Latest Saree-Sari Fashion & Trends in India
Shalwar kameez (trousers with a ship overblouse) are becoming more and more Popular among women and are worn for business and pleasure outings. In some parts of the country wide skirts with a blouse and veil are worn.
Women also wear many Kum Kum (also known as tikka and bindi). DOT worn this round in the middle of the forehead slightly above the eyebrows was once a sign of Marriage. Today it is worn by married as well as unmarried women. Though red and black dots are the most common, Kum Kum comes in all sorts of colors and designs
If your school Indian students enrolled HAD IT might be possible to borrow a SARI, kurta or other garments which can be used in the demonstration. Kum Kum is readily available in Indian markets and can be purchased inexpensively
Of all the arts that have flourished in India, draping cloth to dress the body is the most unique, yet the least studied, cultural treasure. It is also an ephemeral art - as soon as a woman's sari or a man's dhoti is taken off , the particular style in which it encircled the body is lost, and the garment reverts to its flat rectangular form. If a particular style of draping becomes and remains unfashionable until all its wearers have died, the artistry of that style is permanently lost.
Draped garments have been worn in the Indian subcontinent from early civilizations to the present day. Over the centuries they have undergone innumerable fashion transformations. Many of the styles in which Indian women today drape their saris were developed in the 19th century under colonialism, when drapes were most numerous and indicative of caste.
During the 20th century, a large proportion of Indian men have begun wearing cut and sewn garments, in either Indian or European-influenced styles. In contrast, the larger proportion of Indian women wear draped garments, with the addition of cut and sewn blouses and petticoats. The style of draping saris has continued to change as women adopt regional styles or the national Nivi "Modern" sari, while giving up caste-specific or local styles.
