subject: Online Saree Shopping [print this page] A sari or saree is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Burma, and Malaysia. 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.
In India saree is the most common attire, in fact India is known for wonderful attires. There are many popular types and styles of sari in existence in India. Few of them are:
Cotton saree
Silk sari
Bangalore silk saree
Chiffon saris
Crepe silk saris
Printed saris
Embroidered saris
Apart from these very popular sarees we can easily find hundreds of different types of sarees, generally classified based on reason, language and locality within India.
Banarasi saris, Kerala sarees, Bangalore saries, Rajsthani sares are few out of available all. They all have some very unique material and special way of draping.
We can classify sarees based on style of draping. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the stomach. However, the sari can be draped in several different styles, though some styles do require a sari of a particular length or form. The French cultural anthropologist and sari researcher Chantal Boulanger categorized sari drapes in the following families
Tribal styles often secured by tying them firmly across the chest, covering the breasts.
Malayali style - the two-piece sari, or Mundum Neryathum, worn in Kerala. Usually made of unbleached cotton and decorated with gold or colored stripes and/or borders. Also the Set-saree, a sort of mundum neryathum.
Gond sari styles found in many parts of Central India. The cloth is first draped over the left shoulder, then arranged to cover the body.
Kodagu style this drape is confined to ladies hailing from the Kodagu district of Karnataka. In this style, the pleats are created in the rear, instead of the front. The loose end of the sari is draped back-to-front over the right shoulder, and is pinned to the rest of the sari.
Madisaara style this drape is typical of Brahmin ladies from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Dravidian sari drapes worn in Tamil Nadu; many feature a pinkosu, or pleated rosette, at the waist.
Maharashtrian/Kashta; this drape is very similar to that of the male Maharashtrian dhoti. The center of the sari (held lengthwise) is placed at the center back, the ends are brought forward and tied securely, then the two ends are wrapped around the legs. When worn as a sari, an extra-long cloth is used and the ends are then passed up over the shoulders and the upper body. They are primarily worn by Brahmin women of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Gujarati this style differs from the nivi only in the manner that the loose end is handled: in this style, the loose end is draped over the right shoulder rather than the left, and is also draped back-to-front rather than the other way around.
Bengali and Oriya style.
Nivi styles originally worn in Andhra Pradesh; besides the modern nivi, there is also the kaccha nivi, where the pleats are passed through the legs and tucked into the waist at the back. This allows free movement while covering the legs.
