Indian clothes are male and female. Indian national clothes

Most Indians enjoy wearing traditional folk costumes in everyday life, believing that they express their inner world through clothes, and it is a continuation of the owner's personality. The color and style, as well as ornaments and patterns that adorn the clothes, can tell about the nature of the suit's owner, his social status and even the locality where he comes from. Despite the growing influence of Western culture every year, modern Indian clothing retains its originality and ethnic uniqueness.

A bit of history and legends

In poetic Indian legends, the creation of a cloth is likened to the creation of the world. Creator - sutradhara - weaves the universe with the thread of sutra, which is the foundation of the nascent universe.

Studies have shown that Indian national clothing began to form during the time of the Indian civilization, which existed in 2800-1800 years BC. Until the XIV century, the dhoti, which is today's men's clothing, did not have sex, and it was worn by both men and women. This is confirmed by such ancient literary sources as the epic "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana". As the female version of dhoti looked, one can see in the sculptures of goddesses, created by artists of the art school of Gandhara. Somewhat later, a whole-colored sari appeared.

The rules and norms for wearing saris and dhotis, details and elements denoting the sexual and regional ownership of the owner began to appear in the XIV century, and today Indian clothing is clearly divided into male and female.

Men's wardrobe

In modern India, men wear such kinds of traditional clothes:

• Dhoti;
• Lungha;
• Churidaram;
• Pajamis;
• Kurta;
• Sherwani.

Consider in more detail the most common items of men's wardrobe.

Art of drapery dhoti

As already mentioned, the dhoti is one of the most ancient garments. This is a fairly long, about five meters, rectangular strip of whitened or monophonic painted fabric, which Indian men skillfully drape on their hips. In different regions of India, there are different types of drapery, but there is also a common one: tie the dhoti from the middle of the tissue cut, wrapping around the hips of its center and tying it to the knot in the front. The left end of the fabric is laid in folds and wrapped around the left leg, after which lay it behind the waist behind. The right end of the cut is also draped and retracted from the belt in front.

Dhoti is Indian clothing, the length of which shows which caste is its owner. The shortest, specially adapted for the work of dhoti - in the representatives of the lower castes. Men wearing these traditional clothes can be found in India everywhere: in markets and universities, in temples and in stadiums. There are no restrictions on where and who can wear a dhoti. For everyday life, this item of men's wardrobe is made of jute or cotton. Holiday dhoti is made of silk fabric of white or beige color and decorated with a gold border on the edge, embroidered or painted. But dhoti saffron and red flowers can only be worn by sannyasis and brahmacaris - monks.

Men from South India wear a dhoti with a special cloak on their shoulders - angawashtram, and representatives of the northern states with a long shirt - a kurta.

Lungi

In some parts of the country, the most common Indian clothing is men's, like lungha. This is a length of fabric 2 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. There are two options for wearing it: simply tied at the waist, not missing between the legs, or stitched into a cylinder, like a skirt. Lungs can be either monophonic or colored. They are made of cotton, silk, and synthetic fabrics. This is the necessary home clothes for both rural and urban residents.

Such a universal kurt

Traditionally, it is a wide and long shirt without a collar, but with a cut from the front, which can be worn both in official and informal surroundings, in winter and in summer. Today, such Indian clothing exists in a variety of different ways. For summer, silk or cotton cottages will suit, and for winter - from dense fabrics such as wool or mixed khadi (made by hand from silk threads, cotton and wool). Its festive version is decorated with embroidery and jewelry.

Wear a kurt with narrow churrida - trousers, specially cut out longer legs so that the fabric of the legs would form a kind of bracelets on the shins, or with pajamas - wide pants of white cotton fabric.

Holiday Harvests

Modern sherwani is an elongated frock coat, knee-length with a clasp to the collar. They sew it from satin or silk, as a rule, to any celebration or to a wedding and decorate with sequins, mirrors or embroidery. Dress him with narrow pants - churidarians or with trousers.

Women's dresses

Remembering what it is, the clothes of Indian women, the first thing that comes to mind is sari. However, in addition to him, Indian women are also happy to wear traditional salvar kamiz, lenga-choli and anarkali. What is behind these strange oriental names? Let's understand.

"Strip of fabric"

This is how the word "sari" is translated from Sanskrit. Indeed, this cloth is 1.2-1.5 meters wide and 4 to 9 meters long, which is wrapped around the body. In India, there is a beautiful ancient legend about how the sari was first made. According to her, he was created by a weaver-wizard who dreamed of a beautiful woman and represented the glitter of her eyes, gentle touches, smooth silk hair and her laughter. The resulting fabric was so amazing and similar to a woman that the master could not stop and weaved it very much. But fatigue still knocked him down, but he was absolutely happy, as the dream embodied in amazing clothes.

The first information about the prototype of the sari scientists found in written sources, dated 3000 BC. In modern India, it is the most common and popular women's Indian clothing worn with a lower skirt (pavada) and a blouse called ravik or choli. Ways and styles of wearing a sari exist very much, and in each region of this large country it has its own, special. The most common is nivi, when one of the ends (pallas) of the sari turns around twice around the hips, and the second is fixed on the lower skirt and is thrown over the shoulder. Going out into the street, an Indian free sari edge is thrown over her head.

But the material from which the Indian sari clothing is made, as well as in earlier times, depends on the material security and social status of the woman.

Sari can be a variety of colors, with a pattern or monophonic, at any, even the most fastidious taste. But there are a number of colors that Indian women prefer only in special cases. So, getting married, an Indian woman will put on a red or green sari, decorated with gold embroidery. A young mother who has just given birth to a baby will choose a yellow sari and will walk in it for seven days. Traditionally, widows wear white clothes without any ornaments and patterns.

Punjabi or salvar kameez

Another type of traditional clothing of Indian women is salwar kamiz, or, as it is also called Punjabi because of its great popularity in Punjab. This costume originally appeared several centuries ago in the territory of modern Afghanistan, and came to India thanks to the Kabul pathanas.

It consists of two parts: shalwar (salvar) - wide due to a plethora of folds from above and narrowed in the ankle region of trousers - and a long tunic with lateral incisions - kamiz. But these tunics can be combined not only with salvars, they are also worn with trousers, gloved from the hip - sharari, narrow pants churidarians and shalvars in the style patiala, which have a lot of folds on the pants and coquette. Both salvars and kamises are decorated with embroidery, sequins, mirrors or ornament. They complement all these outfits with a juni or dupatte - a long and wide scarf. And if earlier Indian clothes in Moscow, and in other Russian cities met only in theatrical productions, concert performances of dance groups and museums, today one can buy saris or kamees in ethnic and exotic goods stores, which are quite numerous.

Lenga-choli, anarkali and patto-pavadai

The species and variants of Lenga-choli exist a great variety, but all of them consist of a skirt - a lenga and a blouse - choli, which happens both short and long, and cloaks. But anarkali most resembles a strongly flared sundress, but only wear it necessarily with narrowed trousers.

For small Indian women of fashion, there is a special traditional outfit - langa-dawani or patto-pavadai. This dress is made of silk in the form of a cone with a gold stripe stitched at the level of the foot.

Features of style indie

Indian style in clothes is popular all over the world, many famous designers create their collections under the impression of this enchanting eastern country. There are a number of features that distinguish this style from other ethnic and national currents:

1. Color saturation of clothes.
2. Natural lightweight fabrics.
3. The presence of draperies in both men's and women's clothing.
4. Simple and free things of simple cut, such as salvar kameez, tunics, saris and others.
5. Multilayered and multilevel.
6. Rich decoration of things with stones, rhinestones, beads, gold or silver embroidery. The abundance of prints and patterns.
7. Asymmetry - tops, tunics and dresses, holding on one shoulder.
8. A lot of accessories, such as bracelets, necklaces and earrings, chains for decorating the ankles and abdomen.
9. Comfortable shoes, decorated with natural or floral applications and ornaments.

The main thing when creating an outfit in the Indian style is to remember that in all the elements that make up it, the national characteristics peculiar to India should be traced.