Would you wear a sari, even if you aren't Indian?

In My Humble Opinion
61

Pfft. I’m right there with you, liirogue – only central Wisconsin, where the religions are beer, deer hunting, and the Packers, and it’s white as white can be around here. I was once joking with a (white, blonde) friend of mine that she and I were about the most “colored” women around. I LIKE standing out!

Gotta shake my head at the fat chicks around here* who dress to accentuate their worst features, because tight jeans and T-shirts are standard “uniform” even if you’ve got a gut and a fat ass and God forbid you should be different. I refuse to conform! I’m a fat chick with a gut and a fat ass too, but they’re under these beautiful, flowing, lightweight fabrics that I love because they cover my figure flaws yet keep me comfy and confident, and I get compliments all the time BECAUSE I wear colorful clothes and jewelry, instead of blending in. Strange to hear me say that – as a teenager I was a social outcast, self-conscious and striving to conform. Now I strive to be different. Rock someone’s world!

*Including my mother, who has had a weight problem all her life and terrible self-esteem to match, but dresses to show off every bulge. And I can’t get her to try anything different. :frowning:

But I digress. My friend Katie has volunteered to get me a sari on her next trip to Bangladesh, and I may just take her up on it! Even if I get one or two from eBay, I think the one that she would find for me would be extra-special . . . :slight_smile:

Oh, hey, a question: How best to store them? Folded on a shelf or in a drawer? Folded in lengths on a hanger?

62

I wouldn’t wear a bindi or a sari. The fabrics are beautiful but in my college town they are a symbol. I don’t want to be part of that and I don’t want to be disrespectful to those who wear them.

63

What are they a symbol of?

64

I think its awesome that so many people are taking an interest in Sari’s. I think they look GREAT on women, no matter what your skin color, tone, etc.

I really covet those Nehru jackets too. I gotta find myself one!

65

I was just surfing through CS and found a recent thread that covers a lot of ground:

Introduce me to the best of Indian film

I’ve added some thoughts at the end of that thread. Come join me there if you want to talk more about Indian film. :slight_smile:

66

For the record, a lot of “Indian” clothing is actually South Asian. People in Pakistan love to wear saris as much as people in India. My paternal grandmother always wore a sari. My wife wore one as recently as last night (and she’d be furious if someone called her Indian, due to irrational Pakistan-India rivalry issues).

So, one need not be an Indian to wear a sari, as most people who wear it do so because they are South Asian.

It is my opinion that everyone looks good in South Asian clothing (which, incidently, I rare wear).

WRS

67

I respect your choices, sleepytimebaby, and I realize that I’m not from your town, but I have to say: it really isn’t disrespectful simply to wear a sari or even a bindi. They are not religious. (Note that there are some forehead decorations that DO have religious significance, but sticker-bindis are not among these. Also, a Muslim may choose not to wear a bindi for religious reasons.)

68

Good point. As do people in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and a few other places, including my house and my cube at work.

69

I’d love to wear one someday, but for a special occasion or maybe a date. My daily routine nearly always includes lots of biking and dusty, dirty work that destroys clothes. I’d rather buy one in person, but the Indian grocers in Berkeley give me enough strange looks when I go to buy ingredients, I can’t imagine walking into the tailors’ and asking them to make me a choli without embarrasment.

I usually need people to help me with the fashion bit too, since for everyday shopping my only clothing requirement is comfort and indestructability. Can anyone give examples of what might look good on a tall, muscular, pasty white redhead?

70

Wow, I’m sold. My question is this…what shoes? For everyday wear of saris and salwar kameez. The latter I see regularly in my hometown but I never paid attention to the shoes.

71

At the library today, I found out that saris are available an hour or so south of here. Maybe I’ll go look. Sonyadora, Berkeley is where I tried to buy one, too. (And I am equally in need of fashion help.) The store people were quite nice to me and didn’t seem too fazed by our pale presence.

72

What is WITH the hamsters powering this board? Don’t they ever eat plain old hamster food? I had this lovely post answering your question, Elemenopy, and I swear I got it to go through this afternoon… grr.

Well. To answer your question, I personally pick shoes for South Asian outfits based on the same criteria I use for other outfits. In Texas that usually means sandals, but I’ve worn all kinds of other shoes with them, including boots. With saris, I do avoid pointy heels, as they tend to get caught in the sari hems.

I’m told that fashionable urban Indian women drape their saris so that the hem is as close to the floor as possible without actually touching it, so their shoes aren’t even showing a lot of the time. Letting the tops of your shoes show when you’re standing up would be kind of “high-waters” geeky, I gather. (In other places, apparently women drape hems higher – I think I read that about Malaysia, but I could be completely off.)

I’ve seen South Asian women in Texas wearing saris with everything from ratty old tenny-runners to loafers to Tevas to flats to fancy stuff like you’d wear with a prom dress, and I gather that’s the range you’d see in South Asia, too. I think fashionable young urban Indian women wear whatever’s most fashionable at the moment – there are a lot of retailers showing models in those ridiculously high, clunky platform shoes that were so popular in the States a couple of years ago.

Traditional, rural South Asian women probably most often wear locally-made leather thong sandals and slippers (though I understand that what we call “flip-flops” are increasingly common). You can get those handmade leather shoes in the States, but they are usually pretty expensive, and they aren’t nearly as comfortable as what I’m used to – no insole at all, no padding of any kind, not especially anatomically precise fitting. And I’ve never actually seen a South Asian woman wear them here!

But if you want to find some, I think the names for shoes in South Asia include “jhuti” (also spelled juti, jooti, etc), “khussa” (kussa, etc.) and chapal. Anyone out there able to correct me or add to that list?

73

That makes sense (treating it as a skirt). D’oh!

I feel like an idiot, but I’m not entirely sure what a petticoat is! Is it similar to salwar pants?

74

Thanks, Emily! I had wondered if I never noticed the shoes, because the garments were so long. I figured sandals for sari, and loafers or dress flats for the other, but I don’t have much of a fashion instinct.

plain_jane, I’m betting a petticoat is a sort of long dress slip/underskirt, just as Western countries use the term. Or used to do, at any rate.

75

Oh, fun. I teach TESOL and TEFL (English language to adults) and my students are taking me into the Southall district of London to buy Salwar Kameezs and some saree fabric. Yaya. I’m bouncy excited. Every day of my life, I walk around, teh only woman not wearing one or the other.

76

I think saris are beautiful. The only time I’ve ever worn a sari was to a fancy dress party many years ago and I remember it being comfortable to wear.

77

I have really enjoyed browsing this thread and especially following the links that Emilyforce provided–thanks!

For several years post-college, I was a member of Sikh Dharma (mostly westerners who follow the Sikh religion, though as interpreted by Yogi Bhajan- see: http://www.3ho.org for more info on Sikh Dharma if you’re interested). As part of the faith, I wore semi-traditional Punjabi clothing–kurta and churridars, usually. As well as turban and chuni. I always found the clothing to be very comfortable, although I think I would have liked the Kameeze more. I would often see many Indian Sikh women wearing the kameeze, which are the pajama-pants, rather than the more fitted churridars. I never wore a saree, though I saw many and always thought they were most attractive.

Funny how Emilyforce really hit the nail on the head about Americans being “hung up” on showing the midriff! That was the only thing about the sari that I was squeamish about–baring a bulging midriff! LOL

Anyways, that’s my story; I love going to the Indian stores and now will maybe take a second look at the sari racks. The links to the clothing sites were fantastic, thanks again. :slight_smile:

78

Dear Ms Porpentine, you will not look ridiculous. Evidence - that’s a blonde friend and my [erstwhile] blonde wife wearing a sari each. Don’t you think they look fantastic? I do.

79

It depends on how often you wear them, what kind of fabric they are, and what’s convenient for you. You don’t want to leave fine silk in the same folds for more than about six months, or the creases may set and stay set. Cotton and synthetics will take more abuse. I actually leave most of my synthetics in a pile on the bottom of the closet floor… but then, I am a giant slob. YMMV.

80

Yep, you got it, Elemenopy; a petticoat is a full length A-line underskirt, usually plain cotton but sometimes synthetic. It’s different from a Western petticoat in that it is not designed to add fullness. It has a drawstring waist and is often mass-produced as a one-size-fits-all item (though the one size really only fits up to about a US size 14 or 16). It’s a “foundation garment” in a literal sense, as it’s tough to wrap a sari without one. It’s usually color-matched to the sari as closely as possible.

I have used long skirts as a substitute, particularly those silk “broomstick” skirts.