How to wear a Saree

A sari or saree is a popular female garment in Bangladesh. It’s a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four to nine meters in length that is draped over the body. The most common style for sari is to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape worn over the shoulder baring the stomach.  Sari is worn on different occasions and thus there are number of sari draping styles are available.  If you are going to an office then it is advisable to pin up your saree, this makes you look smart and manageable. For parties, just pin up the tip of the sari and let the rest fall on your hand, this will give you a very graceful look. A perfectly draped sari makes personality but a clumsily draper sari can equally bring down the look of the sari and spoils the whole appearance of a woman. Now we will learn how to wear a sari in a common way by following some steps:

Step 1:

Two essential parts of attire which will go along with the sari are needed to be chosen carefully to complement the sari.  These are: petticoat and blouse.

A petticoat is a waist to floor garment, tied tightly and the waist by the drawstring. The petticoat color should match the base color of sari as closely as possible. No part of the petticoat should become visible outside the sari after wearing it.

A blouse needs to be tight fitting and its color needs to be chosen by keeping the look of the sari in mind. It can be short sleeved or sleeveless having a variety of necklines. The blouse ends just below the bust.

Step 2:

Now take the sari and tuck the plain end of the sari into the petticoat at a position which is a little bit to the right of the navel.  Make sure that the lower end of the sari touches the floor and that the whole length of the sari comes on the left hand side. Now wrap the sari around yourself once from right to left.

Step 3:

Beginning from the tucked-in end start making 5 to 7 pleats of equal width in the sari about 5 inches deep each. Gather the pleats together so that they fall straight and evenly. A safety pin may be used to stop the pleats from scattering.

Step 4:

Tuck the pleats into the petticoat at the waist slightly to the left of the navel and make sure that they are turned towards the left.

Step 5:

After this take the sari and tuck the plain end of the sari into the petticoat for one complete turn from right to left. Make sure that the lower end of the sari touches the floor.

Step 6:

Slightly raise the remaining portion of the sari on your back by bringing it up under the right arm and over the left shoulder, so that the end of the sari falls to the level of your knees.

The end portion thus draped is known as ‘achal’. It can be prevented from slipping off by fixing it at the shoulder to the blouse with a small safety pin.

You are now draped in a saree. Now you can stand before a mirror and get enchanted by the grace you exude.