendy look.
Salwars can be narrow, wide or styled with many pleats in the Patiala style of stitching salwars. They can be worn with short kameezes to show-of the many pleats or with shirts that are either very long or just knee length. Kameezes can be worn form fitting or loose. Salwars can take on variations of the Jodhpur look, worn with short shorts, a style favoured by the hill women of Kangra and Himachal Pradesh.
Salwar Kameezes or suits have become very popular, and after Jemima Goldsmith married Imran Khan and went to live in Lahore, Diana, Princess of Wales, a close friend of hers visited her. Soon after, Jemima and Diana were photographed wearing the salwar kameez.
And to properly tell the story of the spread of the salwar one needs all those talents. Is it better to see the salwar as a peasant dress, worn by women in the Punjab countryside because it made their work easier, or does one view it as an adaptation of the Islamic gellabah and harem pyjamas? The answer is that not seen as a western dress or immodest, the salwar kameez can be worn to school or college or to work. While, jeans and tops can be worn in cosmopolitan Bangalore, Delhi or Mumbai, but they would be quite unacceptable in the smaller towns and cities. Whereas, the salwar suit is considered to be suitably ‘decent’, allowing far more mobility than the sari even while covering up. One can walk in it, one can bicycle in it, one can even run a 100-metre race in it. So much so, women in south India have come to suit their style with salwar suits.



























