Indian Accessories

Saris have always been a passion for Indian women. It had never lost its charm and attraction over centuries. Fashion may come and go, but saris never change, but only gain modifications with the changing times and trends.

Indian women in the past centuries used to wear only ordinary plain saris with fabrics more or less the same and hardly any designs on them. But today’s sari evolved to various fine fabrics with delicate designs and embroidery works. There are saris embellished with semi-precious stones and embroidery works done with expensive gold and silver threads. Certain costly saris contain even lavish zari work. Saris decorated with various colored beads and simple embroidery works are also available in the market.
The accessories that you need with a sari are a matching blouse or choli and a petticoat. While petticoat is completely hidden by the sari, many parts of the blouse are visible. The blouse could be full-sleeved, half-sleeved, quarter sleeved or even sleeveless. The perfect blouse that goes very well with the modern sari is one that is silky and flowing, embellished with mirror work, embroidery work, semi-precious stones or beads. The blouse also has undergone a series of changes and modifications. Today’s blouse looks exquisitely fabulous and highlights the elegance and beauty of the sari.
Indian women consider sari as the most suitable costume for occasions like marriages, festivals etc. But in recent times women through out the world consider sari as part of a growing trend. Many women wear gorgeous saris while going to parties. You might have seen women celebrities in colorful enchanting saris attending various functions on TV screens and in magazines. Some women, other than Indians, wear sari on a daily basis. You can also see women belonging to other cultures and religions in the world draped in sari. Muslim ladies use saris, but instead of draping it over the shoulder they cover their head with it. An outfit having such a worldwide popularity cannot be considered as a mere piece of cloth.
There is a large variety of saris to adorn the multicultural society of India. The style and texture of the saris are different from east to west and north to south. The latest trendy saris give the wearer a magnetic grace and attraction. You can see femininity in its fullness in the saris. A woman looks modest and coy in a sari when it covers her body from head to toe. But when it is worn with an attractive blouse having the pallu slightly shifted the sari becomes as glamorous as any modern western dress. Sari is an outfit worn by women all over India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. The style of draping of sari might differ from one state to another; this traditional simple cloth of 5.5 meters or 6 yards and at times 9 yards long, has already secured a place in the fashion world.

India offers a wide variety of affordable saris that provide the similar looks and elegance as their counterparts, the expensive ones. They are available in various materials, eye catching designs and vibrant colors. Almost all Indian textile showrooms are flooded with these affordable saris and make a good profit in the sales of these saris.
Brasso saris, in various colors like hot pink, elegant black and blood red are available in different customized designs and patterns. These most sought after saris look very beautiful and attractive and are perfect for summer wear, ideal for daily use and special occasions as well. Crisp printed saris and printed delicate synthetic ones having a mass appeal add elegance and simplicity to a woman’s looks. These printed saris are available in various exotic prints, patterns and shades. Long lasting designer silk saris, another affordable sari, are coming in various patterns or as plain. These saris look fabulous either with a plain body having enchanting patterns on the border or with beautiful and colorful prints and patterns all over the body. Such saris last long since fast colors are used for dying them.
Cotton silk saris are created by blending pure cotton and silk in the right proportion. These saris have a soft touch, at the same time are firm too. The cotton silk saris are sold out in a large variety of prints and patterns and also as plain ones. The traditional cheap-rated handloom saris are woven by hand using hand-spun yarn. The handloom khadi cotton is woven in such a way that the interlacing of threads provides maximum passage of air, causing cooling effect on the body, making it suitable for summer days. Soft and glossy handloom silk saris are also available at slightly higher rates.
Automatic Saris: Traditional sari, worn by Indian women, is a 5–5.5 meters long light material that in draped around the body. But draping the sari is a time consuming art that needs to be mastered in order to justify the elegance of that costume. Especially for a beginner who finds it difficult to drape the sari in the stylish and elegant form, automatic sari offers a perfect solution with its simple ready- to-wear feature. This ready made outfit with its pre-stitched pleats could be worn just like a skirt and the wearer has to drape the loose end over the shoulder, taking approximately 15 minutes to slip into it.
These automatic saris are a boon to those who have no knowledge how to drape it. This category includes foreign ladies or Anglo-Indians settled outside India, employed women who love to wear sari but face time constraints and any woman who has a passion for Indian fashion. The stitching of the sari is so perfect that you cannot distinguish between a normal sari and an automatic one when it is worn. The blouse should be worn separately and most automatic saris require a petticoat. But a few saris, depending on the fabric used, may not need a petticoat.

Special mention should be made on certain Indian saris for their quality, aesthetic looks and decorations.
Baluchari saris: A wonder from West Bengal Baluchari sari is loved by almost all Indian women.

These saris are famous for their alluring designs in silk threads all over the body with the ‘aanchal’ or the flowing end depicting mythological characters or romantic scenes—recapturing moments from the past in an artistic way—and for the enticing contrasting colors.
But to achieve this magic piece several months of hardwork and designing are required. Designer needs five to six months just to design costing $250-375. Two types of silk threads are brought from two different parts of India-Bangalore in the south and West Bengal in the east- for weaving, one vertically and the other horizontally. It needs extra skills and long experience to weave Baluchari saris. This wonderful art is facing extinction for want of proper infrastructure and financial aid.

Kota Saris: The famous Kota Doria saris are made in small villages around the Kota city in the Rajasthan State, India. Kota Doria is a super thin, but stable cotton or cotton silk weave consisting yarn of various thickness. These yarns are woven in such a way that they give a graph like pattern called khats, squares formed by the fibers of different thicknesses. The intermittent thick yarns give the weave sufficient weight and lateral stability, yet the material is unbelievably airy and very transparent. Usually Kota saris are suited to be worn in hot summers.

The saris made of the Kota doria are the finest in India. The fact that they are almost weightless shows how fine the saris are. The spinning, dying and weaving are very complicated works and can be done only by very skilled and experienced hands. They take several days to complete the works. The Kota sari looks exquisite in its perfection. The saris made of Kota doria fabric is very unique with the warp and the weft using a combination of threads forming a superfine chequered pattern where the cotton and silk provide the stability and the shining finish to the fabric respectively. Kota saris are available in other complicated designs in a combination of silk and cotton as well. This art form also is challenged by technically advanced power looms.

Gadwal Saris: Gadwal sari, produced in a small town Gadwal at a distance of 150 km from Hyderabad, is an example of the marvelous textile-craft of Andhra Pradesh in India. This sari clearly exhibits the superfine blending of traditional and modern designing concepts. The main characteristic feature of Godwal sari is that its body is made up of fine cotton with borders and pallu created with pure silk.

An interlocked woof art, locally known as Kupadam, is the traditional technique used to weave these saris. The border of the sari is composed of tusser or mulberry silk and the cotton body has resplendent colors, mostly decorated with silk checks. Sico sari, the latest trend, is a fabulous blend of 50% cotton and 50% silk. The expensive Gadwal pure silk sari is not as popular as the Sico.
The South Indian traditional designs, like peacock, rudraksha etc are woven into the saris. The silk is brought from Bangalore for making the sari and the zari, gold and silver threads used to give the sari an ornate look come from Surat. This magnificent sari attracts not only Indians, but buyers from all over the world.

The Indian saris in Cotton are the most popular and favored for all sections and classes of women. Cotton sari is light-weight and very cool to wear, especially during hot summer. These saris could be worn on festival days and also as daily wear.

You can see office-going women, school and college teachers, lady doctors and home makers wearing cotton saris in various designs and vibrant colors. These saris are ideal for every day purposes and can be easily washed and pressed.
In India cotton grows abundantly. The art of weaving and dying of cotton started in India several years back, about 5000 years ago. Each of the Indian state has its own traditional way of weaving cotton and own special features in cotton fabric. Also each state differs in weaves, texture, printing methods or techniques, embellishments and colors. All the cotton saris are available in different attractive prints, various colors and charming designs. Saris made of pure cotton have a separate wide market during summer seasons.
Some of the popular cotton saris are as follows:
Jamdani cotton saris with traditional patterns come from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Sambalpuri, Bomkai and Vichitrapuri, saris of Orissa, are available in various colors and traditional adornments. Madhya Pradesh produces the fine cotton Chanderi Saris that have a silk warp and cotton weft. Maheswari saris, also from Madhya Pradesh, come in pure cotton or cotton/silk blend with exquisite check patterns. The famous Hyderabadi Venkatagiri fine cotton saris mostly in off-white color are adorned with dull golden motifs. Nander, another Andhra Pradesh cotton sari has extensive golden thread work and silk border. Pochampalli saris, also weaved in Andhra Pradesh, come in Ikat patterns, i.e. the yarn is dyed based on pattern before weaving.
In Tamil Nadu, the centers like Kanjeevaram, Salem, Pudukottai and Madurai produce fine cotton saris with motifs and check patterns and the border and the pallu are decorated with thread or zari work. Besides, Kerala special karalkudi saris, tie and dye saris from Rajasthan and Gujarat, Ikat saris of Karnataka and the Narayanpet saris of Andhra Pradesh are also famous for their quality and workmanship. Then there are handloom khadi cotton saris woven by hand with handspun yarn. Cotton sari collection includes printed cotton saris, saris with embroidery and zari work, traditional and contemporary saris for middle and old-aged women and trendy saris for the young.
Cotton saris are usually very affordable; the variation in the prices depends upon the quality of the cotton materials used and the decorative works done on them. A lady looks elegant, sophisticated, graceful and feminine in cotton saris.

Towards the end of every year the textile shops in India adorn a festive look because the festivals like Diwali, Id and Christmas are celebrated during that time followed by New Year and Harvest festival. You can see a sea of trendy latest arrivals in the showrooms. Indian traditional wear SARI has a tremendous demand during this season and as usual 2007 saw the emergence of colorful saris with innovative designs and motifs.
Semi raw silk sari, a combination of cotton and synthetic material with zari embroidery work draws the attention of many women. Its price, around $13, is an added attraction.
Another latest arrival, Laser chiffon material sari, has fancy coins attached on the border. Slightly above and just like the border the sari has embroidery designs giving the sari a shining look. This type of sari with oil prints all over the body is priced at $48.
Women get thrilled at the sight of a brand new sari, a synthetic plain one having beautiful embroidery work of flowers and leaves. Laces in the shape of flowers and leather in the shape of leaves are stitched into the embroidery giving the sari a unique and enchanting look. These saris costing $70 are available in all colors.
For those who do not like to wear heavy weight silk saris, a new light weight known as Ahimsa Silk Saris have been introduced. In this sari of 80$ silk and 20$ cotton Japanese silk painting is done. So the designs will last longer even if washed with ordinary soap and water. The price starts at $48.
‘Mustrice cotton sari’, another new variety, with border half the size of it also attracts the ladies very much. The major advantage with this type is that it need not be starched and the price is also fairly low at $22.5.
A sizeable crowd is busy in buying a silk-cotton combination with starting price $37.5. The specialty of such sari is that while this is weaved, meenakari embroidery work is added to the border giving the sari a majestic look. Kalyani silk, just like real silk, but having a very low price $11 are semi-silk cotton saris and available in bright contrasting colors.
The new ‘Party Attraction’, in pleasing blue and pink combination, with sequence, kundan and mirror works is so beautiful that the women forget to take their eyes from it. The price is $62.5. ‘Shadow Shaded’ saris in pink, off-white combination, with zari patch and kundan work has a rich look, the price also a bit rich $65.
Designer saris are some of the costlier varieties. A designer sari in blue color with embroidery, georgette border attracts every body. The starting price is $141. Equally attractive is a red designer sari having kundan, beads and embroidery works in the border as well as on all over the body. The sari weighs about 2.5kg and costs $102. Imagine the works like metallic, antique, cut, sequence and stone all in one sari, An exquisite black color with all such works costs $155 and a blue sari termed as ‘Reception Special’ costs $150. The saris with a variety of embroidery works ranging from $12 to $375 are always in great demand.

As the wedding season approaches the textile shops in India compete with each other in the introduction of dazzling wedding saris. These saris are expensive coming in the traditional colors like red, orange, maroon etc with matching blouses and petticoats. These contain no synthetic materials. Here are a few latest arrivals in bridal sari collections.

This bridal wear elegant brocade sari is in beautiful and rare combination and has intricately woven borders. The full body contains designs made up of small motifs. Pallu’s unique design appears like a meenakari style woven in the background with similar borders on its two sides. Price is $ 259.00

A pure georgette bridal sari, in marvelous jacquard maroon, has golden color floral designs, bold eye catching border and a pallu having a bright floral galeecha design. The sari has a rich majestic look. Sari along with matching blouse is priced at $ 215.00.

A bride looks stunning in a very beautiful and rich looking brocade sari that has a golden color pallu having broad borders on both sides with delicate motifs all along. The delicately and intricately woven pallu is enchanting and the blue and golden color combination enhances the look of the bridal sari. The sari with fancy blouse costs $191

Fine crepe brocade sari in dark green makes a bride exquisitely beautiful. The sari has pretty designs all over the body and scalloped borders with intricate designs. Richly created pallu has huge borders with delicate designs and between the borders highly dense floral sequence are arranged. The price of this sari with matching blouse and petticoat is around $278.50.

Yet another latest release is an elegant brocade sari that has thick border on each side with intricate design all along and dots on the background having scalloped type motifs. This sari, in two rare contrasting combinations with a golden touch, has a pallu divided into three sections having bold designs in them and red tassels are attached on it. Sari with blouse is available at $250.

Again here is a superb brocade sari with a brilliant combination of copper and golden colors. The sari has on its each side well- embellished bold borders. Pallu is designed in a unique style called galeecha in which golden dots and golden motifs are arranged alternately allover. Sari together with matching blouse and petticoat costs $270.50

Simplicity is visible in this elegant wedding sari with a green, pinkish maroon and cream combination, the colors being arranged in a very rare manner. Sari has its extreme border on green base with fabulous meenakari work followed by pinkish maroon borders decorated with small motifs and the remaining part of the body is in cream color without any motifs. In the pallu also the green and pinkish maroon combination is done with exquisite motifs. Red tassels on it make it more attractive. Price of sari with blouse and petticoat is $175.
These are only a very few samples from hundreds of dazzling Indian Bridal Saris.

The 5-meter long sari and Indian woman cannot be separated from each other. Every region in India has saris of its own texture and designs and an Indian woman collects most of them to wear on very special occasions like religious festivals, weddings etc. Here is an account of some of the best saris in India.
Banaras Saris: Banaras, a holy town in Uttar Pradesh State is very famous for its wedding silk saris that decorate an Indian bride’s trousseau. These saris have a characteristic embroidery work that shows similarity with Mughal designs like intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, algae and bel. Another special feature is Jhallr, a string of upright leaves on the outer edge of the border. And also Banaras saris are well-known for their heavy gold and silver works. The skilled weavers can change the style of these saris to suit each regional market and also the fast changing trends. The other Banarasi saris such as e Jamvar, Navrangi (nine colors), and Jamdani are also popular.
Chanderi Saris originated in Madhya Pradesh state are light silk or fine cotton saris, very suitable to summer. They often borrow patterns from the Chanderi temples for their embroidery work. These are distinguished with soft colors and the perfect matching of the body and border of the sari. On certain occasions you can these saris in contrasting colors depicting the figures of animal or human on them.

Kanjeewaram Silk Sari: Kanjeevaram, a town in Tamil Nadu State in South India produces the world famous bridal saris that have a tradition of 150 years untouched by any fashion trends. This beautiful silk fabric is made more attractive by weaving gold dipped silver thread into it. Kanjeevaram saris are very expensive since the silk used to weave these are heavy, but are durable. Peacock and parrot are the usual motifs decorating the saris.

Maheswari Saris are available in cotton or silk and the common colors are green and purple. The specialty of this sari is its elaborate patterns and border embellished with exotic motifs done in zari inspired by nature.
Patola Silk Saris are famous for its zari work and elaborate pallus and borders dazzlingly adorned with motifs in warm colors. A handful of master weavers from Patan and Surat make these silks, also famous for its architectural designs, Heer Bharat. The zari has a gentle patina since it is woven in a twill weave. These saris might be decorated with embroidery work using mirrors and beads. Patola saris without zari could be worn on informal occasions.

Some other best Indian saris are Pashmina silk, Kota silk, Mysore crepe, Pochampallis, Puttapakshi, Baluchari, Konrad, and gadwall saris.