How to Drape Indian Sarees

A saree is a traditional article of clothing worn by Indian women.

A saree, or sari, is the traditional garment of women in India. It consists of fabric draped over the body to form a long dress-like garment. Like Western clothing, saris can be elegantly made of colorful and embellished fabric, plain and simple for everyday use, or somewhere in the middle. One of the keys to draping a saree is wearing the traditional Indian undergarments beneath it. These consist of an ankle-length drawstring skirt and a tight undershirt that ends below the bust and has short, capped sleeves.

Instructions

1. Put on the two undergarments: an ankle-length skirt (the drawstring tied tight around the waist) and a tight belly-bearing undershirt.

2. Tuck the plain end of the saree into the waistline of the skirt, beginning on the right and moving all the way around the body to the left. The saree should touch the floor.

3. Beginning at the end of the saree that's tucked into the waistline of the underskirt, make seven to ten pleats in the saree, each about 5 inches in depth. Hold these pleats together between your fingers so that they remain even and straight.

4. Tuck the pleats into the waistline of the saree as you did for the first part of the saree in Step 2. The pleats should be slightly to the left of the belly button and they should all face left.

5. Drape the remaining portion of the saree once again around your waist, beginning on your left side and moving to the right.

6. Don't tuck the saree into the waistline this time; instead, bring it under the right arm and over the left arm and shoulder. The end of this layer of the saree should fall about at your knees.

7. Tuck the loose end of the saree, now above the left shoulder, into the undershirt to hold it firmly in place.

References

• Indian Selections: How to Wear a Sari

Resources

• Sari Safari