Here’s a link to some Indian shoes – and another word for them: mojaris.
Now I’m curious - how does a pregnant woman drape her sari? The fitting of the petticoat looks somewhat dependent on having a waist, and the sari tucks into that to start. Does the petticoat go above or below the “bulge”? Do you need to get “maternity” petticoats?
Good question! I’ve only seen a pregnant woman wearing a sari in pictures I do know that if you tried to wrap the waist section below the bulge, it would most likely fall off – I’m pretty sure above is standard. And I think you could probably make do with regular petticoats until well into the pregnancy because of the adjustable drawstring.
See also
“Draped Clothes for Pregnancy and Beyond” (scroll down; it’s the third article) in an Institute for Draped Clothes newsletter. Do not scroll to the bottom of that page if the idea of thse godawful twins, Mary Kate and Ashley, wearing saris on the cover of their – now dead, I fervently hope – teenybopper magazine, with text inside saying things like “Why do women still wear saris: because India hasn’t changed its social and religious culture for 4000 years” would piss you off.
oooh…jjimm is right, they look great. The pink sari is especially nice.
Maybe I will make my mom go sari shopping with me when I visit her. She’s always drooled over the fabrics when she meets a woman wearing one, but I bet she’s never considered the possibility of wearing one herself. Plus, she might be willing to buy me one out of relief that I’m interested in any kind of “feminine” clothing instead of grease stained jeans and grubby t-shirts. 
My mommy and I are going to go look at some salwar kameezes I think. One question though… could someone provide the correct pronunciation of salwar kameez and sari? I don’t want to waltz in there and look like a complete idiot!
Weeeellll… this is a toughie. I usually sort of mumble “salwar kameez” when I say it, because my boss, who used to have an Indian girlfriend, swears she pronounced it “sah-VAR kah-may”. I think he’s high. I think most people say it “SAHL-wahr” (or “SAHL-vahr”, or possibly “SAH-vahr”) “kuh-MEEZ” , but with less difference in emphasis on the syllables than you’d expect in English. I do believe it varies by region.
And I’m very sure “sari” is pronounced “sahr-ee”, very close to “sorry” (unless you’re a bleedin’ Canadian and say “SORE-ey”!).
But I do almost my work related to South Asian clothes online.
Please – any South Asian out there who can help us out with pronouncing “salwar kameez”?
Indian checking in…
emily, you got the pronunciation pretty bang on… and not as your friend has suggested…the “L” sound is definitely pronounced in salwar kameez.
I also think that an Indian woman’s help is pretty important when going shopping for saris. She could help you navigate through the myriad types of saris from the heavy silks of Kanjeevaram, the delicate prints of ikat etc. There are literally thousands of varieties of saris based on the fabric (cotton, silk, blends), adornments (gold threads, tassels), the prints and techniques for printing, dominant colors, styles. Usually saris are named for the region they come from.
Of course the saris you can find in the US are limited to the Indian dominated areas and stores and some online. But no Indian woman I know will EVER buy her sari online…her normal experience if buying a sari is sooo different.
I always felt that the salesmen in the sari shops in India are a really special breed. They are the very epitome of patience and enthusiasm. All you have to do is express a passing interest on a sari stacked on a shelf and …whoooosh they pcik up the sari and with an expansive gesture unfold all six yards and dispaly it with a flourish. And they will do this all evening for you and will not flinch even as you walk away without buying anything. (not that I have seen THAT happen very often…women are seduced to buying at least one)
I’m not South Asian, but I’d say you have it right. There are some variations in pronunciation (i.e., you might also hear someone say “SHAHL-wahr”), but that’s a function of regional dialects and nothing to worry about. Everyone will know what you mean if you say “SAHL-wahr kuh-MEEZ” and “SAH-ree.” 
Oops, I see ashtayk has already taken care of pronunciations!
Oh that is so true… I was with a friend in a sari shop in Delhi, as he wanted to buy some for his wife and sister-in-law before we came home. I think the salesman must have pulled close to 100 saris off the shelf for my friend to look at, one more beautiful than the next. It took my friend well over an hour to finally pick out four saris, but I got the impression we could have sat there all afternoon if we wanted. I’m really sorry I didn’t buy anything for myself while I was at it.
Phew! Thank you. I am genuinely relived I haven’t been going around embarrassing myself.
Hmmn… “Hey, Mister Boss-man! Seems I DID know what I was talking about…”
…Uh, well, maybe I won’t have that particular conversation just yet.
I mostly agree, but I also think that if you’re trying a sari for the first time, it might be nice to just get the one that appeals to you the most on sight, and then find out more about it later. So you aren’t completely overwhelmed with information right at first.
Plus, there’s an amazing amount of information available online about the types and their names. And some fantastic books. For instance, I am mostly self-educated, but I do know that ikat actually isn’t a print 
(though you can imitate an ikat with a printed design) but rather a pattern created by first dyeing and then weaving threads, which is mindboggling! :eek:
And of course it’s only the very lucky ones among us actually who get to buy their saris in India. Yes, I am pouting; why do you ask?
{sigh} One of the many, many reasons I’m sad I haven’t been able to visit India yet. But then, if I buy too many more saris, I will also have to buy a new house to store them in, and this I cannot afford.
I’m embarrassed to say I wasn’t sure if petticoats are pants or skirts.
Anyway, you say you have used silk broomstick skirts as a substitute… would cotton do, since the petticoats are usually cotton?
Also, if I buy a sari with “choli attached”, will it be obvious which part of the fabric is meant to be turned into a top? Is this something I could take to a Western seamstress without fear that they’ll cut the wrong part? (I live in a small town, and I bet I won’t find someone who’s made a choli from sari fabric before.)
Thanks for being so informative, btw.
I have been following this thread, and I must say that Emilyforce looks wonderful in her wedding pictures.
I am married to an Indian woman, and I myself lived in India for several years. I just though I would add a few facts/opinions (see if you can tell which are which!)
First, in more traditional days, and still in the villages, the saree was worn by women every day. Now, however, women under 35 in the big cities of India very seldom wear sarees, except for occasions and perhaps for work, if they have a very formal-type job. My wife wears them rarely, so seldom in fact, that she needs to call her mother for instructions each time she does. My mother-in-law, however, still wears them every day. The saree has been displaced both by western clothes, and by traditionally-north Indian suits like the salwaar kameez.
On the shoes, juttis and chappals are common, but I had never heard of mojaris! another one is the kolapuri (I have never actually tried to spell these in english before… they look strange). One style that has become really common among stylish girls in Switzerland where we live now is the rubber flip-flop. In India it is called the hawai chappal (literally ‘air slipper’), and these are worn only in the bathroom! If only they knew…
Lastly, I think white women can look very nice in Indian clothes, but carriage is just as important. I made a game of trying to guess which women in Delhi were Indian, and which were Indian-Americans dressed in Indian clothes. It wasn’t hard at all. Sometimes it was obvious, double-strapping backpacks over a salwaar kameez, wearing sneakers (a no-no if you ask me), etc. However, the biggest thing was just how they carry themselves. Nothing against them, but I can usually tell a woman of US or UK nationality because they tend to ‘bounce’ as they walk, to lean a bit forward, and generally to confront anything in front of them. Indian women tend to stand up a bit straighter, take smaller steps, and generally ‘wiggle’ less! I difference in culture primarily…
Absolutely. Any skirt that’s at least ankle length will do. If the skirt has an elastic waistband, you’ll need to tie a knot in the sari waist, though. And to avoid setting off the South Asian Fashion Police Alarm, the skirt should not be full or poofy at all. That’s why I like broomstick-type skirts, as they cling to your legs without being restrictive.
Some attached blouse pieces are obvious and some are not. I have one that had a little printed scissors icon at the point where you were supposed to cut. They often come with a sticker stuck on at the cutoff point. Others simply continue the overall pattern, and the only indication that there’s a blouse piece attached is that the fabric is a whole 6.5 yards long.
I would do the cutting off myself rather than trust the seamstress to guess wrong and ruin the sari for you. I have never had a US seamstress make a choli for me… I don’t know if I’d trust one to do it right. I’ve heard that they often get it wrong and charge an arm and a leg, but I don’t have any specifics on that. This is part of why I love online sari sellers like Indian Exotica – I sent them my measurements and they made me a PERFECT choli for an $8 fee.
The key thing is to figure out is which part is the pallav (the extra-fancy part that ends up hanging over your shoulder, on display). You don’t want to cut that part off. In most saris this is really obvious.
If you buy a sari and are not sure, once you get it home, which part is the blouse piece, I would be happy to help you figure it out.
I’m hoping this is a typo; longer than ankle length doesn’t seem very convenient . . . 
Heh! Sorry. Not a type so much as muddy thinking.
Why isn’t there a blushing smilie?
I was thinking sort of like “that place on your leg where ankle boots come up to” or below the very bottom of the bulge of your calf. Sari petticoats that are designed for that purpose come about to your anklebone.
On most women, a skirt you use for a petticoat should be somewhere between about 34" to 40" long, less if you have a low waist or short legs etc etc.
Geez. Not so much a type OR a typo.
I appreciate that so much!
South Asian Fashion Police, eh? hehe
No, I wouldn’t leave the full-length sari material with a seamstress. I wouldn’t want to make such an expensive mistake (plus ruin fabulous material!) I don’t see how a seamstress could mess up a tight-fitting crop-top, though, but I actually pulled a diagram off the net of a choli, so I can always show the seamstress that.
I am going to buy a sari online, although due to financial constraints, it might be on e-bay, or something inexpensive (without added costs like pre-made petticoat or choli). Just because I shouldn’t be doing this. Whoops!
What is usually worn under a salwar kameez? Anything special?
[minor anal-retentive linguistic hijack]
Any South Asian linguistics geeks out there know whether the words * sari* and sarong have a common root, or are otherwise related?
I biggest regret in life is that I was not born an Indian woman, so that I could wear saris.
Any suggestions about how a white boy like me could appreciate sari material?