Indian Saris

The sari represents the Indian female garment. It can be found in all shapes and sizes, from textured hand-woven fabrics created in remote mountain areas to sheer luxurious silks. The sari has evolved from an elaborate physical, historical and cultural environment that varies between regions and communities.

 

• The Sari is a length of cloth measuring from about 13 to 26 feet by about 4 feet, which is draped around the entire body. Length and width vary between regions. Most of this fabric is pleated at the waist and then wound round the skirt or pair of trousers, with the remaining few yards swept across the upper half of the body, covering at least one shoulder and sometimes veiling the head.

• High quality saris are made of costly fabric such as dense silk or fine cotton muslin either by powerlooms or by hand. A woman's ethnicity and class (caste) background usually influence her choice of fabrics, color and pattern.

• The sari design is separated into three classifications: the longitudinal borders, the endpiece, and the field. Each has its own degree of embellishment according to regional rules, draping, and occasion.

Cultural Background

• Varying regional, ethnic, and tribal communities all have their own sari styles and draping methods. Most saris today are ties in place with a string, but in the past the upper border of the first 3 feet of the sari was usually knotted firmly around the waist that the folds of cloth that formed the skirt (or trousers) would be tucked in to.

• There are six major types of saris:
  
  1. Northern - Have skirt pleats in front and the free end drapes around the back and over the front so it covers the wearer's breasts. There are many modifications such as the Gujarati, Bihari, and Orissan versions.
  
  2. Deccan - Uses 15 to 18 feet of cloth draped to make a skirt with pleats in the front while the rest is drawn from the right hip across the breasts and left shoulder to hang down the back. Includes the nivi versions.
  
  3. Dravidian - |The skirt's pleats are usually constructed before the sari is wrapped around the body and are fixed against the hip on the inside so that they are covered by at least one wrap of cloth. The endpiece normally hangs over the front of the body and shoulder and if often tied snuggly around the torso.
  
  4. Knotted at shoulder - Forms a particular group of drapes and uses much less materialthan compared to other styles.
  
  5. Two-piece draping - Consists of two almost identical lengths of cloth, which look like a full-body Dravidian sari when draped.
  
  6. Odhnis - Also called half-saris. Found mainly in the west.
  

Quelle: http://amid.wsu.edu/research/amt317/Culture.html