Fashion in India

The Changing Face of Indian Fashion Industry

Introduction

India is a country with diversified customs and cultures. People following various traditions live here, their way of dressing also differ from each other. The traces of Indians being fashionable can be found out from the ancient remains of Harappa and Mohenjodaro civilizations. After the independence, globalization is being witnessed in the Indian fashion industry, due to which changes have occurred in the style of Indian dressing.Styles of wearing saris and salwar-kameez have changed.

Banarsi Sari Made in Banaras India

The look is more cosmopolitan than region-specific. Different styles of blouses like katori style, halter-neck, back button blouses, high neck blouses, puffed sleeve blouses, etc. have become the hot favorite among women. The average lengths of the blouses have decreased. Saris are draped mostly in traditional back pallo style or gujarati style. Indian fashion scene is greatly influenced by its films. For example Mumtaz style sari draping inspired by yester-year heroine Mumtaz. Here sari is tightly draped around the body.As far as salwar-kameez is concerned numerous styles and patterns can be given to this garment. For instance the kameez can be long, short, A-line, skin tight, etc.

Indian Clothing

What makes the Indian couture so unique is the fact that you will find each and every state of the country having its own distinct traditional clothing for men and women. For instance, the salwaar kameez is the ethnic attire of women in Punjab; the Mekhala Chadar is worn by Assamese women, and so on. However, all types of Indian clothing look very elegant and Indians wear them with a lot of pride. The festivities and other special occasions are the time when you can see maximum Indians donning their ethnic garb, be it sari, kurta pajama or dhoti. A sari is long strip of colorful multi-patterned cloth seductively wrapped around the body, teemed with a blouse! It's the traditional dress for the women folk in India and there are many styles in which you can drape it. The blouse worn with sari is also called the choli or ravika. The salwaar kameez, on the other hand, is the most ubiquitous of all traditional women attires in India. Due to its popularity in the Punjab region, it is sometimes also called the Punjabi suit. The Indian men's traditional attire consists of the kurta and pajama, dhoti, lungi and other dresses. Worn on both formal and informal occasions, kurta and pajama are quite popular dress of Indian men.

The kurta is like a loose long shirt almost reaching the knees, whereas the Pyjama is a lightweight drawstring trouser. The men's dhoti is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth about five yards long, wrapped about the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist. It is known by different names like Laacha in Punjabi, Mundu in Malayalam, Dhuti in Bangla, etc.

This the land of culture and heritage. In India, there are many different casts and religions. Different people have different tastes, and their choices regarding fashion varies. Indian fashion is greatly influenced by its background and cultural heritage. India is well known for its dresses and classy fashion styles all around the world. Indian women wear their traditional dresses, while men can be seen in more conventional western clothing like shirts and trousers.
Indian Salwar Kameez Dresses:Salwar Kameez is a traditional outfit worn both in India and Pakistan. It is the national dress in Pakistan. It is also popular among women in India. The salwar kameez, or salwar suit consists of a kameez (shirt), salwar (trousers) and dopatta (scraf).

Indian wedding dresses:The Indian wedding dress or Bridal dress is given a lot of importance in India. Indian wedding dresses come in different fabrics from cotton to silk, from georgettes to crapes. There is no limit as far as variety in Indian bridal dresses are concerned.

Formal Indian Dresses:Indian formal dresses are quite unique in designs and always have heavy hand embroidery. Formal clothing for an outing is required to be exquisite and complete. Simple material with a simple style can be brought to look expensive.

Lehnga:Indain Lehnga choli, (Langa or Lengha) are available for women of all sizes. Lehnga Cholis have a beautiful history in India. Extremely beautiful and suitable to all female shapes, these Lehnga dresses are often hand decorated in the traditional designs of India.
Saree (Sari):The traditional Indian dress is the Sari which can be worn in many ways. Underneath the sari one wears a Petticoat, a waist to floor length skirt, tied tightly at the waist by a drawstring and a Cholli.

Casual Indian Dresses:Indian casual dresses are available in numerous designs and colors. Salwar Kameez is most commonly used dress in casual wear. Indian casual dresses are made on printed fabrics and fabrics with embroidery work.

Such variations can be done to salwar as well as dupattas. Modern version of kameez is known as kurti, it could be coupled with jeans, pants or churidar. It has taken the form of Indo-western outfit. People in western countries too have started wearing kurtis.Emergence of mall cultureMall culture is slowly and steadily growing in India. Many brands and private labels are launched in the Indian market. The first such retail outlet was Shopper's Stop which launched India's first multi-brand store in the year 1993.

The specialty of such malls is that they offer a wide range of varied branded stuff, all under single roof. Some of the famous malls of India are Pantaloons, Westside, Lifestyle, Globus, etc. These retail outlets have also launched clothing line under private labels, manufactured and sold by them. For example- Pantaloons has many private labels under its brand like All, Fashion station and Mela. Some of the major private labels even operate as exclusive stores. The buyer gets an international shopping experience in such retail outlets. There are no nagging sales persons pressurizing the customers to buy.Family stores are becoming hot favorite shopping hub for the middle-class and upper middle class shoppers. These stores sell garments of nearly all age groups and sexes. Apparels of various brands can be found in family stores. They are being considered as one-stop shopping destination. Roopam, Big Bazaar, Fashion station, V-mart, Maxx, etc are examples of some family stores.