Saris are astoundingly beautiful; and Indian women, no matter their size, look astoundingly beautiful in them. The sari is a single piece of silk measuring 6 1/2 meters long by 3 1/2 meters wide. It is wrapped around the body three times, with the end thrown elegantly over the shoulder. An under garment is worn – a solid-color tight blouse with short sleeves that stops just below the breasts. When the sari becomes a little loose, the woman flashes a little skin around the midriff. This can look incredibly alluring, especially on a slim woman, but plumper women do better to keep themselves covered up.
Sari
Plump women looking mighty fine in their saris
Lately, the salwar kameez has come in to fashion. It is a knee-length tunic with drawstring harem pants underneath. It is always worn with a long scarf that is centered in the front, with both ends evenly draped down the back. The salwar kameez is, to my mind, way more functional than the sari. It is very lovely, but nowhere near as ephemerally beautiful as the sari. The salwar (pants) and the kameez (tunic) never match, but are also very well coordinated. They can be contrasting or complimentary colors
Salwar kameez
You might think that the sari is what you would wear at a party or more formal occasion, and that the salwar kameez is what you would wear every day. This is true for the middle classes, but not so for the lower classes, including the Untouchables. The lower castes and village women wear saris every day of their lives. They work the fields in their saris. They throw pots in their saris. They work construction in their saris. And they even work on road crews in their saris. You would think that doing heavy work in their saris that they would be a) workaday cotton and b) very dirty. Neither is true. It is inexplicable. Their saris are always impeccable. I cannot figure out how they keep them clean, especially as most of the washing is done on stones in the rivers.
Women carrying 50 kilos of rocks on their backs
The upper lower castes and lower middle castes all generally wear salwar kameez, as this form of dress is considered more modern and forward-thinking. At weddings and other formal occasions, though, everybody breaks out the saris. Formal saris are breathtaking — adorned with exquisite bead and sequin work, even semi-precious stones. And one displays three or four gold neclaces at the same time, and many many gold bangles on both arms.
The upper castes wear western clothing, with maybe a kameez over jeans. But they, too, at formal occasions, wear heirloom saris.
I have no idea what the glitterati wear. I want to see a Bollywood awards show to see what the famous actresses are wearing. I imagine, heavily sequined and beaded sleeveless or strapless dresses; but I am most curious to find out. I am sure that when we go back to Meera’s house in Delhi, she will tell me.
