By India is a land where you find the beauty of unity in diversity. The diverse landscape is unified by the common love for sarees. Sarees are adored by women of every age group. Especially when Indians enjoy any festivity, they choose saree to deck themselves up. Sarees come in great diversity as well. From handblock print to screen print on a wide array of fabrics from handloom to silk and many more. Different festivities call for a different look and similarly, the choice of sarees varies. As we are dawning upon one of the biggest festivals – Durga Puja, Dussehra, and Diwali; we seek sarees that will enhance our look and connect us better to the very idea of the festival.
Choosing a Festive Wear:
Whenever there is a festival, it is important to look your best. So, pick the right sarees to get to the essence of the festival. We witness the diversity of fashion and uniformly choose to make a statement to stand out at each festival. So, how do you choose the right saree for the festival at hand?
- The choice of saree is usually determined by your cultural preference. South Indian women will choose a Kanjivaram Saree to drape themselves, while, women from West Bengal will choose handloom Laal Paar (Red Boarder) sarees with a white or golden base.
- Although women don’t need to choose a saree popular in the geographic area. You choose a saree that best captures your aura, style, body type, and of course comfort. Undoubtedly, during festivals, no matter how gorgeous you want to be, you cannot rule out the comfort.
- The best things about sarees are that they never go out of fashion. There are traditional sarees for a conventional look, but you can always jazz them up to be trendy. Like, hand block print saree is quite a conventional drape. You can make it comfortably casual with a sleeveless solid blouse. You can either accessorize it with a large silver earring or just a heavy neckpiece which will steal the show.
- You need to remember; that A saree is a versatile outfit that can be draped in various ways to suit your style and mood. For a traditional Bengali look, you can drape the saree in a conventional Aatpoure style or a Nivi way depending on your look. Also, your choice of saree may vary depending on the time of the day or night. Different saree draping styles reflect the culture and tradition of different regions of India. For example, the Aatpoure style is a typical Bengali style that involves pleating the saree at the back and bringing the pallu to the front over the right shoulder. The Nivi style is a common style that involves tucking the saree at the waist and draping the pallu over the left shoulder. Both styles have their own charm and elegance.
So, feel free to experiment with your saree look without fear. For it is rightly said that no woman ever looks bad in a saree.
Sarees that go with every festival:
The most common saree that you will find in every Indian household is a handprinted cotton saree. These sarees narrate tales of several generations. It is customary for a saree to pass down from grandmothers and mothers to granddaughters and daughters. The first ever saree a young girl wear is never her own. Her love for saree grows seeing her mother and grandmothers. So, unquestionably there are sarees that you can wear on any occasion or festival.
1. Bishnupur Katan Silk:
It is hard not to find a Bishnupur Katan Silk Saree in a Bengali household. A hand-embroidered Bishnupur Katan Silk saree is everything you need to brighten your look at any festival. You can go traditional with this six-yard or go trendy. From teaming it up with a sleeveless blouse and very minimal jewellery where you highlight the beauty of the saree to wearing it with a three-quarter blouse, a Bindi, and a gajra to complete your look.
2. Laal Paar:
If you’re a Bengali, you must know what a Laal Paar or Red border saree signifies. Every time there is a Puja, you might have seen your mother or grandmother wearing a laal-paar saree, with a red blouse, red Bindi, and Sindoor with a piece of gold jewellery. This very image is nothing less than a goddess. But, does that mean young or unmarried women will not look good in a laal paar? Of course not! For young women, instead of choosing a red blouse, wear a sleeveless contrast blouse or team it up with a contrasting crop top. Tie your hair in a top-tight bun, accessorize yourself with heavy junk jewellery and wear a wedge hill.
3. Mul Cotton:
Mul cotton is pretty popular on every kolkata saree boutique online. This beautiful piece of fabric is easy to drape and sits comfortably on your skin. Mul cotton sarees are widely loved by women as they are easy to carry. You can team them up with no makeup look to rock a busy festive morning look or can pair it up with large silver pieces of jewellery and a trendy blouse to give yourself the desired glamourous look needed on a festival evening when you hang out with gal pals.
Choosing sarees have now become very easy. You not only just pick from your moms and grandmoms but visit various online saree boutiques to get some unique collections catering to the ethnic tastes. Dora by Phoenix is one among the array of online boutiques you can avail of to get your range of preferable sarees. Whether you are looking for a silk, cotton, or georgette saree, or a traditional, contemporary, or fusion drape, you will find it all at Dora by Phoenix. You can also browse through their exclusive collections of designer, bridal, and party wear sarees that will make you stand out from the crowd. So, ladies, it’s time you choose your festive look with the correct drape!
“Exploring the deeper connection between fashion, identity, and self-expression, as discussed in our previous article on ‘Fashion and Identity: Self-Expression Through Style’.